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BACKGROUND:
The Board of Regents policy on Sustainability and Energy Efficiency was adopted on July 9, 2004. The University of Minnesota Purchasing Services group, through leveraging of our buyer power and supplier relationships, can help support this policy and further our journey toward making the University of Minnesota a model in the application of sustainability principles to guide campus operations.
PURPOSE AND SCOPE:
The goal is to encourage and increase purchasing that reflects the University's commitment to sustainability. This will further our efforts to promote environmental factors such as:
All Category Managers within Purchasing Services will work within their commodity areas when applicable to promote this policy.
DEFINITION:
"Environmentally preferable products and services" as defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) means products and services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared to competing products and services that serve the same purpose. This applies to raw material acquisition, as well as product manufacturing, distribution, use, maintenance, and disposal.
In practice, the objective is to purchase products that have reduced environmental impact because of the way they are made, transported, stored, packed, used and disposed. When determining whether a product is environmentally preferable, the following standards should be considered:
BUSINESS PRACTICES:
A sustainable statement and a sustainability question will be entered into each RFP/RFB package where sustainability is a factor in delivering the goods or services requested.
All desktop computers, notebooks and monitors will meet, at a minimum, all EPEAT environmental criteria designated as Bronze. Energy Star rating will be specified when available.
Departments can help achieve the waste reduction goals by incorporating and practicing the following 3R's: reducing, reusing, and recycling, in their purchasing process for supplies. Priority should be given to reducing waste upstream by purchasing products made from recycled material that can be reused or recycled. Purchase copy paper, legal pads, letterhead stationary, envelops, and other paper products made from recycled paper. Use other office supplies made with recycled materials, and recycled toner cartridges. To reduce disposal costs and waste, choose items that can be manufactured, recycled, or composted.
Supplies purchased should be made using environmentally preferable practices. Environmentally preferable purchasing is the purchase of "products and services [that] have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared to other products and services that serve the same purpose."
The EPA has developed five guiding principles to provide a framework to make environmentally preferable purchases. The five principles are:
By procuring goods with fewer or no toxic chemicals, departments can reduce their hazardous waste disposal, future liability concerns, and the risk of occupational exposure and spills. Low-toxicity products such as mercury-free medical supplies, printing ink low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and chrome and chlorine free cleaning supplies are increasingly available and cost-competitive.
Controller's Organization
Purchasing Services is one of the many departments that report the Controller's Organization.
Internal Service Organizations (ISOs)
ISOs and Auxiliaries are University departments that provide products or services for sale to other University departments.
University Travel Services
University Travel Services is your complete, one-stop location for all travel related questions; from policy to prices, it's all here.