Purchasing PoliciesIn addition to SCU’s operational decisions, purchasing is another major area in which the university can be an effective and responsible steward of the environment. A growing number of organizations are adopting environmental purchasing criteria for a wide range of products. These policies supplement, but do not replace, traditional criteria of cost, performance and availability by giving preference to products that use fewer hazardous materials, are more energy efficient, generate less waste, incorporate more recycled materials and are themselves more easily recycled. In this way, institutional buyers can exert beneficial effects on the environment globally, wherever products are produced, manufactured or discarded. Guidelines for electronics purchasing offer a good example of the feasibility of adopting such standards and the opportunities for campus-wide learning. SCU is among the first universities in the country to make detailed requests for information about computer vendors' environmental performance, and to weigh this information when choosing a vendor for our PC Replacement Project. We donate almost all of the used computers from this Project to nonprofit organizations, promoting re-use, and plan to help the recipients recycle these computers responsibly when they are no longer functional. We also plan to increase responsible re-use and recycling of other electronics on campus. Click here for Purchasing Resources |
