Santa Clara University

sustainability at scu

Purchasing Policies

Purchasing is another major area in which SCU 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.

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Purchasing

  • cleaning chemicalCleaning Products

    The current contract for commercial custodial services dated May 7, 2009, Specifications Chemicals and Supplies, Page S-C-1of 4, Paragraph 1. General Requirements, sub-paragraph 1.3 states, "The Contractor will use brands and types of chemicals that are certified as meeting the Greenseal Environmental Standards for Cleaning Services by the GreenSeal Organization whenever there are chemical brands and types that perform acceptably to The University."

  • typingComputers

    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. About 95 percent of computer models are "Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool" (EPEAT) Gold.

    SCU donates almost all of the used computers from the PC Replacement Project to non-profit 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.

  • colored paperPaper

    It is the Purchasing Department's practice to only buy recycled office paper. Available in white and multiple colors, office paper contains 30 percent recycled content.
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