Auburn University
OP-13: Cleaning Products Purchasing

Part 1 

Institution has an institution-wide stated preference to purchase cleaning and janitorial products that are Green Seal™ or UL Environment (EcoLogo)™ certified and/or meet similar multi-criteria sustainability standards for cleaning and janitorial products. This can take the form of purchasing policies, guidelines, or directives. 

Policies and directives adopted by entities of which the institution is part (e.g. government or the university system) may count for this credit as long as the policies apply to and are followed by the institution. 

Part 2 

Institution’s main cleaning or housekeeping department(s) and/or contractor(s) purchase Green Seal or UL Environment (EcoLogo) certified cleaning and janitorial products. 

Cleaning and janitorial products include, at minimum: 

• Cleaning/degreasing agents 
• General-purpose, bathroom, glass, and carpet cleaners 
• Biologically-active cleaning products (enzymatic and microbial products) 
• Floor-care products, e.g. floor finish and floor finish strippers 
• Hand cleaners 
• Sanitary paper products, e.g. toilet tissue, facial tissue, paper towels, napkins, and placemats 
• Plastic film products (e.g. garbage bags/liners) 
• Laundry care products including powder, liquid or pre-measured dosage laundry detergents, stain removers and dryer sheets 
• Specialty surface cleaning products and odor removers, including but not limited to: boat cleaning products; deck and outdoor furniture cleaning products; graffiti removers; metal cleaning products; motor vehicle (automotive/tire/wheel) cleaning products; motor vehicle windshield washing fluid; optical lens cleaning products; oven cleaning products; upholstery cleaning products; and other cleaning products sold for specific specialty uses 

This credit applies to all institutions. 

Each part is scored independently. 

Part 1 

0.25 points are awarded for Part 1 for having an institution-wide stated preference to purchase cleaning and janitorial products that are Green Seal or UL Environment (EcoLogo) certified and/or meet similar multi-criteria sustainability standards for cleaning and janitorial products. Partial points are not available. 

Part 2 

Institutions earn the maximum of 0.75 points available for Part 2 by purchasing exclusively Green Seal and/or UL Environment (EcoLogo) certified cleaning and janitorial products. Incremental points are awarded based on the percentage of purchased products that are certified. For example, if 50 percent of cleaning product expenditures were on Green Seal certified products, an institution would earn 0.375 points (half of the points available for this credit). 

See scoring table and example in the STARS Technical Manual.

Timeframe

Part 1 

Report on current policies, directives, or guidelines. 

Part 2 

Report the most recent data available. 

Sampling and Data Standards

Part 1 

Report on purchasing policies, directives, or guidelines that apply to the entire institution. 

Part 2 

Include purchases made by all major housekeeping or cleaning departments, including outsourced or contracted service providers. Expenditures on products for which no third party certified alternatives are available may be excluded. 

Institutions may track purchases over a one-year time period or take a representative sample to determine the percentage of expenditures on cleaning products that are certified green. When using a sample, institutions should strive to ensure that the sample recognizes seasonal and other variations that influence purchasing behavior.