| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.47 |
| Liaison | Pamela Mischen |
| Submission Date | March 5, 2020 |
Binghamton University
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.75 / 3.00 |
Sandy
DeJohn Utilities Manager / Sustainability Coordinator Physical Facilities |
Does the institution have written policies, guidelines, or directives that seek to support sustainable purchasing across multiple commodity categories institution-wide?:
A copy of the policies, guidelines or directives:
The policies, guidelines or directives:
As a New York State agency, Binghamton University adheres to requirements as imposed by the Governor's office. New York State Executive Order #4 establishes Green Procurement and Agency Sustainability Program. Binghamton University purchases most commodities through New York State centralized contracts administered by the Office of General Services (NYS OGS). The website below contains approved EO4 procurement specifications.
https://ogs.ny.gov/greenny/executive-order-4-approved-specifications
Does the institution employ Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) when evaluating energy- and water-using products and systems?:
Which of the following best describes the institution’s use of LCCA?:
A brief description of the LCCA policy and/or practices:
For each new construction and major renovation projects where equipment selection will impact the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), Binghamton University engages New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to perform energy modeling and to collaborate with building designers to select the most cost-effective energy efficient equipment. Upon completion of building construction, NYSERDA's representatives will perform field verification to validate the performance data of all systems against design data.
Binghamton University also adheres to SUNY Capital Facilities Policies and Directive to meet, as a minimum, LEED Silver certification criteria. In addition to meeting the Water Efficiency (WE) prerequisites for indoor and outdoor water use reduction, we also pursue WE credits under cooling tower and process water use reduction.
An example of of life cycle cost analysis study is attached as an additional supporting document.
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating chemically intensive products and services?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for chemically intensive products and services:
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating consumable office products?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for consumable office products:
New York State's Executive Order 4 specifies criteria of various products for office and building operations. Products include batteries, ceiling tiles and panels, carpet and carpet tiles, disinfectants and sanitizers, drinking fountains, furniture, general purpose cleaners, ink, and janitorial paper products.
As an example, the specifications for janitorial paper products state that:
Affected entities shall, to the maximum extent practicable, purchase janitorial paper products which meet the following specifications. These specifications harmonize with specifications included in the multi-state purchasing contract for Environmentally Preferable Cleaning Products, Programs, Equipment and Supplies (also known as FAC85).
1. Contain 100% total recycled content (TRC).
2. Meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines (CPGs) for post-consumer recycled content (PCRC). See table, below, for minimum percentage of PCRC required for each category of janitorial paper products. (Table can be found here: https://ogs.ny.gov/greenny/janitorial-paper-products)
3. Products shall be Processed Chlorine Free. Additionally, chlorine or chlorine derivatives (e.g., elemental chlorine, chlorine dioxide, sodium hypochlorite, sodium chlorite) shall not be used during the following steps of the papermaking process: re-pulping, screening, deinking, and washing.
4. Contain no intentionally added antimicrobial ingredients, fragrances, colorants (pigments or dyes), or alkylphenol ethoxylates or other alkylphenol derivatives (APEOs).
5. Offered by the vendor in an appropriate dispenser free of charge.
6. Currently certified by either Green Seal or UL EcoLogo under the following standards:
* Green Seal under GS-01 (2013), Sanitary Paper Products.
==>Products certified to this standard are not required to have 100% total recycled content or meet EPA’s CPGs, so additional screening is needed to ensure that products meet those requirements.
==>Products certified to this standard are not required to be free of antimicrobial ingredients, alkylphenol ethoxylates or other alkylphenol derivatives (APEOs), so additional screening is needed to ensure that products meet those requirements.
==>All products certified to this standard are required to be process chlorine free, so no additional screening is needed to ensure that products meet that requirement.
==>All products certified to this standard are required to be free of fragrances and colorants (pigments or dyes), so no additional screening is needed to ensure that products meet those requirements.
* UL EcoLogo under 175, Standard for Sustainability for Sanitary Paper Products.
==>Products certified to this standard are not required to have 100% total recycled content or meet EPA’s CPGs, so additional screening is needed to ensure that products meet those requirements.
==>Products certified to this standard are not required to be process chlorine free, so additional screening is needed to ensure that products meet that requirement.
==>All products certified to this standard are not required to be free of antimicrobial ingredients, fragrances and colorants (pigments or dyes), so additional screening is needed to ensure that products meet those requirements.
==>Products certified to this standard are required to be free of alkylphenol ethoxylates or other alkylphenol derivatives (APEOs), so no additional screening is needed to ensure that products meet that requirement.
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating furniture and furnishings?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for furniture and furnishings:
The University procures most our furniture and furnishings under New York State Office of General Services (OGS) contracts. OGS contract specifications for furniture can be found here: https://ogs.ny.gov/greenny/furniture.
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating Information technology (IT) and equipment?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for Information Technology (IT) and equipment:
Binghamton University adheres to New York State Executive Order 4 to purchase electronic equipment:
https://ogs.ny.gov/greenny/desktop-and-laptop-computers
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating food service providers?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for food service providers:
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating garments and linens?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for garments and linens:
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating professional service providers?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for professional service providers:
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating transportation and fuels?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for transportation and fuels:
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable procurement program or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.