Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 54.99
Liaison Denice Koljonen
Submission Date Feb. 6, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Boston College
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.50 / 3.00 Jennifer Foley
Project Manager
IRPA
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have written policies, guidelines or directives that seek to support sustainable purchasing across commodity categories institution-wide?:
No

A copy of the policies, guidelines or directives:
---

The policies, guidelines or directives:

Not institution-wide, but BC Facilities Services has a Sustainable Operations Guidelines 1.0 that was developed in 2015-2016 which includes guidelines for eight key areas that do a significant amount of purchasing: Landscape Management, Sustainable Purchasing, Refrigerant Management, Green Cleaning, Indoor Environmental Quality, Materials Management, Vehicle Use and Energy & Water Use. The link is at the end of this section.


Does the institution employ Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) when evaluating energy- and water-using products and systems?:
No

Which of the following best describes the institution’s use of LCCA?:
---

A brief description of the LCCA policy and/or practices:
---

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating chemically intensive products and services (e.g. building and facilities maintenance, cleaning and sanitizing, landscaping and grounds maintenance)?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for chemically intensive products and services:

All Facilities Operations personnel must meet or exceed the requirements of the Sustainable Operations Guideline 1.0 (attached below) created for all campus and off-campus properties. This guideline pertains to all Custodial, Trades, and Grounds operations.

When purchasing cleaning products–including general-purpose bathroom,
glass, and carpet cleaners; floor care products; disinfectants; odor removers;
laundry detergents; hand soaps and hand sanitizers; and specialty cleaning
products–Facilities Services Operations employees give preference to
products that are Green Seal or ECOLOGO certified or that meet the EPA’s
Safer Choice Standard.


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating construction and renovation products (e.g. furnishings and building materials)?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for construction and renovation products:

The Office of Capital Construction specifies to all Design Engineering and Architecture firms that they must meet the City of Boston's mandate to construct new buildings or renovate existing buildings to meet one of four LEED Certifications and LEED for Existing Building Operation and Maintenance on our campus. There are additional guidelines for purchasing of construction products and furnishing in the Sustainable Operations Guidelines (link at end of this section).

When purchasing construction materials, Facilities Services Operations employees give preference to:
• Wood products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council;
• Products that contain recycled content;
• Materials that are Cradle to Cradle certified;
• Paints, coatings, adhesives, and sealants that are Green Seal certified and/or have low-VOC content.


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating Information technology (IT) products and services (e.g. computers, imaging equipment, mobile phones, data centers and cloud services)?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for IT products and services:

https://www.bc.edu/offices/its/green-tech.html

This includes: Printing, Digital Documents, Recycling & Disposal, Energy Savings, and Other Sustainability Resources.


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating food services (i.e. franchises, vending services, concessions, convenience stores)?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for food services:
---

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating garments and linens?:
No

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 services (e.g. architectural, engineering, public relations, financial)?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for professional services:

Boston College's Supplier Diversity Program is designed to enhance our supplier base by promoting opportunities to qualified diverse suppliers and fostering the University mission of welcoming diversity to our students, faculty, staff and community by expanding relationships and enriching economic opportunities.

Our objective is to promote greater minority-owned and women-owned business participation. This program forms a connection between Boston College, the small business and the MWBE (Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise) community. The inclusion of these businesses in the economic mainstream improves the economic stabililty of our community and improves overall diversity of the University. It provides an additional benefit where vendors may interact with our students, faculty and staff, providing greater opportunities for ideas, interest and overall experience.

By creating effective business relationships, we strengthen economic development and viability for disadvantaged businesses while providing a value-added strategy that increases competition. Through this commitment, we promote the opportunity for qualified MWBE's to receive fair and equal chances to provide goods and services to Boston College.
Link:
https://www.bc.edu/offices/buy/businesswith/Supplier_Diversity_Program.html


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating transportation and fuels (e.g. travel, vehicles, delivery services, long haul transport, generator fuels, steam plants)?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for transportation and fuels:

When purchasing motor vehicles–including cars, carts, trucks, tractors, and buses–Facilities Services employees give preference to the cleanest and most fuel efficient options for the desired function. This includes consideration of electric, hybrid electric, and other alternative fuel vehicles.

When purchasing liquid fuel–including gasoline and diesel fuel–Facilities Services Operations employees give preference to biofuels (e.g., biodiesel or ethanol) and biofuel blends.


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating wood and paper products?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for wood and paper products:

Paper: When purchasing janitorial paper products–including bathroom tissue and
paper towels–Facilities Services Operations employees give preference to
products that are Green Seal or ECOLOGO certified and/or are derived from
post-consumer fiber, fiber from forests certified to be managed according
to Forest Stewardship Council standards, or tree-free fiber (e.g., bamboo,
sugar cane).

When purchasing office paper–including copier paper and stationery–
Facilities Services Operations employees will give preference to paper
products that contain a high percentage of post-consumer recycled
content; are chlorine-free; and/or are certified by the Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC).

Wood:Wood products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council;


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating products and services in other commodity categories that the institution has determined to have significant sustainability impacts?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for other commodity categories:

- When purchasing furniture, Facilities Services Operations employees give preference to furniture that:
• Contains recycled content, sustainably harvested bio-based materials, or Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood;
• Is refurbished, is Cradle to Cradle or Level certified, or is sourced (extracted, manufactured, and purchased) within 100 miles of the BC campus.
Facilities Services Operations also frequently repurposes and reuses
furniture on campus.

- When purchasing lamps–including lamps for indoor and outdoor fixtures
as well as hard-wired and portable fixtures–Facilities Services Operations employees give preference to lamps that are both energy efficient and
mercury free (e.g., LEDs). When mercury-containing lamps are required, Facilities Services Operations purchases lamps containing less than 70 picograms of mercury per lumen-hour unless nothing meeting this standard is available.

- When purchasing powered janitorial equipment–including vacuum
cleaners and deep-cleaning carpet extraction equipment–Facilities
Services Operations employees give preference to products that are
certified through the Carpet & Rug Institute’s Seal of Approval program,
with greater preference for products certified at higher levels.


The website URL where information about the programs 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.