Columbia University
OP-14: Office Paper Purchasing

Part 1 

Institution has an institution-wide stated preference to purchase office paper that has recycled content, is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and/or is certified to meet similar multi-criteria sustainability standards for paper. 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 purchases office paper with post-consumer recycled, agricultural residue, and/or FSC certified content.  

This credit applies to all institutions. 

Each part is scored independently. 

Part 1 

Institutions earn 0.25 points for Part 1 for having an institution-wide stated preference to purchase to purchase office paper that has recycled content, is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and/or is certified to meet similar multi-criteria sustainability standards for paper. Partial points are not available. 

Part 2

Institutions earn the maximum of 0.75 points available for Part 2 of this credit by purchasing exclusively office paper that contains 90-100 percent post-consumer recycled and/or agricultural residue content and/or is FSC Recycled certified. Incremental points are awarded based on the percentage of office paper purchased with post-consumer recycled, agricultural residue, and/or FSC certified content. For example, if 50 percent of all office paper purchased by an institution was 90-100 percent post-consumer recycled content, the institution would earn 0.375 points (half of the points available for Part 2 of 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 

Institutions may track purchases over a one-year time period or take a representative sample to determine the recycled content of office paper purchased. When using a sample, institutions should strive to ensure that the sample recognizes seasonal and other variations that influence purchasing behavior.