Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.74
Liaison Tavey Capps
Submission Date Jan. 31, 2011
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.0

Duke University
IN-4: Innovation 4

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Tavey Capps
Environmental Sustainability Director
Office of the Executive Vice President
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:

Duke Green Purchasing and Supplier Diversity Program --
The Duke Green Purchasing Program helps Duke purchasers and employees make environmentally responsible choices. By conserving resources, preventing pollution, and opting for safe materials, we can make a positive impact on our environment and community. Our purchasers take into consideration the impact of products on the environment and human health, giving preference to more environmentally friendly products when quality and cost performance are equal or superior.

We have implemented several innovative practices within Procurement that help us achieve our goals of both environmental and social responsibility. The following processes have been designed to reduce waste and excessive resources, extend product life, encourage minority supplier development and contribute to community development:

• “Donation-Only” Business Model for Surplus Furniture, Computers and Medical Equipment
• Standardized Furniture Purchasing
• Standardized Computer Purchasing
• Diverse Supplier Identification and Inclusion
• Departmental and Supplier Education of Green Practices, Products and Social Responsibility
• Monthly Green Vendor and Diverse Supplier Networking Events
• Annual Green Purchasing Speaking Engagements with Local Agencies
• End-of-Life Supply Chain Management with Central Oversight
• Complete Asset Disposition Tracking
• Reintroduction of Surplus Property into Supply Chain
• Promotion and Encouragement of Non-Purchasing

As a result of these innovative practices, we are changing the culture of purchasing at Duke. We now impact over 330 area non-profit agencies by donating upwards of 12,000 furniture items and computers annually and are the sole computer donation source for Durham Public Schools. We feel that the full supply chain cycle is often overlooked and we have taken accountability for goods we’ve procured at end-of-life. Additionally, our work with diverse suppliers and local supplier diversity/governmental agencies has allowed us to develop a more creative, competitive, strategic sourcing program with inclusion and equitable opportunities.


A letter of affirmation from an individual with relevant expertise:
The website URL where information about the innovation is available:
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.