Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 67.30
Liaison Dianne Anderson
Submission Date Feb. 7, 2020
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

New York University
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.75 / 3.00 Nicholas Liu-Sontag
Manager
Sustainability
"---" 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?:
Yes

A copy of the policies, guidelines or directives:
The policies, guidelines or directives:
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Does the institution employ Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) when evaluating energy- and water-using products and systems?:
Yes

Which of the following best describes the institution’s use of LCCA?:
Institution employs LCCA as a matter of policy and standard practice when evaluating all energy- and water-using products, systems and building components

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

It is standard practice at NYU when evaluating major energy- or water-using purchases to perform LCCA. This is performed for HVAC systems during building renovations, appliances, plumbing fixtures, and vehicles.


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:

NYU has a Green Cleaning Policy which the University's cleaning service provider follows. The Policy sets requirements for Ecologo and Green Seal products for all cleaners, degreasers, floor-care products, odor control additives, drain additives, paper towels, toilet paper, hand cleaners and hand sanitizers. The full purchasing policy is pasted below:

PRACTICES TO OPTIMIZE USE OF SUSTAINABLE CLEANING PRODUCTS
Purchase Green Cleaning product and materials, including hard-floor, floor finishes and strippers, disposable janitorial paper products ,trash bags and carpet-care products shall, when possible, meet the requirements of EQc Green Cleaning, Purchase of Sustainable Cleaning Products and Materials. This will include items used by in-house staff and outsourced service providers.
Product types subject to these requirements include, but are not limited to, bio-enzymatic cleaners, hard-floor cleaners, carpet cleaners, general-purpose cleaners, specialty cleaners, odor control, disinfectants, disposable janitorial paper products and trash bags, hand sanitizers and hand soaps.
EQc: Green Cleaning, Purchases of Sustainable Products and Materials Criteria:
The cleaning products meet one or more of the following standards for the appropriate category:
- Green Seal GS-37, for general-purpose, bathroom, glass and carpet cleaner use for industrial and institutional purposes
- UL EcoLogo 2792, for cleaning and degreasing compounds
- UL EcoLogo 2759, for hard-surface cleaners
- UL EcoLogo 2795, for carpet and upholstery care
- Green Seal GS-40, for industrial and institutional floor care products
- UL EcoLogo 2777, for hard-floor care
- EPA Safer Choice Standard
Cleaning devices that use only ionized water or electrolyzed water and have third-party-verified performance data equivalent to the other standards mentioned above (if the device is marketed for antimicrobial cleaning, performance data must demonstrate antimicrobial performance comparable to EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics and Design for the Environment requirements, as appropriate for use patterns and marketing claims).
- Disinfectants, metal polish, or other products not addressed by GS-37 or UL EcoLogo 2792, 2759, and 2795 shall meet at least one of the following standards for the appropriate category:
- UL EcoLogo 2798, for digestion additives for cleaning and odor control
- UL EcoLogo 2791, for drain or grease trap additives
- UL EcoLogo 2796, for odor control additives
- Green Seal GS-52/53, for specialty cleaning products
- California Code of Regulations maximum allowable VOC levels for the specific product category
- EPA Safer Choice Standard

Hand soaps and hand sanitizers must meet one or more of the following standards:
No antimicrobial agents (other than as a preservative) except where required by health codes and other regulations (e.g., food service and health care requirements)
- Green Seal GS-41, for industrial and institutional hand cleaners
- UL EcoLogo 2784, for hand cleaners and hand soaps
- UL EcoLogo 2783, for hand sanitizers
- EPA Safer Choice Standard

APPROVED PRODUCTS
Any products meeting the above criteria are approved for use. Products not meeting the criteria listed here must be submitted for approval prior to use. EPA Design for the Environment Chemicals are currently being used at some locations.

In addition to the above policies for green cleaning chemicals, NYU's grounds are all managed in accordance with an organic land care standard that has eliminated the use of inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides in favor of ecologically preferable materials. Therefore, NYU does not purchase chemically intensive products for landscaping use.


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating construction and renovation products (e.g. furnishings and building materials)?:
No

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

The Environmental Purchasing Policy states a preference for Energy Star-rated IT products.


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating food services (i.e. franchises, vending services, concessions, convenience stores)?:
Yes

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

NYU uses the STARS credits OP-7 and OP-8 as sustainability criteria for food service vendors. NYU also has criteria regarding single use plastics, Menus of Change, and Green Restuarant Association.


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:
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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:

New York University is committed to fostering and cultivating a culture of inclusion and diversity. To that end, NYU's Contract Management Group runs the Supplier Diversity Initiative. This initiative seeks to attract, grow, and retain participation by Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise in professional sevices (i.e. architectural, engineering, legal, etc.), construction management and general contracting services, and other vendor services.


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)?:
No

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

NYU's preferred sustainable paper product is Tree-Zero paper. This is a product that is made entirely from sugarcane waste fiber and contains no virgin tree pulp. When Tree-Zero paper is unfit for the application, the University's stated preference is for paper with at least 30% post-consumer recycled content.

NYU's Green Cleaning Policy sets criteria for the purchase of paper products in regards to recycled content.


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?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for other commodity categories:
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.