Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 78.69
Liaison Lindsey Kalkbrenner
Submission Date Feb. 14, 2023

STARS v2.2

Santa Clara University
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 3.00 Lindsey Kalkbrenner
Director
Center for 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 multiple commodity categories institution-wide?:
Yes

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

The University encourages end users to review and seriously consider purchasing "green" office products. It has hosted training sessions, showing how to filter products by green and recycled content.

Vendor Selection
Vendors are selected for their capability to serve the needs of the University by providing quality products in the most economical and efficient manner possible. Past performance and service after the sale are important factors. Vendors doing business with the University for the first time are carefully evaluated by the Purchasing Department.

Factors considered when evaluating a vendor include:
Competitive pricing,
Product quality
Good material availability,
Geographic proximity,
Favorable Credit, freight and delivery terms,
Vendor financial stability, and
Performance with other customers.
In accordance with the University’s Mission and Sustainability Policy.


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 less comprehensively, e.g. for certain types of systems or projects and not others

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

LCCA policies depend on the project and funding source, but are usually employed. Many Facilities and utility related projects are driven by end of life replacements, in which case the University designs as efficiently as possible. If a project is conducted for efficiency's sake then LCCA policies are employed.


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating chemically intensive products and services?:
Yes

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

The University's contract for custodial services (current contractor is Able Building Maintenance) contains the following language under the Specifications section entitled Chemicals: "Contractor will use brands and types of chemicals that are certified as meeting the GreenSeal Environmental Standards for Cleaning Service by the GreenSeal Organization whenever there are chemical brands and types that perform acceptably to The University."


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating consumable office products?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for consumable office products:

The Purchasing Department works with Staples Advantage and Blaisdell's Business Products, a California independent office supply company and a Certified B-Corporation that is devoted to giving back to communities and is committed to social and environmental practices.

The HP printer cartridges are part of a closed-loop recycling system, which means plastic from the cartridges are "combined with other plastics to create new HP ink or toner supplies." Over 80% of HP ink cartridges and 100% of HP LaserJet toner cartridges contain recycled plastics.


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating furniture and furnishings?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for furniture and furnishings:

Santa Clara University's Sustainable Building Policy guides design and construction as well as operations and maintenance of Santa Clara University buildings. Relevant sections of the policy are included here:

Usage of environmentally preferable materials
- Maximize use of recycled/reclaimed materials, as well as materials that can be easily recycled.
- Carpeting must be recycled, reclaimed, reusable, renewable, and/or eco-friendly. Carpeting tiles should be used, where appropriate.
- Avoid vinyl-composite tiles (VCTs) and any materials made of vinyl. Use linoleum, rubber, and/or composite tiles instead of vinyl flooring.

Indoor environmental quality
- Carpeting backing, fibers, adhesives, paints, flooring, and sealants should be no- or low-VOC (volatile organic compound).
- All wood products used in construction also have a low-VOC content and are formaldehyde free.
- Buildings should be equipped with carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide meters to ensure indoor air quality.
- Buildings should be designed to maximize indoor access to daylight and exterior views.


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating Information technology (IT) and equipment?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for Information Technology (IT) and equipment:

All major vendors the University does business with (Cisco, Dell, Apple, etc.), are committed to sustainability; consequently, we've never put anything in writing regarding this, but are working on the criteria. The University has directives to encourage the purchase of computers and other electronic products that are EPEAT registered or meet similar sustainability standards to electronic products.


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating food service providers?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for food service providers:

Santa Clara University has a commitment to providing fresh, organic, and local ingredients whenever possible to create healthy food while following sustainable practices and fostering ecological awareness. Our dining services food provider must be capable of adhering to our commitments.

Our sustainability requirements (incorporated in our contract) include:

“Dining Services (contractor)...
...will collaborate with the Center for Sustainability to align with the University’s sustainability commitments, including reducing energy and water consumption.

...will complete an annual sustainability inventory of all food and beverage purchases in February for the Center for Sustainability’s submission of SCU’s STARS report.

...will develop a plan to measure current Real Food procurement.


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 service providers?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for professional service providers:
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Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating transportation and fuels?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for transportation and fuels:
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Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable procurement program or initiatives is available:
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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.