Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 76.34
Liaison Elida Erickson
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of California, Santa Cruz
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.50 / 3.00 Kathleen Rogers
Senior Strategic Sourcing Manager
Procurement Services
"---" 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:

The University of California Terms and Conditions or Purchase, Article 22-Sustainable Procurement Guidelines https://www.ucop.edu/procurement-services/_files/Legal%20docs/legal-forms-current/uc-terms-conditions-v2-6-19.pdf

The University of California Sustainable Practices Policy http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/3100155/Sustainable%20Practices.pdf

The University of California BUS-43/Material Management, Purchases of Goods and
Services; Supply Chain Management: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/3220485/BFB-BUS-43 (pages 3, 31, 47, 49).

The University of California BUS-8/Acquisition and Disposition of University Vehicles: https://policy.ucop.edu/manuals/business-and-finance-bulletins.html

The University of California BUS-19/Registration and Licensing of University-Owned Vehicles: https://policy.ucop.edu/manuals/business-and-finance-bulletins.html

The University of California Management of Health, Safety and the Environment: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/3500506


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:

Through our Equipment Retrofit Fund, the Green Labs Program partners with the Energy department to implement UCSC's Strategic Energy Plan. The Energy department is only allowed to spend funds on investments that have a 10 year payback. To ensure that we are choosing the most effective equipment to retrofit, LCCA of energy and water use was calculated and evaluated in consideration of ROI.


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:

Wherever feasible, cleaning products and materials, including hard floor and carpet care products, used on the UC Santa Cruz campus shall meet the requirements of LEED-EB:O&M 2009 EQc3.3: Green Cleaning, Purchase of Sustainable Cleaning Products and Materials.

General Sustainability Criteria
● Cleaning products must meet one or more of the following standards for the appropriate category:
○ Green Seal GS-37, for general-purpose, bathroom, glass and carpet cleaners use for industrial and institutional purposes
○ Environmental Choice CCD-110, for cleaning and degreasing compounds
○ Environmental Choice CCD-146, for hard surface cleaners
○ Environmental Choice CCD-148, for carpet and upholstery care
● Disinfectants, metal polish, floor finishes, strippers or other products not addressed by GS-37 or Environmental Choice CCD-110, 146, or 148 shall meet at least one of the following standards for the appropriate category:
○ Green Seal GS-40, for industrial and institutional floor care products
○ Environmental Choice CCD-112, for digestion additives for cleaning and odor control
○ Environmental Choice CCD-113, for drain or grease traps additives
○ Environmental Choice CCD-115, for odor control additives
○ Environmental Choice CCD-147, for hard floor care
○ California Code of Regulations maximum allowable VOC levels for the specific product category
● Disposable janitorial paper products and trash bags meet the minimum requirements of one or more of the following programs for the applicable product category:
○ U.S. EPA Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines for Janitorial Paper and Plastic Trash Can Liners
○ Green Seal GS-09, for paper towels and napkins
○ Green Seal GS- 01, for tissue paper
○ Environmental Choice CCD-082, for toilet tissue
7 | UC-Santa Cruz - Green Cleaning Policy
○ Environmental Choice CCD-086, for hand towels
○ Janitorial paper products derived from rapidly renewable resources or made from tree-free fibers
● Hand soaps 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 (i.e., food service and health care requirements)
○ Green Seal GS-41, for industrial and institutional hand cleaners
○ Environmental Choice CCD-104, for hand cleaners and hand soaps

Green Cleaning Equipment Use: All new equipment acquisitions for use at UCSC shall strive to comply with the requirements of IEQc3.4: Green Cleaning, Sustainable Cleaning Equipment.

Sustainability Criteria
● Vacuuming is to be performed utilizing a vacuum that meets the CRI “Green Label” testing program. They shall be capable of capturing 96% of particulates 0.3 microns in size and operate with sound level less than 70dBA.
● Hot water extraction equipment for deep cleaning carpets is capable of removing sufficient moisture such that carpet can dry in less than 24 hours.
● Powered maintenance equipment including floor buffers, burnishers and automatic scrubbers is equipped with vacuums, guards, and/or other devices for capturing fine particulates, and shall operate with a sound level less than 70dBA.
● Propane-powered floor equipment has high efficiency, low emissions engines.
● Automated scrubbing machines are equipped with variable-speed feed pumps to optimize the use of cleaning fluids.
● Battery powered equipment is equipped with gel batteries.
● As appropriate all products are to be recycled appropriately.

Furthermore, the Sustainable Procurement Guidelines outline required and preferred criteria for cleaning supplies as follows:
Required: a minimum of 25% of the purchases are certified by one of the recognized certifications which includes Green Seal, UL Ecologo, EPA Safer Choice, FSC (for janitorial paper products).
Preferred: At least 75% of purchases are certified by one of the recognized certifications (as listed above).


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:

LEED credits should be incorporated into all materials procurement associated with new facility
constructions and major renovations.

- Indoor furniture is required to meet all of the following:
GREENGUARD Gold or SCS Indoor Advantage Gold; Free of the 6 classes of chemicals of concern (see below)

Indoor furniture is preferred to meet the following: must have at least one of the following additional certifications: BIFMA Level certified (preference for 2 or 3); C2C Certified; (preference for Silver or Gold); HHI compliant with published product list on their website; FSC Certified wood; Textiles certified by one of the recognized certifications; Complete HPD; Complete Declare label

chemicals of concern:
Flame Retardants: All furniture shall be free of flame retardant chemicals at levels above 1,000
parts per million in both standard and optional components, excluding electrical components.
a. All upholstered seating subject to TB 117-2013 shall be labeled as not containing flame
retardant chemicals consistent with the manner described in Section 19094 of the
California Business and Professions Code.
b. A product may contain flame retardants if required to meet code or regulation (e.g., TB
133 or ASTM E 1537), in accordance with the following criteria:
i. No halogenated flame retardant chemical may be used at levels above 1,000 parts per million by weight of the homogeneous material, excluding electrical components.
ii. Products that contain flame retardant chemicals that have been fully assessed using GreenScreen v1.2 (or newer) and meet the criteria for benchmark 2, 3, or 4 will be preferred.
2. Formaldehyde and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): All furniture shall comply with
ANSI/BIFMA e3-2014 Furniture Sustainability Standard, Sections 7.6.1 and 7.6.2, using either the
concentration modeling approach or the emissions factor approach.
a. Test results shall be modeled using the open plan, private office, or seating scenario in ANSI/BIFMA M7.1, as appropriate.
b. Furniture products that additionally meet ANSI/BIFMA e3-2014 Section 7.6.3 and/or California Department of Public Health Standard Method v1.1 (emission testing method for California Section 01350) are preferred.
c. Salvaged and refurbished furniture more than one-year old at the time of re-use is considered compliant, provided it meets the requirements for any site-applied paints, coatings, adhesives, and sealants.
d. All composite wood materials, including hardwood plywood, particleboard, or medium density fiberboard, used in office, classroom, or healthcare furniture shall comply with Phase 2 of California’s Code of Regulations, Title 17 §93120.2 – Airborne Toxic Control Measure to Reduce Formaldehyde Emissions from Composite Wood Products.
3. Per and Poly-Fluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) used as stain/water/oil resistant treatments: All
furniture shall be free of any long- and/or short-chain per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl compounds
and fluorinated polymers used as stain, water, or oil resistant treatments above 100 ppm by
weight of the homogenous material.
4. Antimicrobials: All furniture shall be free of any added or built-in chemical antimicrobials.
Antimicrobials added to raw materials for the sole purpose of preserving the product are
exempt, with the exception of triclosan and triclocarban which are explicitly prohibited.
5. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC): All furniture shall be free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) greater than 1% of product by weight, excluding electrical components. Electrical components that are free of PVC are preferred.
6. Heavy Metals: All furniture shall be free of any heavy metals, including hexavalent and trivalent
chromium, in concentrations greater than 100 ppm.


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:

All desktop computers, laptops, and computer monitors purchased by the University are required to have achieved a minimum Bronze-level registration or higher under the Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT® ), where applicable.
The University recognizes several third-party certifications and ratings for the purpose of calculating the percentage of sustainable products that the University purchases; below is a list of key certifications relevant to IT:
ENERGY STAR ® - Energy Star is a standard for energy efficient consumer products administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.
EPEAT ® - The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool is a method for consumers to evaluate the effect of a product on the environment. It ranks products as gold, silver or bronze based on a set of environmental performance criteria. It is managed by the Green Electronics Council.
For all electronic equipment, the University requires that suppliers deliver applicable items to the University with energy efficiency and conservation features enabled.
All recyclers of the University’s electronic equipment must be e-Steward certified by the Basel Action Network (BAN) (www.ban.org). In cases where the University has established take-back programs with a manufacturer, the University will encourage the manufacturer to become a BAN-certified eSteward Enterprise (e-Stewards for Enterprises).


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:

The Sustainable Practices Policy cites "with the goal of achieving 20% sustainable food purchases, all Food Service Operations should track and report annually the percentage of total annual food budget spent on sustainable food...if cost effective, each campus and health location will certify one facility through a third-party green business certification program through one of the following: (1) city or county’s “green business” program, (2) Green Seal’s Restaurants and Food Services Operations certification program, or (3) the Green Restaurant Association certification program."

In the context of this Policy, sustainable food is defined as food and beverage purchases that meet one or more of the criteria listed below, which are reviewed annually by the UC Sustainable Foodservices Working Group (under the UC Sustainability Steering Committee).
i. Locally Grown (17)
ii. Locally Raised, Handled, and Distributed
iii. Fair Trade Certified (18)
iv. Domestic Fair Trade Certified
v. Shade-Grown or Bird Friendly Coffee
vi. Rainforest Alliance Certified
vii. Food Alliance Certified
viii. USDA Organic
ix. AGA Grassfed
x. Grass-finished/100% Grassfed
xi. Certified Humane Raised & Handled
xii. American Humane Certified
xiii. Animal Welfare Approved
xiv. Global Animal Partnership (steps III, IV, V)
xv. Cage-free
xvi. Protected Harvest Certified
xvii. Marine Stewardship Council
xviii. Seafood Watch Guide “Best Choices” or “Good Alternatives”
xix. Farm/business is a cooperative or has profit sharing with all employees
xx. Farm/business social responsibility policy includes (1) union or prevailing
wages, (2) transportation and/or housing support, and (3) health care
benefits
xxi. Other practices or certified processes as determined by the location and
brought to the Sustainable Foodservices Working Group for review and
possible addition in future Policy updates.

17 Resulting from regional constraints, campus definitions of “Locally Grown” and “Locally Raised, Handled, and Distributed” may vary; however, “Locally Grown” and “Locally Raised, Handled, and Distributed” distances shall not exceed 500 miles.
18 Fair Trade Certified products must be third party certified by one of the following: IMO Fair For Life, Fairtrade International (FLO), Fair Trade USA.


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:

We refer to the UC Policy on Sustainable Practices’ guidelines when evaluating professional services. We also include sustainability criteria in our scoring/evaluating responses to RFP's. The weight of this criteria is 20% of the total score available.

http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/3100155/Sustainable%20Practices.pdf


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:

The UC Sustainable Practices Policy states: "Each location will reduce GHG emissions from its fleet and report annually on its progress. Locations shall implement strategies to reduce fleet emissions and improve fuel efficiency of all university-owned or operated fleet vehicles and equipment where practical options exist through acquisition and fleet operation
protocols.
By 2025, zero emission vehicles or hybrid vehicles shall account for at least 50%of all new light-duty vehicle acquisitions.

3. Consistent with the State of California goal of increasing alternative fuel – specifically electric – vehicle usage, the University shall promote purchases and support investment in alternative fuel infrastructure at each location.
A. By 2025, each location shall strive to have at least 4.5% of commuter vehicles be ZEV.
B. By 2050, each location shall strive to have at least 30% of commuter vehicles be ZEV.

No new building or major renovation that is approved after June 30, 2019 shall use onsite fossil fuel combustion (e.g., natural gas) for space and water heating (except those projects connected to an existing campus central thermal infrastructure). Projects unable to meet this requirement shall document the rationale for this decision as described in Section V.A.4

Decisions affecting energy efficiency, fossil fuel use, and connection to existing central thermal services shall be made in the context of the location’s climate action plan. Where onsite fossil fuel combustion within the building is deemed necessary, the rational for this decision shall be documented as part of the existing project approval process. The submittal should include the following: a. An estimate of annual electricity and gas use for the project as well as the
project’s target design energy use in thousand British thermal units (kBtu) per square foot.
b. An explanation of why fossil fuel combustion is required for the project and what other alternatives were evaluated. c. An analysis explaining why fossil-fuel combustion is the most cost-effective energy source for the identified project specific applications. d. A plan to mitigate, by 2025, the associated greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the location’s Climate Action Plan.


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:

The Sustainable Procurement Guidelines has criteria on copy paper and paper office supplies.

Copy paper: Required: a minimum of 30% PCRC (post-consumer recycled content) or agricultural residue content (or Green Seal-07 certified); Preferred: 100% PCRC or agricultural residue content, or FSC Recycled labelled with additional preference for paper that is PCF

Accepted certifications: FSC Recycled, PCRC, Processed Chlorine Free (PCF2), Green Seal (GS-07), agricultural residue content.

Paper office supplies: required: A minimum of 30% PCRC; preferred 100% recycled content with minimum 50% PCRC; 90% PCRC wire components; water-based or plant-based adhesives; and additional preference for PCF, FSC, and/or SFI labelled products.


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:

The UC's Sustainable Procurement Guidelines outlines sustainability criteria for electronics, office supplies, non-paper office supplies, toner, compostable food service ware, as well as water appliances and fixtures.

Please see pages 10-12 in Table 1 at this link: https://www.ucop.edu/procurement-services/_files/sustainableprocurementguidelines.pdf.


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.