| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 50.92 |
| Liaison | Gretchen Vanicor |
| Submission Date | June 22, 2021 |
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 3.00 |
Monica
Rowand Coordinator Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution have written policies, guidelines, or directives that seek to support sustainable purchasing across multiple commodity categories institution-wide?:
A copy of the policies, guidelines or directives:
The policies, guidelines or directives:
Does the institution employ Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) when evaluating energy- and water-using products and systems?:
Which of the following best describes the institution’s use of LCCA?:
A brief description of the LCCA policy and/or practices:
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating chemically intensive products and services?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for chemically intensive products and services:
Landscape Management:
Pest control shall be managed through prevention, physical and mechanical, and through the purchase of environmentally friendly products. As a last resort, use of the least toxic pest control substance is required.
Preference for organic grounds management, without the use of inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides (i.e., only ecologically preferable materials may be used).
Ecologically preferable materials include OMRI Listed products (Organic Materials Review Institute) and/or products listed/certified by an IFOAM-endorsed standard. Consistent with the NOFA Standards for Organic Land Care, rescue treatments using non-organic pesticides to control insect and disease problems that can cause significant harm are allowed, providing there are no effective organic alternatives.
Cleaning:
Cleaning solvents purchased and or used by University personnel and by janitorial contractors shall be biodegradable and phosphate free, unless such requirements will compromise quality of service. Citrus based or electrolyzed water cleaning is preferable versus other chemical cleaners.
All surfactants and detergents purchased and or used by University personnel and by janitorial contractors shall be readily biodegradable and shall not contain phosphates.
Cleaning and janitorial paper products, including industrial and institutional cleaning and janitorial products, purchased and or used by University personnel and by janitorial contractors shall meet one or more of the following criteria:
Green Seal certified
Forest Stewardship Council certified
UL ECOLOGO certified
U.S. EPA Safer Choice labeled
Cleaning products include general purpose bathroom, glass and carpet cleaners; degreasing agents; biologically-active cleaning products (enzymatic and microbial products); floor-care products (e.g., floor finish and floor finish strippers); hand soaps and hand sanitizers, disinfectants, and metal polish and other specialty cleaning products.
Total expenditures on cleaning and janitorial products for the fiscal year, including the breakout of green spend, must be reported annually to the Office of Sustainability.
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating consumable office products?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for consumable office products:
Paper:
When available, all paper purchases shall be:
Paper that contains 90 to 100 percent post-consumer content and/or agricultural residue, OR
“FSC Recycled” certified.
When neither 90 to 100 percent post-consumer content nor “FSC Recycled” paper is viable, a paper purchase shall be “FSC Mixed” certified or have the highest recycled content possible. Any paper that is purchased that does not meet these requirements will diminish the University’s sustainability performance and standings in international sustainability rankings.
Preference shall be given to uncoated and non-laminated paper products whenever possible.
Total expenditures on paper for the fiscal year, including the breakout of green spend, must be reported annually to the Office of Sustainability.
Shredding services shall be obtained from companies who properly recycle the end product.
Other Office Activities:
Purchase recycled content office supplies (folders, writing pads) when available.
All members of the campus community shall be conscious of printing and try to reduce paper usage where possible.
Reuse paper when possible. For instance, used paper should be turned into scratch pads for internal use, if it doesn’t contain sensitive information. Single-sided scratch paper can be acquired from any of the STEP Labs.
The campus community shall ALWAYS use the duplex (double-sided) printing function unless single sided printing is required, or duplex printing is not available. When appropriate, use the multiple sheets per page option.
Reduce consumption of paper by using paperless office technology and practices.
Use online purchasing and search for products through online catalogs, and discourage the mailing of print catalogs. Advertising and campus postings should use the minimal amount of paper necessary.
Janitorial Paper Products:
Janitorial paper products, including industrial and institutional janitorial products, purchased and/or used by University personnel and by janitorial contractors shall meet one or more of the following criteria:
Green Seal certified
Forest Stewardship Council certified
Janitorial paper products include toilet tissue, tissue paper, paper towels, hand towels, and napkins.
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating furniture and furnishings?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for furniture and furnishings:
Before purchasing any new items, check the Surplus Warehouse for items.
When acquiring or replacing interior or exterior lighting, the most energy efficient equipment available shall be purchased.
All wood and wood contained within the products that the University purchases except paper shall be, in order of preference:
Reclaimed or salvaged.
Recycled content with the highest percentage recycled content available.
Certified as sustainably harvested by a comprehensive, performance-based certification system. The certification system shall include independent third-party audits with standards equivalent to, or stricter than, those of the FSC certification.
All wood and wood containing products shall also not contain any added urea formaldehyde or the least amount available for that product category.
Amongst available comparable options, preference shall be given to bio-based paints, stains, adhesives, sealants, strippers and cleaning products. When bio-based options are not available, preference shall be given to products that protect indoor air quality as determined by one or more recognized volatile organic compound (VOC) reduction standards.
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating Information technology (IT) and equipment?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for Information Technology (IT) and equipment:
Before purchasing any new items, check the Surplus Warehouse for items. All new office technology (printers, computers, etc.) shall be purchased or approved through Information Technology who will ensure products meet the appropriate environmental standards.
All new desktop computers, notebooks, laptops, monitors, displays, slates, tablets, and imaging equipment purchased shall meet all Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) environmental criteria for certification at the gold level, as contained in the IEEE 1680 Standard for the Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer Products. All televisions and phones purchased shall meet the highest EPEAT rating available at the time of purchase. Mobile phones must be ECOLOGO, EPEAT certified.
All electrical products purchased shall have US EPA Energy Star certification if the Energy Star label is available for the product category. When Energy Star labels are not available for the product category, products purchased shall meet or exceed the upper 25% of energy efficiency for their product category, as designated by the Federal Energy Management Program.
Multifunction devices, copiers, and printers shall be compatible with the use of recycled content paper and remanufactured toner cartridges AND should have a duplex printing mode.
Equipment that uses main electricity is preferable. When batteries are essential, low mercury, cadmium or rechargeable batteries should be purchased. These batteries should be recycled at the end of their useful life.
For electronic equipment, including but not limited to computers, monitors, printers, and copiers, preference shall be given to suppliers who have a take back program for reuse or recycling through an eStewards-certified facility deemed appropriate by the Office of Sustainability and/or the Surplus Warehouse. Any electronics that cannot be taken back by the supplier should be returned to the Surplus Warehouse for recycling.
Total expenditures on IT Equipment for the fiscal year, including the breakout of green spend, must be reported annually to the Office of Sustainability.
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating food service providers?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for food service providers:
Service ware made from expanded polystyrene, or Styrofoam™, including but not limited to cups, to-go containers, clamshells, and plates, shall not be purchased or used by University personnel and/or suppliers unless elimination of these materials compromises health and safety or interferes with research functions.
Food service providers and caterers are expected to participate in the following and track where applicable:
Diversion of fats, oils, grease from sewers and landfills.
Local food overage donation programs.
Elimination of prepackaged silverware sets, single serve condiments, and other prepackaged single use foods and food packaging.
Use of reusable to-go containers and the Good to Geaux program utilizing the OZZI system.
When disposable service ware is unavoidable, use, exclusively, of paper products that meet one or more of the following criteria:
FSC Certified
Green Seal certified
BPI certified compostable
Adherence to recyclability and waste reduction guidelines.
Preference shall be given to food and food service suppliers that provide local and/or community-based products and healthy and nutritional foods.
Preference shall be given to products that are sustainably and/or ethically produced as determined by one or more recognized food and beverage sustainability standards.
Food contractors, food service suppliers, and event hosts shall minimize food waste and maximize the recovery of remaining food waste. The University partners with Second Harvest Food Bank to recover perishable food and get it to hunger-fighting partner agencies.
Event hosts and food service providers shall make meatless food options available whenever food is served.
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating garments and linens?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for garments and linens:
Preference shall be given to suppliers and their business partners who respect fundamental individual and employee rights and are committed to adopting responsible practices.
Providers and servicers of garments and linens shall provide detailed information on chemicals used in the cleaning process and identify any alternative products that could be used to reduce the negative impacts on the environment.
Providers shall source textiles, clothing, and other goods from manufacturers participating in Fair Labor Association supply chain initiatives, Fair Trade Certification, or another third-party anti-sweatshop monitoring.
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating professional service providers?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for professional service providers:
The University will integrate sustainability requirements into its practices for competitive bidding in material and services procurement. This applies to Request for Quotations (RFQ) and Invitations to Bid (ITB).
All requests for proposals (RFP’s) shall include the most appropriate version of the Supplier Sustainability Questionnaire.
The evaluation scoring criteria for each RFP shall allocate a percentage of total possible points to the scoring of responses to the Supplier Sustainability Questionnaire
The Supplier Sustainability Questionnaire pertains to the internal operational practices of the supplier, not to the sustainability attributes of the actual product or service being procured by the University. The sustainability attributes of the actual product or service being procured through an RFP shall be evaluated and scored as part of the Scope in the evaluation team’s scoring matrix. The evaluation team may request that a representative from the Office of Sustainability serve as a member of the evaluation team or as a technical advisor to assist in crafting the scope of the RFP and in evaluating and scoring the sustainability attributes of the goods and or services proposed by vendor respondents.
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating transportation and fuels?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for transportation and fuels:
For all new vehicles and motor-operated equipment, preference shall be given to electric and battery-powered options. When batteries are essential, low mercury, cadmium or rechargeable batteries should be purchased. These batteries should be recycled at the end of their useful life.
When available, renewable fuels such as used vegetable oils, biodiesel, biogas, or renewably produced synthetic fuel shall be purchased for vehicles that can operate such alternative fuels without voiding applicable warranties or creating detrimental maintenance issues.
Virtual attendance at meetings and conferences shall be considered in order to lessen emissions associated with travel.
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable procurement program 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.