Purchasing

Building on a pilot program that enrolled 35 suppliers to learn about climate and sustainability initiatives and collect emissions data, Stanford will expand supplier engagement by increasing the collection of supplier-specific emissions data, providing technical and planning support to help suppliers optimize energy use, and creating a supplier portal with high-quality carbon-free electricity options and other climate action recommendations, such as reducing fluorinated greenhouse gas emissions. A fully operational supplier engagement program could enable emissions reductions of around 52,000 MTCO₂e per year.

To support departments in the selection, Stanford offers the Supplier Explorer tool, which provides information on supplier ownership certifications, science-based targets, and emissions (among other content). Stanford will expand on this tool by including more detailed information on supplier sustainability attributes in a database that can be accessed by all purchasers. This expanded tool could reduce emissions by 11,695 MTCO2e/year.

To support the selection of sustainable suppliers, Stanford offers guidance and templates for integrating sustainability into bid solicitations. As needed, sustainability is also incorporated into contracts through a process overseen by Stanford’s Vendor Policy Group, which includes members representing zero waste, behavioral science, and responsible purchasing, among many other departments. Stanford has integrated responsible purchasing into its general supplier expectations; current contracts for services such as cafes and janitorial work include provisions for recyclable and compostable products and safer, less toxic chemicals. Building on these practices, Stanford plans to create a library of tailored sustainability clauses for RFPs in different industries, and explore contract language related to net-zero targets aligned with or exceeding the university’s climate goals.

Stanford will expand purchaser education through new training modules, especially modules focused on the circular economy, the impact of recycled content, and the benefits of evaluating sustainability at the supplier level. Targeted outreach and marketing will raise awareness of responsible purchasing recommendations and help purchasers identify small, local, and sustainable suppliers. Combined, these initiatives are expected to reduce emissions by 14,556 MTCO₂e annually and strengthen sustainable purchasing across campus.

Stanford will enhance the iProcurement platform with improved, standardized tagging and ecolabel features, enabling better and more consistent visibility of green products and suppliers. These changes, combined with SmartMart filters and features like the Climate Pledge Friendly label, consolidated deliveries, minimized packaging, and shopping lists highlighting sustainable office and breakroom supplies are projected to reduce emissions by up to 24,249 mtCO₂e per year.

Stanford applies EPEAT standards and life cycle carbon data to IT hardware recommendations, resulting in nearly 80% of computers purchased meeting high sustainability criteria. Energy-efficient options and right-sized computing are prioritized to reduce resource use. The Low-Carbon IT Working Group, launched in 2025, will advance strategies to further lower emissions from IT procurement, with anticipated reductions of approximately 5,787 MTCO₂e annually.

Stanford encourages use of sustainable furniture to support informed purchasing, promote reuse, and highlight sustainability certifications. These guidelines help purchasers evaluate furniture options at each project stage, advancing low-carbon procurement across campus. These recommendations are supported by a working group of project managers representing various departments across campus who work to advance sustainable furniture purchasing in their departments.

Stanford’s Trademark Licensing Program maintains a list of approved vendors to produce Stanford-branded items. Stanford will enhance this list to create a database with standardized tagging and ecolabels to help purchasers identify more sustainable suppliers and products.

Stanford’s academic and administrative buildings’ janitorial services follow a comprehensive green cleaning policy using environmentally preferable chemicals, packaging, equipment, and procedures that meet LEED and Green Seal standards. Additionally, in student housing and dining, the Cardinal Clean program replaces chemical cleaners with ozone-based cleaners and disinfectants in over 100 residences and offices, eliminating 5,500 gallons of harmful chemicals and 2,000 pounds of plastic containers annually. Stanford earned an Outstanding Waste Prevention Award for this sustainable cleaning program.

Stanford introduced new sustainable packaging guidelines to help vendors comply with California’s Extended Producer Responsibility law (SB54) and promote reusable packaging. Purchasers are encouraged to share these guidelines with their vendors to minimize packaging waste on campus.

Stanford introduced new sustainable shipping recommendations to help purchasers select sustainable shipping options, such as ground transportation and shipping from nearby locations. The university will expand these efforts by partnering with suppliers to consolidate deliveries.

Procurement staff from Stanford, Harvard, MIT, and Yale formed an ad hoc working group to identify high-impact, actionable subcategories within Purchased Goods & Services and Capital Goods emissions categories. By comparing top spend categories, applying actionability criteria, and leveraging past heatmapping and materiality analyses, the group developed a shortlist of emissions hot spots: labs, buildings and construction, food, and IT. This work is captured in a white paper that aims to help other research universities bypass early discovery stages and accelerate Scope 3 mitigation.