Stanford Marks 10 Years of Energy System Innovations
The SESI program transformed the university’s energy system into one that’s safe, sustainable, and resilient and serves as a model for the world.
Each member of the Stanford community makes choices that have a meaningful impact on the world. Choosing the types of goods and services the university purchases, how they are packaged and delivered, and the types of suppliers to engage with are all powerful decisions.
With an annual spend of $2.8 billion on goods and services, responsible purchasing is paramount to achieving Stanford’s zero waste goal. The objects we buy today that cannot be reused, recycled, or composted will end up in the landfill tomorrow.
Sustainable purchases minimize harm to humans and the environment when compared to competing goods and services that serve the same purpose. Responsible purchasers take a holistic view when selecting products or services, considering not only functionality, price, quality, and availability, but also the product’s effect on the environment, human health, and society.
Responsible Purchasing Guidelines
The university’s Responsible Purchasing Guidelines summarize key steps to making more sustainable purchases, from electronics to lab supplies, and more.
Surplus & Reuse
Stanford has several programs to support the reuse of materials year round: the ReUse program for bulky items like furniture, the Surplus Chemical Program for excess chemicals from labs, and the Recycle for Change Collection Boxes across campus for clothing and shoes.
Using Amazon Business?
- Look for items with the Climate Pledge Friendly label. This label denotes items that are certified through one or more reputable, transparent, external sustainability certification programs. Examples include the Forest Stewardship Council and EPEAT. Search results can be filtered to show only products with this label.
- Select the Amazon Day delivery option to consolidate deliveries to one day per week and reduce the number of trips required to deliver items.
- Choose the Frustration-Free Packaging option whenever it’s offered to reduce the use of additional and unnecessary packaging materials. Search results can be filtered to show only products that meet this criterion.
Sustainable Product Search Tools
Office & Breakroom Supplies from Amazon
These lists provide curated collections of items that meet the Responsible Purchasing Guidelines. While not comprehensive of all products that meet the guidelines, they make purchasing sustainable products easy as they are integrated into the Amazon for Business platform.
To access the Sustainability lists, log in to Amazon for Business via Stanford’s Oracle iProcurement platform. Once logged in, copy and paste the links below into your browser’s URL bar:
Tips for Shopping with Other Vendors
- Request reusable packaging
- Look for products with sustainability certifications such as Fair Trade Certified, Rainforest Alliance, FSC – Forest Stewardship Council, Oeko-Tex, Cradle to Cradle, 1% for the Planet, Green Seal, or Certified B Corporation
- Incorporate the practice of identifying and including small and diverse businesses in sourcing efforts for products and services
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