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

The UC Sustainable Practices Policy establishes environmentally preferable purchasing policies and procedures. UCSB is committed to implementing sustainable procurement and use practices that meet or exceed UC’s goals, working within budgetary, regulatory and programmatic constraints. In 2012 UCSB adopted its own Sustainable Procurement and Use Practices. See here: http://www.policy.ucsb.edu/policies/policy-docs/sustainable-procurement.pdf.

The University of California Terms and Conditions of Purchase also establishes policies for social and environmental sustainable purchasing across commodity categories institution-wide, including Article 22 directing the use of Environmentally Preferable Products. http://www.ucop.edu/procurement-services/_files/uc-terms-and-conditions-of-purchase.pdf

ARTICLE 22 – ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERABLE PRODUCTS
Supplier will use environmentally preferable products and services (i.e., products and services with a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment), to the maximum possible extent consistent with the Agreement. Information on environmentally preferable products and services is available at: http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp/.

The UC’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policies state: “The University seeks to compare the total cost of ownership when evaluating the cost of goods and services for the selection of suppliers. The total cost of ownership includes the initial purchase price and all other initial costs, including installation, freight, taxes and fees where applicable, operating cost, maintenance cost, warranty cost, collection, and end-of-life disposal or recycling costs.”
Furthermore, UCSB’s Sustainable Procurement and Use Practices state: “Purchases of supplies and equipment that require energy use should be ENERGY STAR© rated products when they are available and meet the researchers’/service units’ required performance standards. For high-value purchases, weight will be given for energy efficiency, quantity of recycled content, proximity of manufacture to UCSB, low or no VOC content, manufacture waste stream data, and price points to make final selections. For special-purpose equipment/hardware purchases, the goal is to seek energy efficient products and to encourage vendors to seek ENERGY STAR© ratings.

Yes, the University has a Low Environmental Impact Cleaning Policy which is used for all LEED-certified buildings, but also applies to all academic and administrative buildings. This policy states four goals:
Maintaining optimal indoor air quality
Improving occupant health
Training University staff to think and act in an environmentally conscious manner
Monitor program outcomes to determine the positive impact of green housekeeping on custodial crew and building occupants (e.g. fewer sick days)
Furthermore, the UCSB Sustainable Procurement and Use Practices states “no or low-VOC adhesives or finishes” for furniture, and “no or low-VOC content” for equipment purchases.

The University Policies also state a recognition for GREENGUARD ® and Green Seal ® certifications and ratings for the purpose of calculating the percentage of sustainable products that the University purchases.

Furniture:
As stated in the University’s Sustainable Procurement and Use Practices, "furniture purchases should meet the sustainable furniture criteria below. UC strategic sourcing vendors should be used when they are most cost effective. If a department is unable to find furniture which meets the criteria, the department is to work with Purchasing to locate viable options."
Sustainable Furniture Criteria
1. Meet ergonomic standards
2. Contain a high recycled content
3. Features energy efficient lighting
4. Has low or no-VOC adhesives or finishes
5. Are made from renewable resources in a socially responsible manner
6. Travels the least distance to campus, thereby decreasing the environmental impact due to transport
The policy also states the following for furniture:
Contract awards to vendors are contingent upon vendors meeting department specifications, competitive pricing, and providing a diverse selection of sustainable options. In addition to price points, weight will be given to each sustainable furniture criteria (above) that is met.
Furniture no longer required by a department shall be evaluated to determine whether it has any further value to the University or can be disposed of as excess property. If deemed as excess property, it shall be disposed of in accordance with the disposition methods and procedures outlined in UC Business and Finance Bulletin Bus-38, Disposition of Excess Property and Transfer of University-Owned Property. Disposition methods include trade-in, sales, recycling, donations, and take-away programs.
Modular furniture systems are not required to have built in lighting; however, systems that contain lighting/task lights must have energy efficient lighting. In some cases, independent energy efficient task lights may be more ergonomic.

Buildings:
As stated in the University’s Sustainable Procurement and Use Practices, “For all new buildings and renovation projects with a cost of $5 million or greater and project approval after July 1, 2010, installation of photovoltaic panels should be evaluated. The evaluation of installing on-site renewable energy sources and zero-net energy options is encouraged for capital projects of all sizes. Project approval is defined as Chancellor approval of the project budget if it’s under $60 million or approval by the UC Regents if it’s over $60 million.”

As stated in the UC Sustainable Practices Policy for Electronics Equipment, “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. Preference will be given for electronics products that have achieved EPEAT® Silver or EPEAT® Gold registration. 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)”

Below is a list of the published sustainability criteria for food services from the UC
1. Campus and Medical Center Foodservice Operations
Campuses and Medical Centers shall develop sustainability goals and initiatives in each of the four categories of sustainable foodservice practices listed below.
1. Food Procurement:
Each campus and Medical Center foodservice operation shall strive to procure 20% sustainable food products by the year 2020, while maintaining accessibility and affordability for all students and Medical Center foodservice patrons.
b. Education
Each campus and Medical Center shall provide patrons with access to educational materials that will help support their food choices.
c. Engagement with External Stakeholders
Campus and Medical Center departments, organizations, groups, and individuals shall engage in activities with their surrounding communities that support common goals regarding sustainable food systems.
d. Sustainable Operations
Campus and Medical Center foodservice operations shall strive to earn third party
“green business” certifications for sustainable dining operations.
2. Retail Foodservice Operations:
a. Retail foodservice tenants will strive to meet the above policies
Given the constraints faced by nationally-branded franchises that must University of purchase food through corporate contracts, location departments managing retail foodservice tenants will have the option of meeting III.H.1.a. (procuring 20% of all sustainable food products by the year 2020) by aggregating the purchases of all retail entities under the jurisdiction of a single operational unit on location.
b. Locations will include Section H of this Policy in lease language as new leases and contracts are negotiated or existing leases are renewed. However, locations will also work with tenants to advance sustainable foodservice practices as much as possible within the time frame of current leases.

The University of California Code of Conduct stipulates that any article of clothing bearing the UC name be made in a factory that treats its workers as people, not as slaves, and the recent passing of the Designated Suppliers Act stipulates that 25% of licensed apparel must be paid a living wage – a wage that is higher than the minimum wage in all countries. We are committed to helping UCSB and the greater UC system to comply with these measures.
UC Code of Conduct for Trademark Licensees: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/3000130/CodeTrademarkLicensees

UCSB has a stated preference for disadvantaged or community-based service providers.
http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/3220485/BFB-BUS-43

UCSB’s Sustainable Procurement and Use Practices set the following criteria for Alternative Fuel and Ultra-Efficient Vehicles:
• 75% of the light-duty university purchases should be alternative fuel and/or ultra-efficient vehicles (35.5 MPG to match Corporate Average Fuel Economy CAFE standards) by 2016.
• Departments planning to purchase or lease vehicles are to consider and balance need, vehicle duty, fuel type, availability, the CO2 impact of the vehicle and the alternative fuel and/or ultra-efficient standards, and cost. The vehicle selected for purchase or lease should have the lowest CO2 impact (preferably all electric), while meeting performance and budgetary constraints.
• UCSB will routinely assess the need for electric vehicle charging stations on campus and develop strategic plans for their location, including incorporating them into new parking lot construction projects or major parking lot renovations as justified.
The UC Sustainable Practices Policy states that:
By 2025, zero emission vehicles or hybrid vehicles shall account for at least 50 percent of all new light-duty vehicle acquisitions.

Paper
A. Virgin paper should not be purchased for routine office tasks.
B. At minimum, 30% post consumer waste and recycled content paper should be used for routine office tasks.
C. Faculty are strongly encouraged to require class-work that is submitted to be printed on both sides, where the nature of the work does not demand single sided submittals.

PRINTERS AND COPIERS
A. All printers and copiers purchased for routine office tasks should include duplex capability. The duplex feature should be enabled when installed and remain enabled for as long as it remains at UCSB.
B. The Purchasing Department and UC Strategic Sourcing will identify a suite of ENERGY STAR© product options that will print duplex for both printers and copiers and that will work efficiently and hold their warranties in place while utilizing 50% and 100% post consumer waste recycled content paper

The UC Sustainable Practices Policy furthermore states the following:
The University will phase out the use of virgin paper and adopt a minimum standard of 30% Post-Consumer Waste (PCW) recycled content paper to be used in all office equipment (e.g., multi-function devices, copiers, printers, and fax machines).
University Procurement Services will use its Strategic Sourcing Program to negotiate better pricing for commodities with recycled content compared to commodities without recycled content, where such opportunities exist.
Through the Strategic Sourcing Program, University Procurement Services will develop language and specifications for RFIs, RFQs, and RFPs stating that recycled content product offerings be required where they exist.
Suppliers are discouraged from bringing hard copies of presentations to Quarterly Business Reviews. Suppliers are encouraged to present all information in electronic format that is easily transferable to University staff.
Suppliers and consultants are encouraged to print RFIs, RFQs, RFPs, Price Schedule Agreements, and required reports on a minimum of 30% PCW recycled content paper, using narrow margins and both sides of the page. These documents shall be clearly marked to indicate that they are printed on recycled content paper.

Yes. The University also includes sustainability criteria for packaging and take-back programs.
Packaging:
The University will specify that all packing materials abide by at least one, and preferably all, of the criteria listed below: a. Made from 100% post-consumer recycled materials and be recyclable or reusable b. Non-toxic c. Biodegradable d. Produced with the minimum amount of resources and sized as small as possible, while still maintaining product protection during shipping; where feasible, packaging materials should be eliminated.
Take-back Programs
The University will use established programs or work with its suppliers to establish end-of-life reuse, recycling, or “take-back” programs at no extra cost to the University, and in compliance with federal, state, and local laws, and University environmental standards regarding waste disposal.