Credit Language
OP 10: Purchased Goods – version 3.0
Indicators
- 10.1. Percentage of cleaning supplies spend that meets sustainability criteria
- 10.2. Percentage of electronics spend meets sustainability criteria
- 10.3. Percentage of furniture spend that meets sustainability criteria
- 10.4. Percentage of office paper spend that meets sustainability criteria
Questions & Answers
How has this credit changed between STARS Version 2 and Version 3?
- Several 2.2 Purchasing credits were combined into a single credit, including a new indicator that requires data on an institution’s furniture spend.
- The criteria for office paper purchasing (Indicator 10.4) have been simplified into two tiers: “preferable” and “other qualifying”.
- Lists of qualifying standards will be maintained in the STARS Help Center rather than included in the Technical Manual.
- Spend amounts may be provided in local currency rather than US Dollars.
- A comprehensive list of differences can be found in the STARS 3.0 Summary of changes.
My institution is not comfortable sharing spend data publicly. Can I still report on this credit?
Yes. We tried to design the spend categories quite broadly so that disclosure of this data wouldn’t betray any confidential information. However, as we understand some institutions are still concerned about this, we are allowing institutions to report “dummy” data in the spend fields that still results in the correct percentage of spend (which is the relevant indicator for scoring). For example, if 83% of office paper spend meets the criteria for “Preferable,” you may report $83/$100 instead of sharing actual spend data. If you take this approach, also be sure to explain what you did in the external notes field so it will be transparent to readers of the report.
Which certifications earn points for this credit?
An updated list of preferable standards (with a separate tab for each commodity product) is available.
Resources, Templates & Tools
- Qualifying certifications and standards for purchased goods
- Cleaning products purchasing –
- Electronics purchasing – EPEAT Registry
- Office paper purchasing – Forest Stewardship Council Certification
Suggestions for Institutions
- Work with your institution’s central purchasing unit(s) to adjust and/or implement sustainable purchasing assessment tools to facilitate comprehensive reporting under this credit.
Examples Response
Potential Data Quality Issues
- Affirmative responses must be supported by information provided in the descriptive fields, particularly for Indicators where full points are earned.