Responsible Purchasing

Generally, responsible purchasing promotes the use of free, pre-owned items available from within the Stanford community, thoughtful consideration of small, local, and/or climate-friendly suppliers, and use of search tools, filters, and other sustainable practices to identify and package/ship products.

Determine whether a brand new item is necessary
Utilizing pre-owned items from within Stanford that are available for free over ordering new goods supports the university’s ability to advance its sustainability goals while also supporting excellence in financial stewardship.

The following Stanford resources provide the ability to both request and/or post surplus goods or pre-owned items available free of charge for reuse within the university community. 

Also consider whether an existing item can be repaired, reupholstered, or otherwise updated rather than purchasing new.

If pre-owned or updated goods are not available, or for services, refer to the sections below for preferred purchasing methods that support compliant and responsible purchasing.

Before booking travel, review the Travel Tips section below for sustainable travel considerations, which includes attending conferences virtually, if possible. 

Departments should first explore the university’s centralized programs, for applicable purchases:

• The Stanford Travel Program for university-sponsored travel.
• Cardinal Print for printing devices.
• UIT’s Stanford University Hardware Program for work computers and accessories.
• Cardinal Temps centralized program for temporary workers

If pre-owned goods are not available, purchasers should review catalog methods (Amazon Business and SmartMart Catalog Suppliers), which are preferred for common goods because the pricing is established through a competitive process, there is no supplier request/setup required, and financial approval occurs before the purchase is finalized. 

After checking centralized programs or catalog options, purchasers should review the university’s best practices for selecting a supplier or independent contractor and consider suppliers who have one or more of the following features, which can factor into the total value of the purchase:

• Their own sustainability and/or greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.
• Active sustainability initiatives and demonstrated progress towards climate goals.
• Fair and ethical labor practices in the manufacturing process or supply chain.
• Are locally-owned or a small business, if that provides a total value consideration for your department. (e.g., a local printer may cost more but provides added value by offering the ability to view samples before large print runs)

Departments can leverage the Request for Proposals (RFP) process for sample sustainability considerations and to solicit responses from a broad array of businesses, including small and local businesses. When requested by a university department, professional buyers in the Purchasing and Contracts department may be able to assist with the RFP process, including steps related to Responsible Purchasing.

Regardless of purchasing method, purchasers could consider the following questions when purchasing goods, which support responsible purchasing by positively contributing to the circular economy, and total value.

• Is the product energy-efficient?
• Is the product manufactured with recycled content?
• Can a reusable product be used instead of disposable products?
• Are the product and its packaging components recyclable or compostable? (At Stanford, cardboard and thin film plastic are recyclable; Styrofoam is not).
• What material is the good made of? Is there an Environmental Product Declaration or life cycle assessment that measures the embodied carbon in the product and how it compares to similar products?
• What negative upstream or downstream effects might this good or service have?
• Can the product be provided by a local business? How will the goods or service be transported or delivered? Will travel be involved?

Stanford Procurement Services offers the following preferred purchasing methods to support responsible purchasing:

• Amazon Business provides:
  • Climate Pledge Friendly label to denote 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.
  • Ownership Certification filters to explore items sold by small, local, and other types of businesses.
  • Amazon Day delivery option to consolidate deliveries to one day per week and reduce the number of trips required to deliver items.
  • Frustration-Free Packaging to reduce the use of additional and unnecessary packaging materials. Search results can be filtered to show only products that meet this criteria, and adjustments can also be made during checkout.
  • Pre-populated sustainable shopping lists.
• SmartMart Catalog Suppliers: The “Green,” “Recycled,” and “Energy Star” filters can be used when searching for products across all of SmartMart. In individual catalog supplier punchouts, look for green filters in the search results and/or green icons to denote sustainable products. Sustainability information and filtering options will vary.
• Non-catalog requests: Refer to general considerations for selecting goods above.

Planning the shipment

Purchasers may consider the following shipping considerations to support responsible purchasing.

• Plan your purchase early to allow for more time shipping. Ground transportation options may be slower but are much more environmentally friendly than faster air transport options.
• Select local suppliers and/or suppliers with local warehouses for both fast and sustainable shipping.
• Ship when the entire order is complete in one shipment as opposed to shipping items as available, which creates multiple shipments.
• Some catalog vendors display where the product is shipping from. If you are choosing between comparable products and one product ships from a closer location, choose that product.

General packaging guidelines

Stanford encourages packaging that eliminates single-use packaging, reduces the weight of packaging, reduces packaging waste, or reduces the environmental impact of packaging through other mechanisms. While packaging is important to protect the ordered products, purchasers can share the guidelines below with their suppliers to reduce packaging cost and environmental footprint.

Stanford requires that packaging is:

• Compostable and recyclable, in accordance with the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act (SB 54) and also:
  • Compliant with SB 343, which prohibits use of the recycling symbol on products and packaging unless certain criteria are met.
  • Compliant with AB 1201, which prohibits labeling of products and packaging as compostable unless certain criteria are met.
• Free of environmental toxins in compliance with all local, state, and federal regulations.

Packaging recommendations
Stanford encourages that packaging meet at least one of the following criteria, ranked from highest to lowest priority:
Eliminate unnecessary packaging. Stanford recognizes the need for packaging to protect products during the shipping process. However, unnecessary packaging such as oversized boxes and individual wrapping of products creates unnecessary additional environmental impact. Packaging that is minimal and in concentrated form is encouraged.

1. Use reusable packaging. Stanford is highly interested in piloting reusable packaging programs and encourages the use of reusable packaging like totes, handheld containers, and reusable plastic containers.
2. Maximize recycled content in packaging. Stanford encourages the use of up to 100% post-consumer recycled content in packaging, when available, and marketing or labeling packaging with its recyclability and compostability according to California state law, and the percentage of post-consumer recycled content.
3. Use bulk packaging. Stanford encourages shipping items traveling to the same destination in one package.
4. Avoid packaging material that cannot be diverted from the landfill, including:
   1. Expanded plastic foam material, other than that for laboratory supply or medical packaging and products. Plastic foam for medical and laboratory settings is permitted. Expanded plastic foam, or expanded polystyrene (EPS), is defined as a thermoplastic foam material composed of polystyrene beads containing a dissolved expansion gas.
   2. Mixed material packaging. Mixed material packaging is defined as packaging composed of two or more different materials that are stuck together and not separable or not easily separated.
   3. If there are other items that cannot be diverted from the landfill, Stanford asks that the supplier offer a take-back program for that packaging.

For many individuals, emissions from travel comprise the largest portion of their personal carbon footprint. At Stanford, emissions from collective student, faculty, and staff travel are equivalent to the annual energy use of nearly 20,000 homes. Individuals traveling on university business have several options to reduce their travel footprint. 

Determine whether travel is necessary:

• Consider attending conferences and events virtually if the attendee does not need to be there in person.
• Students can consider staying on campus during breaks and over the summer and explore Bay Area professional opportunities and activities.

If travel is necessary, refer to the Stanford Travel Program to learn how the program simplifies travel logistics by providing a streamlined process, preferred suppliers, and dedicated support. With this program, Stanford travelers can enjoy a smoother, more convenient experience every step of the way. Below are tips to reduce carbon emissions, by mode of transportation.
 

Air travel

• Planning the trip/route:
  • The university highly encourages travelers to take the most direct route by choosing direct flights (e.g., fewer stops or nonstop) to support sustainability efforts, reduce complexity, and lower risk from travel complications. If a nonstop flight is not available from the traveler’s primary airport, consider expanding your search to other nearby airports.
  • Combine multiple trips  to nearby destinations into a single trip with multiple legs.
• Searching for the flight:
  • Most Stanford Travel booking channels and airlines website searches provide carbon estimates in flight searches, allowing travelers to pick the lowest emissions option.
• Selecting the flight fare/class and taking the flight:
  • Fly economy instead of business class when you have the choice and it is within policy.
  • Pack light. Added luggage weight  increases carbon emissions.

Ground transportation

• Take the train whenever possible. Amtrak has a station in San Jose with train routes to many California and western state destinations.
• Consider sustainable driving options. Depending on the trip distance, driving may be more efficient, economical, and sustainable than flying if you drive with a colleague going to the same place or use an electric vehicle.
• Carpool, take public transportation, or consider rideshare options to get to the airport. Reference these maps for public transit directions from the main campus to SFO, SJC, and OAK.
  • If using rideshare options, look for compliant green or electric vehicle options, such as Uber Green.
    More information is available on the Topic Overview: Planning and Booking Travel page. 

The Responsible Purchasing Program works to:

• Provide user-friendly tools and resources to the campus community.
• Consult with campus purchasers to support responsible purchasing.
• Engage with suppliers on key topics to help them integrate into the campus community and send market signals.

With questions, comments, or for more information, email @email to engage with a member of the Responsible Purchasing team.