Procurement teams play a pivotal role in environmental stewardship for their colleges and university students, faculty, and staff. Their decisions shape campus carbon footprints, grant competitiveness, and institutional reputations.
In this article, we’ll look at the benefits of promoting sustainability and sustainable procurement best practices in higher ed.
What Is Sustainable Procurement?
Sustainable procurement integrates environmental, social, and economic considerations into sourcing decisions. Unlike traditional procurement, which places more emphasis on cost, sustainable procurement factors in total lifecycle impact, fair labor practices, and the community, as part of its sustainable procurement requirements.
For academic institutions that serve as civic and environmental leaders in their communities, this approach aligns the procurement process with institutional missions and sustainability commitments.
What Are the Benefits of Sustainable Procurement?
Benefits include:
- Cost savings and lifecycle value: Institutions adopting green practices often reduce operational expenses and extend product lifespans.
- Compliance and funding eligibility: Sustainability reporting is increasingly required by grants and accreditation standards.
- Reputation and student engagement: About half of students want their academic institution to lead on environmentally sustainable practices.
- Regulatory alignment: Some public procurement regulations mandate environmental criteria in contracts.
Sustainable Procurement Requirements for Higher Education
While each institution sets its own sustainable procurement requirements, there are common components. Typically, requirements include an effort to:
- Reduce overall environmental impact, greenhouse gases, and carbon footprints
- Ensure suppliers have fair labor practices
- Consider the broader impact on the local community and well-being
- Hold suppliers accountable for environmental standards
Some institutions provide general guidelines, while others have detailed requirements. For example:
| Category | Best Practices |
| Environmental Considerations | - Prioritize products with recycled content and recyclable materials
- Require suppliers to minimize packaging and use sustainable packaging materials
- Consider product lifecycle assessments and end-of-life disposal/recycling plans
- Promote energy-efficient products and renewable energy usage by suppliers
- Address water conservation and waste reduction in supplier operations
- Evaluate transportation emissions and promote local/regional sourcing when possible
|
| Social Responsibility | - Ensure suppliers comply with diversity, equity, and inclusion practices
- Support minority-owned, women-owned, and disadvantaged business enterprises
- Verify suppliers meet health and safety standards for workers
- Assess suppliers’ community engagement and social impact initiatives
- Consider suppliers’ commitment to human rights throughout their supply chain
|
| Economic Sustainability | - Evaluate total cost of ownership, not just upfront costs
- Support local and regional businesses to boost local economies
- Consider suppliers’ financial stability and long-term viability
- Promote innovation in sustainable products and services
|
| Governance and Transparency | - Require regular sustainability reporting and third-party certifications
- Establish clear metrics and monitoring systems for sustainability performance
- Ensure supplier transparency in their supply chains
- Create mechanisms for continuous improvement and stakeholder feedback
- Develop supplier education and capacity-building programs
|
| Institution-Specific Goals | - Align procurement with institutional sustainability commitments and climate goals
- Support research and educational mission through sustainable practices
- Engage students and faculty in sustainable procurement decisions
|
Sustainable Procurement Best Practices for Higher Education
As you can see, these goals can be very detailed. Here are some of the bigger-picture sustainable procurement best practices academic institutions are deploying.
Anchor Procurement in Sustainability Strategy
Align procurement policies with campus-wide sustainability goals. For example, integrating climate action plans or zero-waste targets into purchasing decisions.
Prioritize Lifecycle Costing
Evaluate the total cost of ownership, including energy use, maintenance, and end-of-life disposal. This is especially important for high-impact categories like IT equipment and lab instruments.
Partner with Suppliers on Sustainability
The best suppliers work with you as strategic partners. This includes working collaboratively on ethical sourcing and innovating sustainable products that fit your needs.
Emphasize Local and Diverse Sourcing
Local procurement significantly reduces transportation emissions and supports regional economies, especially valuable when aligned with equitable supplier inclusion efforts.
Invest in Training and Awareness
Ensure everyone in the purchase process understands your sustainable procurement requirements and best practices.
Learning from Other Institutions
Looking at how peer institutions implement their processes can also help you refine your sustainable procurement best practices. Here are a few examples you may want to review to get started:
Implementation Guide: Putting Best Practices into Action
These four steps can help you turn your policies into action and effect change.
- Assess current spend and impact areas: Map out high-impact procurement categories such as construction, food service, and IT.
- Set clear, measurable goals: Translate sustainability ambitions into actionable targets, like reducing non-recyclable waste or sourcing certified eco-friendly materials.
- Tap into cooperative contracts: Use cooperative agreements that meet sustainability standards, simplifying RFP processes.
- Monitor, report, and improve: Use data tools to track performance and publish outcomes in sustainability reports, reinforcing transparency and accountability.
If you are looking to institute or improve your environmental stewardship, E&I Cooperative Services can help you deliver on sustainable procurement best practices and fulfill your sustainable procurement requirements. E&I has a wide range of competitively solicited cooperative agreements with leading suppliers. Discover suppliers that offer sustainable products and services via cooperative contracts to save you time and money.
