Handbook of Business Procedures

7.12.5. FUTURE GOALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

A. Standard sustainability specifications and criteria

Develop and update a reference library of sustainability specifications and evaluation criteria for major commodity areas and for specialized capital equipment where relevant.

B. Sustainability metrics and goals

Review key commodities (e.g., copy paper, toner, alkaline batteries); identify the environmental impacts of each; establish a plan and goals for mitigation. Develop metrics for measuring progress toward the goals.

C. Paperless business processes

Advocate for the transition to more paperless business processes (i.e., purchasing requests, travel reimbursement) as subject-matter experts advising the Administrative Systems Committee, Shared Services Committee, and request form project teams.

D. Software purchases

Encourage software vendors to distribute their products via a download model instead of physical disc eliminate packaging, transportation, and disposal.

E. Enhanced recycling

Work with supply chain partners to create programs to recycle or tack lamps, batteries, electronics, packaging, etc.

F. Encourage usage of products with recycled content, reduced impact, etc.

Expand and improve 7.12.3. Commodity-Specific Recommendations. Encourage vendors with catalogs in UT Market to label products with “green, “ENERGY STAR,” or “recycled” tags as applicable.

G. Green labs initiatives

Utilize vendor relationships to develop programs to incentivize the purchase of energy efficient laboratory equipment, retire inefficient equipment, and initiate an energy usage monitoring system.

H. Single-serving beverage waste reduction

Implement a program to reduce how much the university spends on individual bottles of water, and preportioned, nonrefillable systems for coffee, tea, etc.

Part 7. Purchasing - Table of Contents