Environmentally Preferable Purchasing

"Environmentally preferable purchasing" - using recycled and energy-efficient products and buying goods made locally - helps promote wise use of resources and other aspects of sustainability.

Hundreds of recycled-content items, including laser printer and copy paper, envelopes, pencils, 3-ring binders, furniture, lamps and wastebaskets, are available for purchase through Corporate Express, Stanford's primary office products supplier. In some cases, the packaging of the product also contains recycled materials.

Students for a Sustainable Stanford have worked with Procurement to get the word out to departments across campus that paper made from post consumer waste looks as good and costs the same as paper made from virgin materials. Recycled paper purchases totaled 45 % of all paper purchases in 2006. Lists of available recycled content paper and other office products may be found at http://purchasing.stanford.edu/cwa/cexp.html

The purchase of ENERGY STAR-qualified products is important for reducing energy consumption. These products-from computers and monitors to refrigerators and commercial fryers-meet strict energy efficiency requirements set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). For example, an ENERGY STAR-qualified computer uses 70% less electricity than computers without enabled power management features.

Where possible, the purchase of products and services made locally makes sense from all perspectives: economic, environmental, and social equity (the "3Es" of sustainability). Buying locally bolsters the local economy, reduces pollution associated with long-distance transport, and creates and sustains jobs. Stanford is updating a study of its contributions to the local economy and when completed (August 2007), estimated expenditures by Stanford will be noted here.