Guidelines and Criteria: Commodities
Many Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) specifications vary from product to product. Below are some basic guidelines and criteria that can serve as a reference point for some of the products most commonly purchased by campus departments. For more information, please see the Certification Standards.
Office supplies:
- Eliminate virgin paper by purchasing only recycled content paper for all printing needs. Post consumer waste content is available at 30%, 50%, and 100% at Central Stores or through Office Max. In addition to purchasing recycled content paper, print and copy double-sided to decrease paper use. Ask your IT team to set duplex as the printing default.
- When purchasing office supplies through Office Max online, search for the products with recycled content. To learn how, visit the Central Stores website.
- Purchase file folders, envelopes, post-its, pads, binders, office organizers and all other relevant products with recycled content (preferably post-consumer recycled content!).
- Purchase refillable and reusable pens, and pencils made from recycled materials.
- Purchase re-furbished and/or remanufactured toner cartridges. For more information on these products, visit the Central Stores website.
- Request non-toxic, unscented, low emission pens and markers.
Electronics, appliances, and computers:
- Purchase Energy Star rated equipment and specify that energy saving features are enabled as the default factory setting.
- Centralize and share appliances such as refrigerators, copiers, printers, and faxes.
- Enable printing equipment to print on both sides of the paper.
- For all desktop computers, laptops, and monitors, require a minimum of bronze registration under the Electronics Products Environmental Assessment tool (EPEAT).
- Request products made with recycled materials and that have low emissions for improved indoor environmental quality.
- Recycling of old computers and electronic appliances is a UCOP requirement. Be sure to work through a responsible recycler who has signed the Electronics Recyclers Pledge of True Stewardship (e.g. UCSB Furniture Services).
- In order to address security issues, you are required to wipe your computer’s hard drive prior to disposal. Once this process is completed, contact Central Stores regarding recycling/pick-up services.
Furniture:
- Approved furniture vendors (found at the strategic sourcing site: http://www.ucop.edu/purchserv/psa_db/search.php to see the furniture vendors, type in "furniture") provide a minimum warranty of five years on chairs and interconnecting panels, and ten years for workstations and filing cabinets.
- If your Department is considering purchasing new furniture/furniture systems, contact UCSB's Ergonomics at Work prior to placing orders. This team will advise you on systems that meet ergonomic criteria and provide flexibility for furniture usage as personnel changes over time.
- Request that your furniture be designed to be disassembled and enhanced with new or retrofitted parts, versatile and interchangeable designs, and be fully recycled at the end of use.
- Request sustainable fabrics for your modular systems and chairs. Many of these fabrics are made of natural materials, some include recycled content and are designed to be bio-degradable after their useful life.
- If you specify a system that has lighting included, be sure to require that it is energy efficient. There are a number of LED lighting systems new to the market that save significant amounts of energy.
- Specify products (e.g. metals and plastics) that are made from materials containing the maximum amount of post-consumer and post-industrial recycled content.
- Ensure that the foam in furniture does not contain CFCs or HCFCs, and that products have low-emissions to avoid harmful off gassing.
- Require that wood products are grown and harvested in a sustainable manner and have the appropriate 3rd Party Certification Standards such as a rating from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
- Require vendors, dealers, and installers to provide a recycling or recovery service for the responsible reuse, remanufacture, or recycling of old furniture.