Sustainable Purchasing

Boston University strives to be an industry leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving Zero Waste, as outlined in Boston University’s Climate Action Plan and Zero Waste Plan, by embracing best practices for sustainable sourcing and procurement of goods and services.

For every ton of material burned or buried locally, 71 tons of material were disposed upstream through mining, manufacturing, and distribution of products. The Zero Waste Hierarchy of Highest and Best Use recognizes that “more energy can be saved, and global warming impacts decreased, by reducing waste, reusing products, recycling and composting than can be produced from burning discards or recovering landfill gases.”

The University seeks to identify, adopt, and promote measurable strategies to reduce its emissions from purchasing and waste-related activities. The University will rethink how it purchases goods and services. First, we will prioritize reduction of product purchases overall; then, consider used and surplus goods before considering new goods. BU aims to avoid single-use products and packaging, buy remanufactured or durable goods, and lease/share equipment.

The University defines sustainable goods and services as those which deliver value (quality and cost) to BU, and for the environment and society. The University is committed to the stewardship of the environment, fair labor practices, supplier diversity, reducing the risk of exposure to harmful chemicals, and minimizing adverse effects of the University’s purchasing decisions. BU will source goods and services from strategic suppliers that are aligned with these goals.

The scope of the Sustainable Purchasing Program covers consumable goods, chemicals for cleaning and landscaping, appliances and equipment, electronics, furniture, vehicles, and transportation products. Separately, BU Dining and Auxiliary Services have developed goals and tracking sustainable purchasing of food and related non-food products.

The full guidelines for the Sustainable Purchasing Program is available to download here.

Below are the list of different categories, and the related guidelines for sustainable purchasing: