Sustainable Purchasing
The most important way you can become a sustainable consumer is by eliminating excess purchases. Reviewing past needs and keeping good track of inventory can minimize the need to make excess expenditures. Departments can dispose of unwanted, out-dated property and look for gently used goods through Asset Management Services. Asset Management will effectively redistribute, recycle, or dispose of surplus property by offering it to other UF departments, bidding it out to the public through auctions, or properly recycling it through UF contract agents. For more information see Asset Management Services’ Web site: http://fa.ufl.edu/am/surplus/.
If you determine a new purchase is necessary for your department, remember to use the following guidelines as you seek out the best overall value:
- Use a life-cycle cost analysis, rather than automatically choosing goods with the lowest purchase price, to help your department identify the best long-term value. Factor in a product's estimated life span as well as its projected energy use, maintenance costs, related supplies, and disposal costs. Often times, a more durable, well made product will be less expensive to operate over a longer period of time than its cheaper counterpart.
- Look for products that meet third party certification standards for sustainability, such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), EPEAT, Green Seal, Energy Star, or Cradle to Cradle.
- Avoid the use of toxic or potentially toxic materials, such as paints or new office furniture with volatile organic (VOC) compounds or electronics with heavy metals, when possible.
- Switch to recycled/remanufactured and recyclable materials and products when possible.
- Minimize the use of natural resources and energy for production, packaging, and shipping. Consider buying goods in bulk or concentrated form.
- Employ services when possible, rather than purchasing products. A service contract for equipment, such as a copier, may provide a better value when compared to the purchase and maintenance of a machine.
- Purchase from vendors that offer a take-back program at the end of the product’s useful life. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs help close the loop on products, keeping them out of landfills and back into production.
- Support businesses that pay fair wages and have good human relations records.
- Support small, local, and minority owned businesses.
