Purchasing

The Purchasing Team’s focus is to utilize sustainable procurement practices in order to reduce the cost and environmental impact of the procurement process. One component of this includes sourcing sustainable products, which includes those that are reusable, recyclable or made from recycled materials, with additional consideration given to the product packaging.

Current Focus:

Sustainable Procurement. The Purchasing Team is focused on reducing paper in the procurement process by utilizing more elecronic processes. They also look for green alternatives to current and new products being purchased.

The Opportunity:

Reducing the paper trail in the purchasing process not only saves significant paper, but also time and labor.

What you should do:

Only print when necessary. When distributing documents to others, opt to e-mail electronic copies or scan then e-mail hard copies.
Print and copy double-sided to conserve paper.
When making a new purchase, give priority to green products when possible.

Some Perspective: A single-sided 10-page letter costs $0.55 to mail; that same letter, copied onto both sides of the paper, uses only five sheets and $0.34 in postage.

Successes:

Most medical supplies are delivered in reusable containers rather than disposable boxes.
Environmentally friendly and safe cleaning supplies are purchased.
Offer “green” supply list.