Rutgers recognizes the importance of sustainable—and socially responsible—procurement and its economic and environmental impact to the community. Sustainable procurement refers to the purchasing of products and services that have a reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or services.

This comparison considers a variety of factors, including raw materials acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse, operation, maintenance, or disposal.  Examples of sustainable products include—but are not limited to—products  that:

• have reduced packaging
• be easy to re-use, refurbish, remanufacture or recycle at end of life
• have lower greenhouse gas emissions and air contaminants
• use energy or water more efficiently
• use alternative sources of energy or fuels
• support reuse and recycling
• be made of renewable resources
• contain fewer toxins or hazardous substances
• locally produced (reducing transportation-related emissions while supporting and sustaining healthy communities and social structures)

How to Buy

Rutgers units, staff and faculty can make a positive impact on the environment each time that they make a necessary purchase, and can do so without compromising safety, quality or budget by considering products and services that cause minimal or no environmental damage during normal use or maintenance. These products are those that are:

• durable, as opposed to single use or disposable items
• nontoxic or minimally toxic and preferably biodegradable, highly energy efficient in production and use, manufactured in an environmentally sound, sustainable manner by companies with good environmental track records
• shipped with minimal packaging (consistent with care of the product), preferably made of recycled or recyclable materials

When making purchases, look for:

• recycled paper and paper products
• office supplies marked with an environmental sign
• EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) Silver or Gold registered desktop computers, laptops and monitors
• Energy Star electric appliances
• Green Seal™ cleaning products
• energy-saving products
• waste-reduced products
• water-saving products
• locally-produced goods and services