CSUN seeks to reduce the significant impacts of its consumption by reducing the amount of total products purchased and increasing sustainable products purchased.
Main Strategies
- Reduce overall product consumption
- Increase the use of sustainable products
- Increased awareness regarding sustainable purchasing and consumption
Objectives for 2023
Implement campus-wide environmentally-preferred purchasing policy
- Create campus purchasing reduction goal for various product categories based on baseline data to be collected
- Reduce campus copy paper use by an amount to be determined upon consultation with appropriate entities. Proposed reduction goal of 20% by 2015, of 40% by 2020, and of 50% by 2023.
2018-19 Priorities and Outcomes
- Continue implementation of the Environmentally Preferred Purchasing Policy.
- From 2016 to 2017, CSUN's expenditures on office supplies with recycled content increased from 29% to 39%. Additionally, the LEVEL Furniture Certification program has been adopted by the university as a standard to ensure environmentally friendly furniture purchases.
- Determine the feasibility of providing spending incentives for departments to reduce spending on office equipment and supplies.
- A Staff Service award will be created to recognize departments that achieve noteworthy purchase reductions in different categories. Recipients will be nominated based upon departmental purchasing data and invited to share their purchase reduction strategies.
- Create campus purchasing reduction goal for various product categories.
- Purchase reduction goals were established for paper and binders due to the cost and waste they represent. The goal is to reduce purchases of these products by 5% per year for the next five years.
- Research implementation of central rental/shared resource facility to reduce duplication of purchases by campus units and assess the option of stocking reusable tableware in meeting rooms.
- Associated Students Sustainability will be utilizing the Sustainability Center recycling yard as a centralized shared resource space and extension of the current Recycle Listserve. They will collect, store, advertise and distribute office supplies, books, binders and other donated items that don't fall under University Asset Management.
Other Highlights
- After the evaluation of several years of paper purchasing habits, CSUN will be shifting all copy paper from 30% to 100% recycled content through the Staples auto-sub program.
- Binders and other supplies no longer used by campus departments were given to the CSUN Food Pantry to provide students with free school supplies. This partnership will continue next year.
2019-20 Priorities
- Provide incentives for departments to reduce spending on office supplies and equipment.
- Promote purchasing reduction goals to drive change.
- Implementation of a central rental/shared resource facility to reduce duplication of purchases by campus units and give a second life to discarded usable goods.
- Incorporate appropriate environmentally preferred commodity criteria into all RFPs and contracts. Include specifications for a manufacturing take-back program for RFPs/contracts with electronic purchases.
Baseline Paper Usage
Issue:
PU1.1
Priority:
1
Strategy:
Determine baseline paper usage to determine appropriate reduction goal.
Status:
Baseline Paper Usage:
43%- 30% Recycled Content
10%- 50% Recycled Content
1%- 100% Recycled Content
46% Virgin Paper
Party Responsible:
OM
Next/Action Items:
Complete: Determine which departments are not using recycled content.
Electronic Signatures
Issue:
PU1.2
Priority:
Strategy:
Evaluate implementation of electronic signatures on all campus documents
Status:
E-Travel completed and rolled out campus wide in Fall 2014. Chancellor’s Office has adopted this process. META Lab is piloting a system that will allow longitudinal assessment of individual students. Faculty additional pay is being converted to electronic. Discussion of movement to automated system. Paperless UDWPE (test and payment now online). Human Subjects IRB delayed. MyCSUNBox used widely for meetings. PCard upgrades have been done. IRA and AS annual and supplemental budget processes now electronic. A&R, Financial Aid, Financial Services using OnBase system for digital record/file keeping. Financial Aid submission process is now a fully electronic workflow. CoH developing standards for AA to use OnBase. AA and IT investigating OnBase for curriculum workflow. Cost allocation entries will be automatic starting in July. HR- has moved benefits to E-Benefits. Recommended acceptance of electronic submission of academic work approved by Faculty Senate (May 2014). VA and credential application process is now electronic.
Party Responsible:
FIN, IT, IS, HR, RGS
Next/Action Items:
On-going.
Increase to 50% PCW Paper
Issue:
PU1.3
Priority:
1
Strategy:
Move from 30% PCW recycled paper to 50% and 100% PCW recycled paper.
Status:
This will be covered in the EPP Policy. Paper must be between 30% and 50%.
Party Responsible:
OM, IS, PCA
Next/Action Items:
In-progress.
Assess Spending
Issue:
PU1.4
Priority:
3
Strategy:
Assess campus spending on goods and assess additional ways to reduce purchasing
Status:
No action taken.
Party Responsible:
PCA, OM, IS
Next/Action Items:
This is a priority for the 2015-16 FY
Spending Incentives
Issue:
PU1.5
Priority:
2
Strategy:
Provide incentives for departments to reduce spending on office equipment and supplies. This can be offered in conjunction with the Sustainable Office Program
Status:
Terra Cycle program could fund incentives. They donate$0.02 per instrument. Program pending merger results.
Party Responsible:
IS
Next/Action Items:
In-progress: Need to look into this program and how it would work at CSUN.
Energy Management
Issue:
PU1.6
Priority:
1
Strategy:
Review current energy management standards on electronic equipment with IT and implement energy saving features if needed. Require energy-saving features to be enabled on all devices in use.
Status:
The EPP Policy covers various electronics and equipment purchasing. Also covered in EN2.7.
Party Responsible:
IT, IS, PTG, college techs, USU IT
Next/Action Items:
In-progress
Print Management
Issue:
PU1.7
Priority:
=#REF!
Strategy:
Implement print management strategies to reduce paper consumption including mandated double-sided and black and white printing for all draft materials, elimination of individual printers, and reusing single-sided printed paper.
Status:
Potential to use software to monitor all printers on campus through a partnership with office supply vendor.
Party Responsible:
IT, college IT reps., library
Next/Action Items:
Need to implement the software, and determine best timing for implementation.
Consumption Reduction Goal
Issue:
PU1.8
Priority:
3
Strategy:
Create campus purchasing consumption reduction goal for various product categories
Status:
No action taken.
Party Responsible:
PCA, OM, IS
Next/Action Items:
Need to establish a baseline and analyze expense reports.
Central Resources
Issue:
PU1.9
Priority:
3
Strategy:
Research implementation of central rental/shared resource facility to reduce duplication of
purchases by campus units. Assess option of stocking reusable tableware in meeting rooms.
Status:
No action taken.
Party Responsible:
PCA, IS, ARP
Next/Action Items:
Determine how to set up a shared resource facility; this would discourage the purchase of duplicate items.
EPP policy
Issue:
PU1.10
Priority:
2
Strategy:
Implement campus-wide environmentally preferred purchasing policy
Status:
The CSUN EPP Policy was signed 6/12/2015 and went into effect on 12/4/2015. Per the CSUN IT Standard Laptops/Desktops Recommendations:
All computers listed in the links above meet the University's goal of purchasing equipment that is Energy Star and/or Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) rated, where applicable. It is the University's preference to only purchase computing equipment that meets EPEAT ratings.
For more information about EPEAT, and to search the EPEAT registry of devices please visit the EPEAT website.
Party Responsible:
PCA
Next/Action Items:
Completed.
Product Inventory
Issue:
PU2.1
Priority:
2
Strategy:
Compile inventory of environmentally preferable products offered through contracted vendors and distribute to campus purchasers
Status:
OfficeMax created a product list with a ranking system based on product sustainability. This can be used to limit the types of items allowed for purchase.
Party Responsible:
PCA, OM
Next/Action Items:
In-progress, the EPP Policy will make reference to the standard.
Evaluate Spending
Issue:
PU2.2
Priority:
3
Strategy:
Evaluate campus purchases and use results to make recommendations to the campus for increased environmentally preferred products and decreased consumption
Status:
No action taken.
Party Responsible:
PCA, OM, IS
Next/Action Items:
No action taken.
Purchase Contracts
Issue:
PU2.3
Priority:
3
Strategy:
Incorporate appropriate environmentally preferred commodity criteria into all RFPs and
contracts. Include specifications for a manufacturing take-back program for RFPs/contracts with electronic purchases.
Status:
The EPP Policy will require RFP’s to comply.
Party Responsible:
PCA
Next/Action Items:
In-progress, EPP Policy will reference the standard.
State Recycle Policy
Issue:
PU2.4
Priority:
1
Strategy:
Meet or exceed and document full compliance with state recycled products campaign policy. Identify shortfalls and options for closing them, and improve percentage of recycled purchases reported in State Agency Buy Recycled Campaign (SABRC) annual report.
Status:
This is managed through PPM and being reported on yearly.
Party Responsible:
PCA, PPM
Next/Action Items:
On-going.
EPEAT Baseline
Issue:
PU2.5
Priority:
3
Strategy:
Assess purchases of computers and laptops to determine baseline compliance of machines with Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) tool. Set benchmarks for reaching Bronze, Silver, and Gold registration under EPEAT.
Status:
All IT recommended items are on the list as Gold, Silver, or Bronze. This was started with the bulk purchasing program.
Party Responsible:
PCA, IT
Next/Action Items:
On-going. Purchasing will analyze spending through its bi-annual bulk purchasing program on computer equipment. Purchasing will ask vendors if all products available for purchasing are at least EPEAT Bronze.
Promote Office Programs
Issue:
PU3.1
Priority:
1
Strategy:
Promote office related programs including requirement to purchase a minimum 30% PCW paper, office surplus, pen recycling through TerraCycle, toner cartridge and ink-jet recycling, e-waste procedures, and battery collection.
Status:
Terra Cycle and Reusable Tote Program on hold due to merger.
Party Responsible:
PCA, OM, IS, ASR
Next/Action Items:
When merger is complete, restart these programs on campus.
Determine how to promote E-STOP program, Office Surplus, E-waste Procedures, AS Recycling Program and EH&S Programs.
