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  3. Purchasing Services
  4. Green Purchasing Program

Green Purchasing Program

What is Green Purchasing? Purchasing decisions which take into account environmental and social considerations along with our standard price, availability and performance criteria.

Vanderbilt University is committed to purchasing goods and services from manufacturers and suppliers who share our environmental concern and commitment. If two products are competitive in performance characteristics and pricing, the university will favor the environmentally-preferable product or supplier.

Green Products

Green products are reusable or recyclable, as opposed to disposable, made with renewable energy, or contain a significant percentage of recycled post-consumer waste . The following are third-party certification providers that help to identify Green products:

  • "Energy Star" indicates that the product has met strict energy efficiency guidelines as set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy (DOE).
  • "EPEAT" indicates electronics that are environmentally-preferable as determined by the EPA and Green Electronics Council.
  • "FSC-Certified" indicates that the product has met the requirements of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) for responsible management of forest resources, such as office paper.
  • "SCS Recycled Content" indicates that the product has been certified for recycled content and meets the stringent EPS standard for providing a measurable and significant environmental benefit over typical products in the same category.
  • "CRI Green Label" indicates that the product has been certified by the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) to improve indoor air quality.
  • EPA Design for the Environment (DfE): EPA has screened each ingredient for potential human health and environmental effects and based on currently available information, EPA predictive models, and expert judgment, the product contains only those ingredients that pose the least concern among chemicals in their class.
  • "Green Seal certified" indicates that the product has been certified by Green Seal to meet environmentally-responsible design, manufacturing, packaging, and transportation requirements.

More information on Vanderbilt University's environmental programs can be found at SustainVU.