Calculated 'green' decisions

• Procurement policy guides sustainability actions for staff, students, faculty
• Green choices are often cheaper or have a short payback on investment

University of British Columbia (UBC) is a leading sustainability advocate and practician among Canadian and north American tertiary institutions. Sustainable management at UBC means not only reducing waste and operating more efficiently but also its whole approach to resources, including its purchasing decisions. UBC's procurement policy, introduced in 2008, encourages all actors (students, staff, faculty) to keep the university's sustainability values firmly in mind. 

The UBC Sustainable Purchasing Guide contains sustainable purchasing resources spanning 14 content areas, an eco-label glossary, and information on how the university is continuing to advance sustainable purchasing on campus and beyond.

Key benefits

Making sustainable purchasing choices reduced UBC's environmental impact and helped to save the university money, as the green products and services were often cheaper than conventional ones. For example, regularly consumed office products such as scissors and post-it notes were between € 1.4 and € 1.9 cheaper than conventional choices. And printing paper was roughly the same price for green and conventional options.

Toner for laser printers, a sustainable choice, are more expensive than inkjet print cartridges, but they last longer and are easier to replace, which justifies the additional outlay. The total cost of a laser printer after one year is about € 1 330 less than using inkjet printers (assuming a daily usage of 50 sheets of paper, 300 days a year).