Sustainable Procurement Guide Offers a Pathway to Smarter Procurement Decisions
The Sustainable Procurement Guide helps Georgia Tech in its goals of achieving a campus circular economy that reduces waste through sustainable production, consumption, and materials management approaches.
The recently published Georgia Tech Sustainable Procurement Guide, developed in partnership with the Office of Sustainability and the Office of Procurement and Business Services, reflects Georgia Tech’s commitment to sustainability. This guide provides faculty, staff, and departments with actionable recommendations to make environmentally responsible purchasing decisions.
What Is Sustainable Procurement?
Sustainable procurement is a forward-thinking purchasing approach that aims to create a circular economy — keeping materials in circulation for as long as possible while minimizing waste. By considering a product's full life cycle, from sourcing to disposal, and supporting local and certified suppliers, it fosters restorative supply chains that benefit the planet, society, and the economy.
Aligned with Georgia Tech’s strategic plan, the guide reinforces the Institute’s role in leading by example through sustainable practices, showcasing how smarter procurement decisions can drive campus sustainability and reduce environmental impact.
Key Features of the Guide
- Product Life Cycle Assessment: Provides considerations to evaluate a product’s impact from creation to disposal, emphasizing durability, reusability, and recyclability.
- Total Cost of Ownership: Highlights the hidden environmental and societal costs of products, encouraging purchases that conserve energy and water and minimize waste.
- Packaging and Delivery Efficiency: Provides recommendations for consolidating deliveries and opting for minimal, recyclable packaging to reduce emissions and waste.
- Certifications and Standards: Offers recommendations for sustainable certifications for appliances, electronics, cleaning products, lab supplies, furniture, and office materials, ensuring alignment with national and global sustainability standards.
- Prioritizing Local Suppliers: Encourages sourcing from local businesses.
How You Can Contribute
Georgia Tech’s community members can advance sustainable procurement by:
- Reducing unnecessary purchases and exploring reuse options.
- Sharing strategies with peers to embed sustainability into daily operations.
- Utilizing the guide’s resources to integrate sustainable practices into procurement decisions.
By making sustainable purchasing decisions, we can collectively reduce our environmental impact, support our local economy, and strengthen Georgia Tech’s position as a leader in sustainability.
Explore the Sustainable Procurement Guide here.