Green Purchasing

Dining Services follows Green Purchasing Guidelines, which incorporate environmental criteria as part of normal purchasing evaluation, in addition to product safety, price, performance and availability including but not limited to:

• Purchasing from environmentally and socially responsible companies that are HACCP certified.
• Using non-bleached napkins that meet or exceed the EPA Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines for minimum post-consumer fiber content.
• Use of recycled-content paper towels and toilet paper.
• Conveying our buying preference for local, recycled, and sustainable materials.
• Developing relationships with manufacturers who are committed to supporting sustainability initiatives and have good environmental track records.
• Including a diverse group of vendors including minority, locally, and regionally owned vendors.
• Encouraging paperless statements and billing from vendors.
• Focusing procurement efforts only on products with an "Energy Star" rating when available.
• Encouraging suppliers to minimize packaging to eliminate excess waste while maintaining strength (consistent with care of the product). When possible, packaging should be made of recycled materials.
• Specifying concentrated solid products versus "ready to use" products reducing packaging, waste, and transportation costs.
• Limit procurement of 5 gallon pails and No. 10 cans, and opting for bag-in-box, shrink-wrapped products as they become available to reduce excessive packaging.
• Minimizing use of disposable dinnerware in the Heilman Dining Center and for catered events whenever feasible. If the style of the event requires disposable or picnic style tableware, we will purchase environmentally friendly products that are made from recycled materials or from raw materials obtained in an environmentally sound, sustainable manner by companies with good environmental track records. These items must be recyclable or, if not, may be disposed of safely.