©HNEE

At our university, we consume paper, markers, printer cartridges and other (office) materials on a daily basis. In order to act in an environmentally conscious manner in this area as well, we developed the Sustainable Procurement Guideline in 2015. In doing so, we followed the examples of the Berlin Energy Agency and the Federal Environment Agency (UBA). Since then, sustainable criteria, which are explained in more detail in the guideline, have been taken into account in procurement in all departments.

In our understanding, sustainable procurement includes:

• to maintain the balance of economic development, social justice and nature conservation,
  

• to conserve natural resources, especially in the manufacturing process of materials,
  

• to use energy sparingly in production and use,
  

• to minimize transport distances,
  

• to avoid waste in production, use and disposal,
  

• to protect the health of university employees,
  

• to avoid pollutants entering the environment during production, use and disposal.