Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 63.24
Liaison Victoria Ho
Submission Date Feb. 8, 2024

STARS v2.2

OCAD University
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 3.00 Ana Pineiro
Sr. Procurement Officer
Finance
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Institution-wide sustainable procurement policies

Does the institution have written policies, guidelines, or directives that seek to support sustainable purchasing across multiple commodity categories institution-wide?:
Yes

A copy of the policies, guidelines or directives:
The policies, guidelines or directives:
12. Sustainable and Ethical Procurement
OCAD University is committed to conducting its activities in alignment with its Sustainability Policy. The University recognizes that purchasing decisions have a lifecycle impact and that OCAD University has influence both upstream and downstream of operations. This impact can involve goods and services as well as the supply chains of suppliers.
Purchasing decisions can signal priorities to the marketplace and OCAD aims to partner with organizations that share our values and demonstrate a commitment to addressing climate change and social justice. As a Broader Public Service (BPS) organization, OCAD University is an ‘anchor institution’ that can leverage the University sector’s ability to collaborate with other public institutions, create community benefits agreements on major projects, and support equity-seeking workforces.
OCAD University will initiate and maintain environmentally responsible and sustainable procurement practices to maximize our institutions’ beneficial environmental and social impact.

Part 2. Life Cycle Cost Analysis 

Does the institution employ Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) when evaluating energy- and water-using products and systems?:
Yes

Which of the following best describes the institution’s use of LCCA?:
Institution employs LCCA less comprehensively, e.g. for certain types of systems or projects and not others

A brief description of the LCCA policy and/or practices:
OCAD U's Purchasing Process Guidelines describes as below:

16.1 Apply a Total Cost of Ownership approach
Hidden costs can accrue beyond the upfront cost of an item. Be sure to consider installation costs, ongoing operational costs, maintenance and repair costs, and end-of-life costs of disposal. More sustainable purchases can cost less over
the lifetime of the item.
OCAD U is committed to initiating and maintaining environmentally responsible and sustainable procurement practices to minimize our institution’s environmental impact. The criteria below should be reviewed and considered prior to the start of any procurement activity for the University.*

*Criteria resides in 16.2, available at the linked document.

Part 3. Product-specific sustainability criteria

To count, the criteria must address the specific sustainability challenges and impacts associated with products and/or services in each category, e.g. by requiring or giving preference to multi-criteria sustainability standards, certifications and labels appropriate to the category. Broader, institution-wide policies should be reported in Part 1, above. 

Chemically intensive products and services

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating chemically intensive products and services?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for chemically intensive products and services:
3.2.15 Supplies
OCAD U is committed to environmentally preferable cleaning products and practices. Green cleaning is defined as cleaning to protect both human and environmental health. Cleaning staff are especially exposed to the ingredients of cleaning products. Carefully selecting products to reduce exposure to hazards can address the below concerns:

a) General hazard concerns such as eye and skin irritation are present due to exposure to concentrated cleaning products and via release of cleaning products during typical use such as washing residual products from sponges. Reducing the volume of hazardous ingredients from the outset and ensuring adequate WHMIS and/or chemical management training will help to offset exposure to hazards.
b) Indoor air quality can be improved by avoiding Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).
c) Aquatic life can be threatened by surfactants, which tend to biodegrade slowly and/or bioaccumulate, therefore reducing or avoiding surfactants is preferred.
d) The Proponent agrees to purchase and maintain all equipment necessary to conduct cleaning operations during the term of this contract such as floor scrubbing and polishing machines, mops, buckets, vacuum cleaners, housecleaning carts etc. Also, all equipment must be stored safely and properly in designated storage room.
e) Storage space within the OCAD U campus is limited. The Proponent should provide an adequate solution for the storage and transportation of equipment and supplies as to minimize the amount of on-campus storage required while ensuring the prompt availability or materials.
f) All cleaning supplies must be Green Seal or EcoLogo certified, 100% biodegradable ingredients, without dyes or perfumes, and not tested on animals. Products should be purchased and supplied in quantities that minimize the amount of required packaging. If any equipment or cleaning materials are required that do not fulfil necessary certification standards, written approval must be obtained from the Manager, Campus Operations prior to use.
g) The Proponent will submit a list of all cleaning products, including MSDS sheet used on campus to the Manager, Campus Operations for approval before the start date of the cleaning contract.
h) The Proponent agrees to supply all necessary cleaning supplies for both day and nighttime service to conduct cleaning operations during the term of this contract. These daily cleaning supplies will include items such as all strippers, waxes, disinfectants, cleaning products and materials, clear garbage bags, bio-degradable waste bin liners for organics collection, recycling bin liners, menstrual product, trash liners, and urinal screens.
i) OCAD U encourages Social Procurement services, equipment and materials that are sourced from within the local community.

Consumable office products

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating consumable office products?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for consumable office products:
From OCAD U's Sustainable Procurement Guidelines at Copy & Print Services, geared towards Copy & Print Services staff making purchasing decisions for University paper and print equipment, some examples of criteria:

Use 100% post-consumer waste (PCW) copy paper – Choose FSC-certified, 100% PCW recycled fiber content bond/copy paper for all devices around campus managed by Copy & Print Services.

Choose paper products with chain-of-custody certifications – Choose products with third-party chain-of-custody labels to indicate that the raw materials have been legally and responsibly sourced.


Choose devices and electronics with third-party energy-related certifications – For electronic devices, choose products that are ENERGY STAR and/or EPEAT Gold certified, where available, to ensure that the devices are energy efficient and have the added benefit of continuous monitoring.

Choose Equipment with ENERGY STAR certification – ENERGY STAR Canada is a government-backed organization that measures the energy efficiency of household appliances and other electronic products. Products with the Energy Star certification are products that have met or exceeded energy efficiency criteria. Electronic products with ENERGY STAR certification have lower energy consumption and environmental impact.

Choose vendors with toner cartridge recycling programs - Toner products are 85-95% plastic that is milled into a powder form. When choosing toner or ink products, choose OEM brand-name cartridges from vendors that offer toner cartridge recycling programs to minimize the amount of e-waste being sent to landfills and reduce the risks of soil and/or water contamination. Contact potential vendors for information on how to safely dispose of toner and waste cartridges, and to inquire about vendor managed recycling programs.

Choose products labeled as solvent-free – Solvent-based adhesives are the most common type of adhesive and the solvent base coating processes are used for 80-85% of all pressure sensitive tapes and labels. When possible, select pressure-sensitive adhesives and release coatings that are water-based and/or products with low VOC content. Refer to the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) provided by the manufacturer for information regarding potential hazardous chemicals in the product and their associated health risks and avoid any products with high concentrations of VOCs.

Furniture and furnishings

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating furniture and furnishings?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for furniture and furnishings:
---

Information Technology (IT) and equipment

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating Information technology (IT) and equipment?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for Information Technology (IT) and equipment:
OCAD U participates with Ontario Education Collaborative Marketplace (OECM) Vendor of Record agreements. OECM is "a trusted not-for-profit collaborative sourcing partner for Ontario’s education sector, broader public sector, and other not-for-profit organizations". In seeking preferred vendors for end-user computing devices and services, the recent published criteria by OECM reads as follows:

Provide fixed and mobile device Resources that possess Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (“EPEAT”) rating of silver and provide Energy Star Certified fixed and mobile devices. Be environmentally conscientious and support sustainability efforts.

https://oecm.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/EUC-261-RFP.pdf

Food service providers

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating food service providers?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for food service providers:
---

Garments and linens 

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating garments and linens?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for garments and linens:
---

Professional service providers

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating professional service providers?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for professional service providers:
Technical criteria required for Website Redesign RFP;

SUSTAINABILITY CRITERIA (10 POINTS)

Please outline your organizational commitments to sustainability, including any business practices and operational decisions that support energy and water conservation, carbon emissions reductions, waste minimization, etc.

Outline your approach to low-carbon website building and design. Provide specific examples of achieving low-carbon website design or other highly optimized web sites.

Transportation and fuels

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating transportation and fuels?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for transportation and fuels:
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Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable procurement program or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
---

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.