Université Laval
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement

1) Université Laval has a sustainability policy (https://www.ulaval.ca/sites/default/files/notre-universite/direction-gouv/Documents%20officiels/Politiques/Sustainable_Development_Policy.pdf that addresses responsible use of resources (4.9) and responsible procurement (5.3.4 d): “Prioritize local, responsible, and ethical procurement and the optimization of resources at all stages of the lifecycle, based on circular principles.”

2) Université Laval has very clear directives in its sustainable purchasing policy: https://www.sf.ulaval.ca/system/files/public/politiques/politique_sur_les_activites_dapprovisionnement_et_la_gestion_des_contrats_ca-2019-97.pdf.

Université Laval has in place very clear directives in its policy on procurement activities and the management of contracts on purchases, considering the challenges of sustainable development. In the guiding principles (1.4), we can read:
“Procurement activities and contract management are based on the following guiding principles:
The University’s commitment to sustainable development is reflected in procurement under the term responsible purchasing. As such, responsible purchasing is a supply activity carried out considering the social, economic, and environmental challenges applied to goods, services, acquired construction work, the production or execution chain and logistics. of the procurement process. The University promotes through its choices:
- suppliers and their business partners who respect the fundamental rights of individuals and employees and who undertake to adopt responsible practices;
- goods, services and construction works which minimize their ecological footprint and the adverse impacts on the environment or on their users, throughout their life cycle;
- supply activities which take into account the availability of funds and the financial sustainability of the University by considering, as much as possible, all the costs linked to the possession of a good, in particular the cost of purchase , start-up, maintenance and operation and those related to worker safety and end-of-life management, for example.


Other relevant extracts from the policy:

2.3 Purchase of used equipment
In general, the University acquires new goods accompanied by appropriate usage guarantees. To promote the reuse of goods, the University accepts the acquisition of used equipment to the extent that it is of high quality and that this business opportunity is accompanied by sufficient guarantees.

APPENDIX 12: TERMS AND CONDITIONS CONCERNING THE DISPOSAL OF SURPLUS GOODS
1.4 Reuse, recycling, and recovery of goods
In accordance with the general principles of sustainable development, any member of the community or administrative unit must promote the re-use of non-expired goods or functional equipment. When the goods or equipment are outdated, obsolete or non-functional and their restoration or upgrading is not possible, any member of the community or administrative unit must encourage their recycling or recovery as far as the costs involved are acceptable and that the methods used are safe, in compliance with all applicable regulations. When the quantities declared surplus of a given type of goods justify it, the University encourages the development and implementation of programs promoting the reuse and recycling of goods. The administrative units normally responsible for seeing to the disposal of these goods see to the development of these programs, in particular the Safety and Prevention Service for the disposal of hazardous materials (chemical and radioactive) and materials with biological risk such as biomedical waste, and the Building Department for any other type of equipment, supplies or waste.

Université Laval use LCCA for certain types of projects and products. Since 2015-2016, various types of products are evaluated using LCCA: vehicle, cartridge, paper and cardboard, bottled water, dishes, office supply, printer, promotional material and many more. We based our decision making on LCCA for specific topics. For example, regarding our use of reusable dishes vs compostable dishes (including energy use for that specific tropic). We used an LCCA produced by a research center specialized in LCCA analysis (CIRAIG). For more details: https://www.polymtl.ca/durable/analyse-du-cycle-de-vie-acv under "rapport complet". LCCA is also use to take into account the cost of needed accessories and the cost of the repair and maintenance needed.

Also, Université Laval has a sustainability policy (https://www.ulaval.ca/sites/default/files/notre-universite/direction-gouv/Documents%20officiels/Politiques/Sustainable_Development_Policy.pdfthat addresses responsible use of resources (4.9) which states : “The University must act ethically and responsibly in using existing resources and acquiring, producing, and disposing of the resources it needs to operate successfully, taking into account the lifecycle of resources, their climate and environmental footprint, the working conditions of the people who produce them, and their adverse impact on the environment. Resources must be used as efficiently as possible.”

Since 2003, Université Laval includes in its main cleaning contracts clauses for the use of environmentally friendly products. Relevant excerpts:
o Any maintenance product must be approved by the HEAD OF THE PUBLIC BODY before being used. At no time should a product that could affect the health of its employees and users and cause the deterioration of furniture or other property be used.
o THE PUBLIC BODY requires the use of products that are more respectful of the environment. In this context, the SERVICE PROVIDER must provide, in compliance with Annex 3, a minimum of 80% of the quantity of chemicals used on campus must be environmental and all paper products (hygienic and hand) must be made from 100% recycled material, including a minimum of 80% post-consumer for hand paper and 70% post-consumer for toilet paper.
o The technical data sheets and safety data sheets for these products must bear the seal of a chemist who is a member of the Professional Order of Chemists, certifying that these products meet the criteria required in the appendix, or be approved by recognized organizations such as Green Seal.
o The SERVICE PROVIDER must provide its list of chemicals to the PUBLIC BODY no later than 20 days after the date of award. Any changes must be approved by the HEAD OF THE PUBLIC AGENCY prior to use.
o THE PUBLIC BODY may require the SERVICE PROVIDER to experiment with and use any new existing environmental products if the cost and effectiveness of these products are equivalent to the products already used.

Université Laval is bound by a ministerial decree which obliges us to mandate the Government Acquisition Center (GAC) for our paper needs. It is therefore the GAC that publishes the public tender.

The call for tenders contains requirements regarding sustainable development, such as:
-H.02 The SUPPLIER must have a sustainable development policy. The latter must be public, on the company's website.
-H.03 When indicated in the description of the Goods, in the Price Schedule, the Goods submitted must hold FSC certification for Forest Stewardship Council or SFI for Sustainable Forestry Initiative or ECOLOGO for Ecologo DCC-077 – Paper.
-H.04 When indicated in the description of the Goods, in the Price Schedule, the Goods submitted must contain acid-free and chlorine-free fibres, meeting the SCE standard for elemental chlorine-free and PSC for process chlorine-free.
-H.05 When indicated in the description of the Goods, the Goods submitted must meet the requirement for the percentage of post-consumer recycled fibers, which is between 30% and 100%.
-H.06 All packaging must be 100% recyclable, certified FDS or SFI and SCE or PSC Compliant

As part of the latest call for tenders for the purchase of servers, in collaboration with the Center des services partagés du Québec (CSPQ), here are the sustainable development clauses included in the contract:

2.3.4 Sustainable development
The government's sustainable development strategy commits the Government of Quebec to take greener actions in the field of information technology in order, among other things, to reduce energy consumption. During government purchases, the government undertakes to favor the acquisition of more eco-responsible goods.

The CSPQ therefore encourages suppliers to carry out their contracts considering government commitments in terms of sustainable development. Suppliers are therefore invited to read the Administrative Policy for an Eco-Responsible Government (http://www.environnement.gouv.qc.ca/publications/2010/env20100531.htm).
Policy which aims to put public administration to work around concrete actions and practices of environmental management and eco-responsible acquisition.

2.3.4.2 Environmental certifications for the H family "x86 servers"
The supplier must provide, with its bid, a copy of the ISO 14001 registration certificate for each of the factories where its goods are built. This certificate must be issued by a registrar accredited by the Standards Council of Canada or by an accreditation body recognized by the latter.

In addition, he must provide proof of compliance with the following standards:
• ENERGY STAR
• RoHS (restriction on the use of hazardous substances)
• Lead free RoHS compliant motherboard (EU Directive 2002/95 / EC)
• Lead-free chassis compliant with RoHS

2.3.4.4 Social responsibility
The supplier, or its manufacturing partner, must adhere to the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) code of conduct and be included in the list of official members.

2.3.4.5 Recycling of Electronic Goods Canada (EPSP)
The supplier or its recycling partner must be a member of a program recognized by the Regulation on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) through the Association for the Recycling of Product

The operator agrees to collaborate with the University on various sustainable development initiatives and accepts that the University periodically reassesses these initiatives. The University recognizes that certain initiatives can have financial repercussions and undertakes to take them into consideration. The approach adopted by the University has three components. One of the three consists of the issuance of directives by the University concerning aspects of sustainable development.

2.1.1. Commitment to sustainable development
Social responsibility is the concept that designates the responsibility of an organization regarding the social, health and environmental consequences of its activities, especially for its stakeholders. It is a permanent process of progress, not a stable state, which aims to contribute to sustainable development and to integrate ethics into the economy. The operator must:
• Make a clear and public commitment to sustainable development and the values and principles it implies.
• Establish training procedures so that all new employees know the organization's commitment to sustainable development and the procedures that will result from it.
• Commit to positively influence its suppliers, customers, and all other partners to also commit themselves to sustainable development and the actions that imply.

2.1.2. Responsible sourcing
Responsible sourcing is a process of acquiring a good or service that meets a need that incorporates not only quality and cost criteria, but also environmental and social criteria. Its main objective is to maximize the benefits to society, while ensuring the protection of the environment and the economic viability of the organization.
The operator must:
• Favor suppliers who are committed to sustainable development by establishing a responsible procurement policy.
• Favor local production or processing products, as specified in the University directive for this purpose (the definition of "local" will be specified according to each product category).
• Favor fish and crustaceans from certified fishing or aquaculture, as specified in the University directive for this purpose.
• Favor fair trade certified products (tea, chocolate, sugar, etc.), as specified in the University directive for this purpose.
• Offer only fair-trade certified coffee in accordance with the University's directive for this purpose, or the approved equivalent.
• Offer at least three certified fair-trade teas at each service point where the operator sells tea.
• Offer at least one bar of certified fair-trade chocolate at each service point where the operator sells chocolate bars.
• Favor products certified environmentally responsible and in terms of animal health and welfare, as specified in the University directive for this purpose.
• Remove completely from the menu any species of fish or crustacean placed on the lists of endangered species, as specified in the University's directive to this effect.
• Clearly identify products and dishes prepared with local food and certified eco-responsible in order to inform customers.

2.1.3. Responsible waste management
The zero-waste objective is characterized by the desire to adopt a new vision on the nature and the future of waste. It is based on a guiding principle: to aim for the elimination of waste at the source and at all levels of the supply chain. If we adopt a logic of environmental preservation, the objective is to operate in a closed loop, to minimize the exploitation of non-renewable resources as well as the discharges linked to human activities (emissions to soil, air, water). This means seeking to reuse and reintegrate materials into production processes. The operator must:
• Establish training procedures so that all new employees know the procedures for sorting residual materials.
• Establish work, meal preparation and storage procedures that maximize donation of surplus food to charities.
• Participate in the food surplus donation program to charitable organizations that the University will set up.
• Use all the equipment necessary for sorting residual materials, as specified by the University directive for this purpose.
• Use tinted or non-tinted (transparent) bags that meet University guidelines for this purpose (for example, green bags for waste and transparent bags for recyclable containers.
• Ensure that its suppliers and employees separate the plastic films from the cardboard boxes and unpack the cardboard boxes to place them in the correct recycling bin.
• Ensure good sorting quality by its employees who return the dishes to the sink and who empty the remains in composting, for example, and waste and empty recyclable containers in the appropriate bins.
• Transport materials itself into the residual materials room (s) and ensure good quality sorting of its employees.
• Participate in the characterizations of residual materials carried out by the University periodically, following the University's guidelines for this purpose (for example, by placing its materials in a place different from the usual place).
• Favor reusable dishes both at intersections and points of service and for catering services (glasses, plates, bowls, utensils, reusable lunch boxes, etc.).
• For external products (sushi, other), pre-prepared lunch boxes, prepared salads and sandwiches that are packed in plastic containers, the containers must be recyclable (made of plastic # 1, 2, 4 or 5).
• Prioritize sandwiches that are wrapped in compostable paper and avoid packaging of bi-materials and cellophane.
• Sell reusable cups and gourds, according to the criteria issued by the University, in addition to offering self-service reusable cups.
• Encourage the use of reusable dishes during catering services, for example, by agreeing to pick up the dishes after the event.
• Provide the organizer of an event with a catering service requiring single use dishes the list of recyclable or compostable components to maximize sorting.
• Restrict the supply of drinks available in bottles, cans, and cartons to encourage the consumption of these products in bulk (fountain) in washable glasses.
• Comply with the directive issued by the University regarding single-use dishes. This directive will be periodically revised based on technological innovations (new supply of tableware or recyclable or compostable materials) and the sorting capacity of Quebec City residual materials treatment centers.
• Minimize the supply of all small non-recyclable or compostable items, or individually wrapped.
• Offer bulk milk, cream, and sugar for coffee, as well as pastries and breads.
• Abolish the use of plastic straws and coffee sticks.
• Ensure that all disposable napkins used are made entirely of recycled materials and 90% post-consumer materials.

2.1.4. Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
Carbon neutrality means that an organization’s direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are equal to the sum of the efforts to reduce and offset emissions. Carbon neutrality therefore implies efforts to reduce carbon emissions at the source and offset, through the purchase of carbon credits, residual emissions. The operator must:
• Commit to minimizing its greenhouse gas emissions.
• Train employees upon hiring on GHG issues and their reduction.
• Develop work procedures that minimize the emission of GHGs.
• Inform the University as soon as it notices an anomaly in the equipment provided (ovens and gas cooking elements, cold rooms, and fridge, etc.) by completing the monthly summary inspection reports or an incident and breakage report as soon as an anomaly is detected, without delay.

2.1.5. Responsible management of water resources
Aquaresponsibility is a concept that encompasses all the actions that a company should take to ensure sound management of its water resources. These actions will ensure the sustainability of the resource while enabling equitable sharing and rational use. Basically, aquaresponsibility is a sustainable development approach which is part of an integrated water resources management context. The operator must, in collaboration with the University's Building Service:
• Train employees upon hiring on the concept of reasonable use of water resources (e.g., good use of dishwashers).
• Develop work procedures that minimize water consumption (e.g., eliminate accelerated cooling by a continuous flow of cold water).
• Inform the University as soon as it notices an anomaly in the equipment supplied (for example: leaking taps in the kitchen or dining room, malfunction of dishwashers, leaking in compressors, abnormal condensation in refrigeration equipment, etc.) by completing the monthly summary inspection reports or an incident and breakage report as soon as an anomaly is detected, without delay.

2.1.6. Reduction of energy consumption
The operator must:
• Train employees upon hiring on the concept of reasonable use of the energy resource (e.g., proper use of hoods as needed).
• Develop work procedures that minimize energy consumption.
• Systematically program its devices and equipment (its own and those made available by the University) so that they operate in energy saving mode as soon as possible and keep an inspection register to confirm this programming. He will make this register accessible to the University (e.g., vending machines, hoods, etc.).
• Inform the University as soon as it notices an anomaly in the equipment supplied by the institution (for example: overheating of equipment, energy loss in refrigerators, reduction in the flow rate of hoods, etc.) by completing the summary inspection reports monthly or an incident and breakage report as soon as an anomaly is detected, without delay

4.5. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT
As an important player in Quebec society, Université Laval is directly affected by the many challenges that
represents sustainable development. Impregnated since its origins with this corporate and civic responsibility, the University wishes to pursue its actions in to preserve and improve the quality of life of people, without compromising that of others and that of generations to come. Faced with the important environmental, social, cultural and economic challenges of sustainable development, among other things, the University intends to encourage and promote responsible purchasing.

Responsible clothing is an item of clothing whose fibers and dyes, natural or synthetic, satisfy high environmental criteria and whose toxicity to humans is minimized throughout their lifespan. Moreover, a so-called responsible garment will have been manufactured in a company that respects human rights and labor standards as defined by international conventions.

Certifications to consider: Product of Canada, Ethically Correct certified Company SA 8000, Fair Wear Foundation, Fair Labor Association, Global Organic Textile Standard, Fair Trade, Équitable Écocert, etc.

The Quebec government's light vehicle acquisition policy requires that "subject to availability of the type of vehicle required, replace any existing light vehicle or fill any new need with an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle", rented through the Management Center of rolling stock in Quebec.