Purchasing

Plan Target: maximize purchasing of sustainable and socially responsible products


As a state agency, the University of California is mandated to engage in environmentally preferred purchasing (EPP) by Executive Order B-18-12. State agencies should purchase and use environmentally preferred products that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing goods or services that serve the same purpose, whenever they are applicable, perform well, and are cost efficient.

The UC system has taken this a step further by developing the Sustainable Procurement Guidelines, which establish required and preferred targets for sustainable purchasing on products such as office supplies, electronics, cleaning supplies, and office furniture. The required level is the minimum criteria at which 100% of these purchased products should be. The preferred or green level is products that are more sustainable and UCLA aims to reach at least 25% green spend. The chart below shows where we currently stand with our green purchasing (cleaning supplies are excluded because they have different targets, but included in the total percentage). Our sustainable food procurement targets are measured separately and can be found on the Food Systems webpage.

Check out our Office Depot Sustainable Purchasing Guide for a list of office products that comply with all of our sustainable purchasing policies. The guide includes preferred office supplies, electronics, cleaning supplies, and foodservice products.

Trademarks & Licensing

UCLA measures the performance of trademark licensees according to social sustainability metrics that are used to manage its licensing program. These are companies that have been approved to use the UCLA logo due to their ability to provide transparent, safe, and fair workplaces and supply chains. Currently, over 120 licensees have demonstrated the commitment to develop management systems that meet UCLA’s code of conduct standards. UCLA Trademarks & Licensing also maintains a list of approved licensee vendors with sustainability designations as well as promotional product vendors that help you ensure any promotional products or gifts you purchase are sustainably and ethically made.

UCLA Trademarks & Licensing is going beyond social sustainability with a new assessment, EcoVadis, that encompasses social and environmental sustainability, ethics, and sustainable procurement practices of licensees. This has led UCLA to winning the 2020 Best Practices Award in Sustainability Innovation at the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference and our work will also be featured in the AASHE Sustainable Campus Index. UCLA Trademarks and Licensing was also awarded the ICLA Synergy Award in 2021.


Resources