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Sustainability

Sustainable procurement

Materialshop Irchel

Purchases take place in almost every organizational unit at UZH – from office supplies to large research equipment. This website helps you to make your contribution to sustainable procurement at UZH.

You can read the latest findings and activities on procurement at UZH in the Sustainability Report (German). 
Sustainability Report 21/22

Why sustainable procurement?

It is the aim to strengthen sustainability in UZH's procurement. The impetus for this is provided by two developments:

  • The Federal Law on Public Procurement (Bundesgesetz über das öffentliche Beschaffungswesen, BöB) and the Intercantonal Agreement on Public Procurement (Interkantonale Vereinbarung über das öffentliche Beschaffungswesen, IVöB) have been revised. While the BöB entered into force on January 1, 2021, the cantons must individually decide to join the revised IVöB in a legislative procedure. The accession law to the revised IVöB 2019 of the Canton of Zurich is currently still being drafted. It will also apply to UZH procurements. Through these revisions, a paradigm shift is taking place, because the law will no longer  focus only the most cost-effective, but also the economically, ecologically and socially sustainable use of public funds.
    Intercantonal Agreement on Public Procurement (IVöB)
  • In its Implementation Strategy 2030 for the Sustainability Policy, UZH set itself the goal of climate neutrality and also formulated a specific goal on procurement. Therefore, we now need to reduce UZH's greenhouse gas emissions in all areas – including in the supply chains of procured goods and services.

Taking sustainability aspects into account can lead in some cases to higher short-term procurement costs. In other cases – especially by reducing the frequency of new purchases – costs can be reduced. Even when budgets are tight, the goals of sustainable development, in particular the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, need to be taken into account. 

Step 1: Important questions before buying something new

You can achieve the greatest reduction of your environmental impact by buying less. Before buying something new, ask yourself the following questions:

  • Is the new purchase of the desired product avoidable? 
  • Can I obtain or use the product through one of our platforms – Office Supplies Exchange, Equipment Exchange, Platform Shared Equipment? 
  • Can I use the existing product a little longer? 

You can also post products that are no longer needed on the Office Supplies Exchange and Equipment Exchange or make your equipment available to other units via the Platform Shared Equipment, for example.
Office Supplies Exchange
Equipment Exchange
Platform Shared Equipment

Step 2: Considering sustainability when buying something new

Guidance to buy sustainably via P4U

Two symbols support you in sustainable purchasing on the UZH purchasing platform P4U.

  • Products classified by the supplier as sustainable are marked with the following symbol.     

Logo Sustainable product, white leaf symbol and white lettering Sustainable on a green background

  • At the catalog level, you can see how the suppliers are rated in terms of sustainability. Depending on the rating, the leave appears green, yellow or red. By clicking on the symbol, you can obtain detailed information on the rating, for example to what extent the supplier considers sustainability in its supply chain.

Examples for sustainability criteria

Consider both environmental and social aspects when selecting a product or service provider. For example, the following criteria should be considered throughout the life cycle of a product (for detailed criteria by product group see next section):

  • Manufacturing: e.g. materials used, proportion of recycled materials, avoidance of conflict minerals, fulfilment of requirements of sustainability labels, compliance with the core labor standards of the International Labor Organization and other international labor standards, equal treatment of women and men in terms of equal pay.
  • Use: energy efficiency, repairability, long-term availability of spare parts.
  • Disposal: Recyclability

Further information on specific types of goods and services

Construction

Office Material

Print shops

Food

IT and devices

Furniture

Cleaning and hygiene products

Textiles

Other

  • Website of the Canton of Zurich on sustainable procurement (German)
  • Information on sustainability labels, for example in the areas of electronic devices, flowers, textiles or food, can be found on the Labelinfo.ch website, which is operated by the organization Pusch Praktischer Umweltschutz.
    Labelinfo.ch (German)
  • "Kompass Nachhaltigkeit öffentliche Beschaffung" offers also recommendations for the following product groups: Lighting, waste disposal and recycling, vehicles, forestry and horticultural equipment, green spaces, school supplies
    "Kompass Nachhaltigkeit öffentliche Beschaffung" (German)
  • The Wissensplattform nachhaltige öffentliche Beschaffung (sustainable public procurement knowledge platform) contains information for more than 20 product groups. The filter function helps you searching. The tools and methods for assessing the impact of suppliers and products are part of the toolbox. It introduces the topic of sustainable procurement and presents approaches to action regarding life cycle analysis, life cycle costs, labels and certifications, corporate social responsibility, circular economy, packaging, transport.
    Wissensplattform nachhaltige öffentliche Beschaffung (German)
    Werkzeuge und Methoden zur Bewertung (German)
    ​​​​​​​Toolbox  (German)

Weiterführende Informationen

Platform Shared Equipment

Currently you can share approx. 300 devices and rooms with your colleagues via this platform. 

Gerätebörse

Equipment Exchange (Gerätebörse)

At the UZH Equipment Exchange, you can obtain second-hand equipment free of charge or at a low cost. If you no long-er need devices that are still operational, you can make them available to other people via the Equipment Exchange.

Büromaterialbörse

Office Supplies Exchange (Büromaterialbörse)

At the Office Supplies Exchange, you can get second hand office supplies from your colleagues for free and offer office supplies you no longer need as well. The materials are delivered free of charge: either pick them up yourself or use the internal mail service.

II.3.5 Nachhaltigkeit in der Beschaffung (Sustainable procurement)

"Die UZH berücksichtigt bei der Beschaffung von Sachgütern und Dienstleistungen Nachhaltigkeits-aspekte im gesamten Lebenszyklus (Produktion, Transport, Nutzung, Entsorgung). Ziel ist es, möglichst hohe ökologische und soziale Standards zu erfüllen."