Purchasing

Penn's Sustainable Purchasing Initiative seeks to increase the purchase of products with a reduced or minimal (ideally zero) environmental impact as compared to other similar products/services that serve the same purpose. Purchasing Services supports the purchase of recycled content, environmentally preferable and bio-based products through the inclusion of environmentally friendly products in preferred contract supplier online product catalogs in the Penn Marketplace.

Penn Marketplace participating suppliers are encouraged to include products that promote environmental stewardship in their online product catalog and Penn faculty and staff members are empowered to select environmentally friendly products for their purchase requirements. Purchasing Services offers supplier specific environmentally friendly product catalogs in the Penn Marketplace.

Penn has been recognized for its Sustainable Purchasing Initiative:

US Environmental Protection Agency: Top 10 College and University Green Power Partners (February 2007)

Going Green While Saving Green - (University Business Magazine June 2006)

Institute for Supply Management (ISM) "Principles of Socially Responsible Purchasing" (July 2005)