Our mission is to promote and support greater awareness of sustainable acquisitions by selecting and acquiring sustainable products and services, optimizing performance standards and minimizing environmental impacts.
Our vision is to lead the Berkeley Lab community by playing a significant role in the sustainable acquisition process that supports and cultivates a sustainable Berkeley Lab.
Our goal is to balance environmental, social and financial responsibilities in every purchasing decision to achieve the associated environmental benefits.
Our goals have been developed to:
- Support Sustainable Berkeley Lab goals and initiatives while adhering to regulatory compliance
- Approach sustainability in consideration of three areas: environmental stewardship, governance and social responsibility
- Actively seek out and build relationships with suppliers who share our commitment to protect and preserve our environment
- Develop mechanisms for increasing awareness and utilization of sustainable products by asking our suppliers to make green alternatives easily identifiable and accessible
- Track and evaluate operations and sustainable acquisition services to reduce Berkeley Lab’s environmental footprint
Sustainable Acquisition
In order to fully achieve its sustainable acquisitioning goals, LBNL seeks to establish partnerships with suppliers that are able to advance these goals with business practices that align with these sustainable objectives. Those responding to LBNL solicitations are urged to visit Sustainable Facilities Tool’s (SF Tool) website at https://sftool.gov/ to review the myriad of product and material options available for incorporation into bid packages and ultimately LBNL projects.
Sustainable acquisitioning refers to the acquisition of goods and services that have a reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing goods or services that serve the same purpose. This comparison encompasses raw materials acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse, operation, maintenance and disposal of products and services.
Procurement aids you in your purchasing decisions by partnering with suppliers who offer environmentally preferable and sustainable goods and services.
EPEAT®–Registered certification is required for imaging equipment, televisions, personal computer products and mobile computing devices with displays more than four inches. A product search is available on the EPEAT website. For exceptions, a non-EPEAT item must be purchased through an ePro requisition with an explanation for approval.
Whenever possible, we give preference to goods and services that:
- Use renewable energy sources and recycled materials
- Use non-toxic materials
- Protect and restore the earth’s natural resources
- Are efficient and equitable
When placing orders, the Laboratory encourages customers to always consider environmental factors by buying from suppliers who:
- Conserve energy and water during production, transportation and use
- Minimize generation of waste and the release of pollutants
- Use recycled materials
- Produce goods that can be reused or recycled
- Manufacture with energy derived from renewable resources such as biobased fuels, solar and wind power
- Use alternate fuel vehicles
