With our procurement policy ‘Purchasing with Impact’ we are taking steps to become more and more sustainable. But to make an even more active contribution to our ambition, we need the help of our employees. After all, everyone who orders something can make a difference. By asking the right questions and making conscious choices for a supplier, product or service.
Are you placing an order? Why using iProcurement is important
Radboud University purchases approximately 120 million euro worth of construction works, services and products every year. With our procurement, we consume 42,965 tonnes of CO2 equivalents annually. Radboud University has the ambition to work towards a circular and climate-neutral university with respect for the environment and human welfare.
As a university, we want to reward frontrunners in the field of sustainability by buying our products from these parties and in this way we want to contribute to a world in which sustainable and fair become the standard. A first step in the right direction? Order everything via iProcurement.
Sustainable purchasing via iProcurement
In the catalog of the program iProcurement Bass-Finlog, you will find a wide range of green, sustainable products. When considering whether or not to make an agreement with a supplier, concrete testing on sustainability takes place. For example, we since recently only offer sustainable office supplies from Staples and we buy flowers from four local and sustainable florists. By ordering your products from a selected supplier, you can make sustainable choices more easily and we take concrete steps to increasingly purchase with impact.
Is sustainability expensive?
A common assumption about sustainable products is that they are by definition more expensive. But is this really the case? Sustainable products often have higher prices, because they require more investment. Sustainable companies spend more money on fair wages for their employees and on their (natural) resources. In contrast to companies that offer cheaper products, but cause air and soil pollution, exploitation of workers, a large pile of waste and even child labour. In addition, do not forget the well-known principle: cheap is expensive. Sustainable products often last longe rand are easy to recycle. In many cases, it is an investment that you will eventually earn back.