Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
A research office requires ACT-rated freezers in any over-5000 GBP purchase request.
- Is an instance
A consortium tender includes a 15 percent weighting for supplier carbon-reduction commitments.
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
Selecting only on lowest price is conventional, not sustainable, procurement.
- Not an instance
Vague green claims without verification (greenwashing) do not meet the criteria.
Editorial commentary
Sustainable procurement in research extends institutional purchasing policies to laboratory consumables, reagents, instruments, and services. Criteria include supplier climate commitments (CDP scores, science-based targets), product-level certifications (ENERGY STAR, ACT, EPEAT), packaging design, take-back schemes, and reusability. Frameworks such as ISO 20400 provide guidance. In the UK, the NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap is a direct precedent that research-intensive universities are adapting. Procurement is typically the largest scope-3 category for research institutions.
References
- ISO 20400 Sustainable Procurement guidance; NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap.
Also known as
Green procurement (research) · Sustainable purchasing
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
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vocab-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/"
vocab-term="Sustainable procurement (research)"
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"description": "The process of purchasing research goods and services with explicit consideration of environmental, social, and governance criteria across the full supply chain, in addition to price and performance.",
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"sameAs": [
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],
"license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
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