Sustainable Procurement & Retail
Making sustainable purchasing and retail decisions is a key element of sustainable living for all of us. Western encourages our students, staff and faculty to make purchasing decisions that align with sustainability, whether that means purchasing second-hand, choosing ethical brands, shopping local, and considering the social impacts of purchases. There are many different ways we can all shop more sustainably. For tips about individual choices you can make, check out our Sustainable Living Guide for the Western Community.
Western also recognizes our role as an institution to incorporate sustainability into our own procurement and retail practices.
Procurement Services endeavours to purchase products and services that meet a comprehensive range of sustainability criteria that mirror the university's values, sustainability principles and goals, as reflected in the Sustainable Procurement Policy. The Sustainable Purchasing Guide is a tool developed by Procurement Services to share recommendations for purchasing products that balance economic, environmental and social benefits, in an effort to further advance Western's sustainability efforts.
Western Retail Services has its own Environmental Sustainability Policy demonstrating a commitment to work locally with campus partners, community groups and vendors to implement projects that support our community's environmental wellbeing. Part of the policy is about waste reduction in Western Retail Services, and our community may have noticed the elimination of plastic bags at the Bookstore as one of the initiatives through this work. The Code of Conduct for Trademark Licensees doing business with the Bookstore further elaborates on expectations for sustainability and ethical practices from trademark licensees doing business with Western.
