Sustainable Purchasing

The materials and services we purchase as an institution have a significant social, economic and environmental impact. The University of Alberta works closely with suppliers, students, faculty and staff to make sure our purchases support our campus sustainability commitment.

Each year the University of Alberta's 15,000 employees spend millions of dollars on supplies and equipment. From exploring new ways to ship product to reusing or recycling product packaging, staff and faculty are encouraged to reduce their environmental impact of their purchasing activities.

To reduce the impact of the university's purchasing practices, Procurement and Contract Management works with several preferred suppliers. Our preferred supplier system creates a strong foundation for green purchasing practices. Using preferred suppliers reduces the volume of delivery traffic on campus, and increases the demand for more sustainable products and services.

View the Preferred Suppliers list

Sustainable Purchasing Workshops

As consumers we have a variety of products to choose from. In this workshop you will learn about the life cycle of a product from beginning to end (extraction of raw materials to disposal), and the environmental impact of products at different stages during this cycle. You will learn about UAlberta's Green Procurement Principles and how we can apply these principles to reduce the impact of our purchases.

To request a workshop for your office: Click here