As designers and consultants in the AEC industry, we typically aren’t involved in buying building materials or other project-related resources. So our direct procurement activities tend to be limited to the purchase of office supplies. In cases where we can influence the selection of sustainable project materials, we apply our in-house specifications, policies and sustainability expertise. We seek trusted partners who share our value of responsible procurement and educate clients and collaborators about sustainable options for their projects.
Construction Materials
When we hire subconsultants or specify materials for projects, our Ethical Sourcing Policy helps ensure that products are sustainably and responsibly sourced and that individuals involved in their manufacture are working in a safe and fair environment. This policy promotes social equity by encouraging the hiring of small businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged people or employing firms that have demonstrated a clear mission of promoting social equity.
In line with our environmental statement – to apply creative means of reducing carbon in our projects – we’ve developed embodied-carbon specifications for concrete, steel and timber for use when sourcing building materials. Such materials typically constitute the largest portion of the embodied carbon in a building, and these specifications guide our structural engineers and clients to consider materials or adjustments to materials that are less carbon-intensive than standard options. We also aim to avoid the use of toxic materials identified in the Living Building Challenge Red List in our sustainability consulting projects.
Office Supplies
Following our sustainable office guidelines, we give preference to office supplies with high recycled content and low toxicity. Our operations staff meets regularly to discuss options for responsible purchasing throughout our offices. In 2019, we instituted a policy that limits our use of beverages in plastic bottles, discontinuing their purchase for meetings and their sale through in-office vending machines. Many of our offices provide reusable tableware for employee meals. For our printed material, we always source paper with recycled content and work only with providers following guidelines such as the Forest Stewardship Council and PrintRelief Certified™ Reforested.
