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2022 Responsible Purchasing Update
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.
In the United States, we purchase about half our office supplies through Staples, which categorizes eco-products as either “basic” or “advanced.” “Basic” products share eco-features that are common among products in the industry, such as containing post-consumer content. “Advanced” products boast industry-leading environmental features such as certification by third-party programs like Energy Star, Green Seal or Cradle to Cradle. In 2022, 22% of the office supplies and 54% of the paper we purchased from Staples met the criteria for “eco-products.”
In recent years, the total amount we purchase from Staples – and hence, the number of eco-products ordered from this vendor – has fallen. We also purchase from Amazon, with guided buying for diversity certifications and climate pledge friendly products, and from the Paradigm Group’s Emerald brand, which designs, manufactures and distributes sustainable products. Our offices also purchase supplies from local businesses.
Implementation of our sustainable office guidelines, which suggest options for reducing spending on office supplies, has resulted in a decline in our purchase of office products. The guidelines include practical recommendations like two-sided printing, distributing documents electronically, purchasing used furniture and buying in bulk to reduce packaging.