Annual Green Purchasing Award Announced at Supplier Show
The University of Pennsylvania’s 2019 Green Purchasing Award, presented by Penn Procurement Services and Penn Sustainability, was announced at the annual Procurement Services Supplier Show on Tuesday, September 24.
Now celebrating its fifth year, the Green Purchasing Award program recognizes the outstanding contributions of an individual or team that significantly advance the development of sustainable purchasing practices at Penn.
This year’s award is bestowed to Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine for the positive impact they have made in managing their print services since they became one of the early adopters of the Penn Managed Print Services Program. Prior to enrolling in the program, the School was managing over 65 printers, comprising 28 different models from three different manufacturers. The fleet of printers was located throughout the University’s main campus as well as the New Bolton Center in Kennet Square, Pennsylvania.
Since signing up to participate in the Managed Print Services Program, Penn Vet has substantially reduced purchases of Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) – branded toner and has managed the entire portfolio of printers under one contract. Additionally, they were able to recover used toner and document their recycling efforts.
“This year’s recipient of the Green Purchasing Award underscores the value that can be derived from managing print services in a department or throughout a School or Center,” said Mark Mills, Executive Director and Chief Procurement Officer, Procurement Services. “Our honorees from Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine made smart, responsible purchasing decisions that have resulted in considerable cost avoidance savings while realizing a significant reduction in electronic, paper, and plastic (ink/toner) waste.”
The 2019 Green Purchasing Award honorees are Jerry Cheng, Justin Henderson, Christine Paris, Smith Ragsdale, and Ray Skwire. Over the life of their program, results of their efforts include:
- 767 toners were recycled, saving 576 gallons of oil and averting 2,150.4 kg of CO2. The School experienced a first-year cost reduction savings of 38.5%;
- 641 potential purchase orders were avoided. The estimated cost avoidance savings, based on an average of $25 per purchase order in administrative burden, is $16,025; and,
- 384,000 sheets of paper were not printed, which is the equivalent of 256 trees saved. The direct cost savings of the 384,000 pages over the period has been $7,680.
This initiative aligns with Penn’s Climate Action Plan, the University’s comprehensive strategic roadmap for environmental sustainability.