We see our supply-chain partners as important stakeholders in sustainable development. Taking the environmental and social impacts of our supply chain into consideration, the University endeavors to incorporate, as far as practical and economically rational, the requirements of environmental protection and social responsibility in procurement practices, including developing green specifications for products, incorporating sustainability-related requirements in request-for-quotation documents, tender invitations and works contracts, as well as monitoring supplier performance during the lifecycle of the relevant products or services and the final disposal of the products, if applicable.
To this end, PolyU has established a campus-wide Green Procurement Policy in late 2014, emphasizing seven principles as follows:
When developing green specifications for commonly used products, PolyU refers to the those green specifications by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) and opts for products with ecological benefits, e.g. office equipment with Energy Label or certification of restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS) compliance, and paper products with recycled content or from sustainable forestry such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
The University also takes the full life-cycle of all procured products or services into consideration, requesting tenderers for regular supplies to indicate, wherever and whenever practical and feasible, their environmental measures in manufacturing processes, product handling and packaging waste, in order to encourage reuse and recycling as well as minimize landfilling.
For campus contractors, the University also requests their full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations in environmental management: for example, a main contractor will need to establish environmental management and waste management plans for its construction sites to address resources use, noise, dust, smell, and waste controls. Contractors must also adhere to sound employment and labor practices, for the protection of workers’ legal rights with communication channels to address their concerns. To safeguard on-site workers and properties, we require main contractors to prepare site safety supervision plans, conduct site safety inspections, and establish emergency procedures. During the reporting year, main campus contractors for goods and services including food service, cleaning, maintenance and construction were sourced locally to the greatest extent possible.