Sustainable procurement
The environmentally friendly procurement of working materials and equipment, as well as the consideration of environmental criteria in services, helps to reduce the burden on the environment and save resources. In its environmental guidelines, the BTU has therefore committed itself to taking environmental aspects into account in procurement and investments.
The BTU revised its procurement guidelines in 2019. Since then, it has included a separate chapter on the topic of sustainable procurement, taking environmental aspects into account.
The following general requirements apply to green procurement at the BTU:
- Where possible, products should bear an eco-label or meet the criteria of an eco-label,
- Products should be durable, economical and recyclable,
- materials should be made from recycled or renewable raw materials,
- Products should be reusable, low in emissions and solvents.
BTU-internal webshop for sustainable office supplies
Since September 2021, sustainable office supplies and recycled office papers can be purchased via a webshop set up especially for the BTU. The webshop offers the BTU's demand centres a simple and fast way to procure office supplies and paper. When selecting products, particular emphasis was placed on environmentally friendly and recycled or recyclable materials and sustainable production.
General tips for environmentally friendly procurement
- Resource conservation begins before the purchasing decision - buying only what is necessary is also environmentally friendly.
- Using recycled paper can save resources if it means using less primary manufactured paper.
- Buying energy-efficient appliances saves resources and money.
- Buying recyclable appliances is good, but even better are appliances that last a long time, can be repaired and redesigned if necessary.
- Green procurement also means avoiding the purchase of products with hazardous substances.
- Regional purchasing helps the environment and the regional economy.