The annual Green Spend data gathering process is a cornerstone of UC’s sustainability tracking and essential in advancing our goals. Collecting certified green procurement data from suppliers supports comprehensive sustainability reporting and strategic decision-making at the campus and systemwide levels. A new approach brought operational excellence and collaboration to the forefront in this annual process…
New approach refreshes annual process
Led by the Impact, Policy & Compliance (IPC) team within UC Systemwide Procurement, this year’s cycle introduced an innovative and streamlined data collection process. This new approach overcame historical challenges and won praise from stakeholders for its efficiency and clarity. It also demonstrated the strength of collaboration between UC Procurement and UCOP Sustainability as this aggregated data will be incorporated into the upcoming Annual Report on Sustainable Practices (to be released in January 2025) to meet California’s state reporting requirements.
Key outcomes of the FY24 Green Spend project include:
- Comprehensive Data Collection: Procurement gathered certified green hardware data from systemwide and campus level suppliers, collecting data directly from the source.
- Enhanced Reporting: Aggregated data provided detailed insights into sustainability performance, supporting both systemwide analysis and individual campus sustainability goals.
- Collaborative Success: The partnership between Procurement and Sustainability showcased the power of cross-departmental collaboration at every level from each campus to the University California Office of the President.
Looking Ahead
As we prepare for the FY25 cycle, the Green Spend project is a model for leveraging procurement data to achieve measurable sustainability outcomes. Plans are already underway to refine the data collection process further and integrate more innovative practices to ensure even better outcomes.
The success of this initiative highlights UC’s ongoing commitment to sustainable practices, showing how collaborative efforts across departments can turn goals into measurable results. Together, Procurement and Sustainability are forging a path that aligns operational excellence with environmental stewardship, reinforcing UC’s position as a sustainability leader in higher education.