Sustainable Procurement Factsheet - IT
The following factsheet has been developed to help Western staff and faculty members purchase sustainable goods and services.
Quickly scan through an overview of where the sustainability risk lies within the specific product category, criteria to consider when deciding on your next purchase, eco-labels or certifications to look out for and the benefits of making sustainable choices.
What are the Sustainability risks?
- Energy Use & GHG Emissions. Engery use in operations, emissions from manufacturing and transport.
- Electronic Waste. Many products end up in landfill leading to heavy metals like mercury, lead and lithium contaminating the ecosystem.
- Resource Use. Production requires significant extraction of natural resources, often of either rare or hazardous materials as well as plastics made from petroleum.
- Labour Rights. The metals tin, tantalum, tungsten, gold and cobalt - commonly used in electronics - are often connected to armed conflicts.
What to look for - IT Hardware
- Lower Energy Use. Look for devices with "smart" or "low power" modes or eco-labels that indicate energy efficiency like Engery Star.
- Environmentally Preferrable Materials. Many electronic items cna be made with recycled content. Try to select PVC free products.
- Non-toxic Materials. Products should indicate non-toxic production, through an eco-label or Safety Data Sheet (SDS).
Western's Preferred Vendors
- CDW - Dell Canada
- CompuData Systems - Data Integrity Inc.
- Stronghold Services
End-of-Life Management
- Reuse. if the product is still in working condition, use Procurement Services' Asset Disposal Program
- Proper E-waste Recycling. Western has recycling stations for electronics throughout campus. To arrange for the disposal of E-waste on campus, please place a request in the Waste and Recycling portal.
