Program on the Environment

Businesses and large institutions – like the University of Washington (UW) – are major contributors to waste and inefficiency, which in turn leads to significant environmental harm, such as high carbon emissions, waste production and waste ending up in landfills. Inefficiency and waste in the workplace lead to decreased sustainability, which creates negative environmental, economic and social impacts. Because the primary goal of business is profit, sustainability becomes less of a priority. Systematic ordering is a concept in which organizations place all orders through one central management system, in attempt to increase efficiency and reduced unnecessary expenses. The purpose of this study was to determine ways in which businesses can implement sustainability into the workplace through systematic ordering, without compromising profit. More specifically, the goal was to examine systematic ordering practices, and what opportunities and challenges are present in regard to implementing such a program. To help answer this research question, I utilized the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) databases to gain knowledge regarding the sustainable practices of large institutions, including UW. I also distributed surveys to the UW Procurement network and conducted a comprehensive literature review. Findings show that prioritizing efficiency, especially in regard to all purchases, orders and resource use, improve organizations’ sustainability while maximizing profit. Implementing a systematic, centralized ordering system will help improve overall sustainability through environmental, social and economic benefits. It is also important to educate employees in sustainability and environmental issues, and utilize community based social marketing to steer behavior change. The findings highlight that it is possible to incorporate sustainability at relatively low cost into the workplace, which is an effective interdisciplinary way to move towards sustainable change.