Sustainability Report 2023
Procurement
Procurement at the university is organised both centrally and decentrally. Decentralised procurement usually involves smaller or individual requirements of departments, Faculties, etc. However, many products and services are purchased centrally. However, many products and services are purchased centrally - an effective lever for making procurement more sustainable. At the same time, the procurement of products and services at Bielefeld University is subject to various legal requirements such as the Act against Restraints of Competition (GWB), the UVgO (Sub-Threshold Procurement Regulations), the Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) or the Higher Education Business Management Ordinance (HWFVO NRW) as well as the Act on Combating Corruption (KorruptionsbG), in addition to the principles of economic efficiency and economy.
In addition, the University has formulated the goal of defining criteria for sustainable procurement in its sustainability mission statement. In addition to price comparisons, the following aspects are to be taken into account for certain product groups: Life cycle, manufacturing conditions, transport routes, flexible use and recyclability. Criteria are to be defined and institutional structures created. Cooperation with other universities is still possible and desirable. This means that the criteria of other universities can also be recognised. In addition, the university aims to advocate for sponsoring political framework conditions. This should be accompanied by the labelling of products and communication measures to promote sustainable purchasing.
The Act against Restraints of Competition (GWB) now stipulates that social and environmental aspects must be taken into account in addition to quality and innovation when awarding contracts to service providers. At the same time, the university remains committed to the principle of freedom of teaching and research.
- Office equipment
For example, the requirements of the environmental management standard 14001 are taken into account when procuring office equipment such as office chairs, IT clients and laptops. IT clients have also been awarded the "Energy Star 8.0" ecolabel. Both should be covered by framework agreements wherever possible. For the first time, sustainability criteria are weighted with up to 25 % in tenders for office supplies. Copier paper that is recycled or labelled with the "Blue Angel" is also procured via a framework agreement. Server tenders are also largely carried out with selected "Blue Angel" criteria. We were able to obtain the advice and expertise of the Federal Environment Agency in one procedure and thus incorporate valuable information.
- Electricity
Green electricity, i.e. energy from renewable, non-fossil energy sources, is put out to tender for the purchase of electricity. These include wind, sun, geothermal energy, energy from the ambient air, hydrothermal energy, ocean energy, hydropower, biomass, landfill gas, sewage gas and biogas. The quality of the electricity must be certified. Proof can be provided in the form of a certificate in accordance with the Federal Environment Agency's register of guarantees of origin or similar.
Paper procurement
Office and hygiene paper is also procured centrally at the university as far as possible. Overall, paper consumption at the university has been significantly reduced in recent years. The increasing digitalisation in many areas and the simultaneous reduction of workplace printers in particular have led to a continuous reduction in the amount of office paper required. With the implementation of an award management system, paper files in the context of tenders (award documents, tenders, other correspondence, etc.) have been completely replaced, saving around 70,000 sheets of paper. By participating in the Paper Atlas 2023, the amount of 80 g/m² office paper used in the administration, Faculties and the BITS printing service in 2022 was systematically recorded for the first time:
|
Office paper consumption in the administration (2022) |
A4 sheet | A3 sheet |
|---|---|---|
| ... total | 6.779.500 | 37.500 |
| ... with „Blue Angel“ | 5.198.000 | 23.000 |
|
... without „Blue Angel“ |
1.581.500 |
14.500 |
The development of this total consumption can only be presented once consumption has been recorded over the next few years.
In financial accounting, the switch from paper to PDF documents as well as digital invoices and a paperless annual audit have also contributed to a large-scale reduction in paper consumption. The latter also contributes to lower CO2-emissions, as travelling for audits is largely eliminated.
- Saving paper in financial accounting
Bielefeld University Paperless accounting has been a successful digitisation project at Bielefeld University since 2016. Almost all incoming invoices have now been removed from paper-based formats. In addition to other areas within the university, those responsible for financial management are also in dialogue with other universities in North Rhine-Westphalia that have adopted the paperless accounting system from Bielefeld University as a model.
Sanitary paper
In addition to office paper, toilet paper and paper towels also fall under the umbrella term " sanitary paper ": In 2019, around 25,217 kg of toilet paper and 38,341 kg of paper towels were produced. These quantities fell significantly in 2020 and 2021, but this is due to the reduction in on-site operations during the coronavirus pandemic, meaning that these figures cannot be used for comparison. A test run for a closed recycling loop for towel paper saved 921 kg of towel paper, the equivalent of 19 trees, during the test period from October 2022 to April 2023.
- Closed recycling loop for towel paper
Bielefeld University In a test run from October 2022 to April 2023, the Kimberly-Clark towel paper take-back system was tested in the sports, swimming pool, UHG, library and behavioural research areas. Instead of disposing of the towel paper in the residual waste, it is collected separately as a monocharge in the "Right Cycle" system, freed from foreign substances and processed into new towel paper. The recovered paper fibres can repeat the cycle several times so that the proportion of virgin fibres required can be significantly reduced. The towel paper used in the test also proved to be more absorbent than cheaper towel paper, meaning that fewer sheets were needed. The towel paper is collected every three weeks in a circular route, which means that not only Bielefeld University, but also other customers within the tour are approached so that no unnecessary journeys are made. The used towel paper is then transported to the local depot in Nottuln, from where it is pressed into bales and transported to the Kimberly-Clark processing plant in Koblenz. It can then be used to manufacture all the products that Kimberly-Clark sells at the Koblenz plant (towel paper, facial tissues, wipes, etc.). During the test period, 921 kg of towel paper was collected and processed in 34 collections - an amount equivalent to 19 trees.
