The Campus Store has recently included various Environmentally Preferred Products in their catalogs and have partnered with the Miami Herbert School of Business to implement some very creative green strategies. Sustainability is literally being embedded in the fabric of the store!
2025 Recap: Total sustainable sales volume Up 11% compared to 2024
Hard Lines
Drinkware Up 219%
Supplies Up 48%
Softlines
Gifts Down 14%
Clothing Down 14%
Digital Textbooks: A Smarter Choice for the Planet
Did you know that digital textbooks have a significantly lower environmental impact than printed ones? Research shows that switching to eBooks reduces carbon emissions by over 90% compared to new printed textbooks.
Last academic year, UM students purchased over 6,700 digital textbooks and 7,900 new printed textbooks. If all those printed textbooks had been digital, UM students could have helped offset nearly 18 metric tons of carbon emissions (CO₂e). That’s the same as planting 293 tree seedlings and letting them grow for 10 years or recycling 1,509 bags of trash instead of sending them to a landfill.
By choosing digital, UM students and faculty are making a tangible difference for the environment—one textbook at a time!
Sustainable Collections, Sustainable Clothing, Drink ware, Sustainable office products, Sustainable paper products. Learn more
Products they carry now has labels that show if clothing is made from recycled material
During Family Weekend the number one item sold was this t Shirt from League made from recycled material
Staples: Combining orders make a difference for the Earth, There were 2,011 orders placed by University of Miami in 2019 under $25. Staples did some research to learn what would happen if University of Miami were to adopt a $25 minimum order. The results are impressive. Learn more
Staples: Check the new Punch out catalog in Workday, and select YOUR LISTS to find Environmentally Preferred Products
Staples: For faculty, try the new Reusable markers in your classroom and help us reduce single use plastic on campus.
Our Custodial Companies are required to follow those EPP guidelines and most of the products that they use have one of the following Sustainable/Green labels:
Our Purchasing Department is committed to purchasing products that have earned the Energy Star label, and have met the Energy Star specifications for energy efficiency, wherever possible and practical. Visit Energy Star for complete product specifications and updated lists of qualifying products.
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In July 2019, a Sustainable Procurement Survey was sent to our vendors to assess broad environmental considerations in our supply chain. Among the 384 answers we received, here are some highlights:
41% offer a line of reusable products
28.5% offer products that are recyclable in SE Florida.
44% are shipping from less than 500 miles from our main campus.
13.5% have prepare and publish their own Corporate Social Responsiblity report.
22.5% of vendors appeared to have a formal Environmentally Preferred Products and Services policy.
Here are the top 22 third party certification most commonly used among our vendors for EPP:
1- Forest Stwarship Council (paper, forest products) 2- Sustainable Forestry Initiative (paper, forest products) 3- Energy Star (EPA - energy efficiency products) 4- Scientific Certification Systems SCS Global Services (EPP, Sustainable Choice and Indoor Advantage Gold - furniture, carpet...) 5- National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA - premium-efficiency motor) 6- WaterSense (EPA - water efficient products) 7- Green Seal (cleaning, building, restaurant products) 8- Ecologo (UL - products, services and packaging certified for reduced environmental impact) 9- Greenguard (UL - low emission chemical products) 10- Safer Choice (EPA - chemical products) 11- BioPreferred (USDA - biobased products) 12- CRI green Label (carpet and rugs) 13- Biodegradable Products Institute compostable (food services) 14- Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (electronic equipment) 15- Carbon free product (Carbon Fund) 16- Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool - EPEAT (GEC - electronics) 17- Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (paper, forest products) 18- USDA Organic (food products) 19- R2 (Sustainable Electronics Recycling International - electronics) 20- Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (EU - electronics) 21- CARB (California Air Resources Board - formaldehyde emissions in composite wood products) 22- Oeko-Tex (International Association for Research and Testing in the Field of Textile and Leather Ecology)
