Eliminating Single-Use Plastics in Higher Education

Brought to you by SPLC and our Higher Ed Partner NAEP

Single-use plastics elimination is typically framed as a waste-diversion effort, but it is equally a critical procurement challenge. This webinar looks at how higher education institutions are moving beyond basic recycling initiatives to strategically reduce plastic usage at the source, transforming campus sourcing, vendor management, and long-term sustainability strategy. 

Speakers from the University at Buffalo and the University of Virginia will walk through the mechanics of their policies: how requirements get written into vendor contracts, how compliance is enforced across dining, events, and licensed merchandise, and what it actually takes to keep a sustainability commitment in place once the external pressure that created it disappears — UB's policy operates under a state university system mandate, while UVA's began under a state executive order that was later rescinded, yet the university's own policy remained in place.

For sustainability and procurement professionals building supplier-facing Scope 3 requirements of their own, this session offers a real-world look at policy durability — and a candid discussion of what data institutions still need to make the emissions case to leadership.

You'll leave with:

• A comparison of top-down (system mandate) vs. institution-retained (policy outlives its mandate) approaches to plastics procurement policy
• Practical insight into vendor compliance and contract language for single-use plastics restrictions
• Discussion questions to bring back to your own institution's procurement team

Presenters:

• Bradley Pryba, Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Educational Procurement (NAEP)
• Erin Moscati, Zero Waste Manager, University at Buffalo
• Lauren Fenush, Strategic Buying Specialist, University at Buffalo
• Dana Schroeder, Waste Reduction Outreach Manager, University of Virginia Office for Sustainability

Questions? Please send an e-mail to events@sustainablepurchasing.org.