Extending Sustainability Requirements Across the Supply Chain

Universitas Islam Sultan Agung (UNISSULA) applies its waste minimisation commitments not only to internal university activities and outsourced services, but also to external suppliers and the wider supply chain supporting university operations.

This extension helps ensure that efforts to reduce plastic use and minimise disposable items are considered throughout procurement relationships, including suppliers and contractors involved in providing goods, materials, equipment, and contracted works for the university.

Institutional Policy Framework

UNISSULA has established formal policies concerning:

• Reduction of plastic use; and
• Minimisation of disposable items.

These commitments are set out through:

• Circular Letter No. 8411/J/SA/IX/2025 concerning plastic use reduction; and
• Circular Letter No. 8412/J/SA/IX/2025 concerning the minimisation of disposable items.

Both policies explicitly extend beyond internal university units.

The plastic reduction policy states that its provisions also apply to outsourced service providers, third parties, suppliers within the UNISSULA supply chain, and providers involved in building contracts or other contracted works.

The disposable-item minimisation policy similarly extends its requirements to outsourced services, third parties, supply-chain suppliers, and providers under construction or other work contracts.

Application to Outsourced Suppliers

UNISSULA recognises that suppliers play an important role in determining the environmental impact of university operations.

Products supplied to the university can influence:

• Material consumption;
• Plastic use;
• Generation of disposable waste;
• Packaging waste;
• Product lifespan; and
• Opportunities for reuse.

For this reason, UNISSULA extends its waste minimisation expectations to suppliers involved in its procurement and supply chain.

Supply Chain Coverage

The policy extension is intended to support responsible practices throughout the university’s supply chain.

Depending on the procurement activity, this may involve suppliers of:

• Equipment;
• Office and administrative supplies;
• Stationery;
• Operational materials;
• Food and beverage supplies;
• Maintenance materials;
• Construction materials; and
• Other goods required for university activities.

The principle is that sustainability considerations should not stop at the university’s internal operations.

Equipment Suppliers

Equipment procurement can involve packaging, protective materials, accessories, and other components that may generate waste.

UNISSULA encourages procurement practices that consider opportunities to reduce unnecessary plastic and disposable materials associated with supplied equipment.

Where alternatives are available, preference can be given to products and delivery arrangements that support reduced waste generation and more efficient material use.

Stationery and Office Supplies

Stationery and office supplies are frequently used across academic and administrative units.

The university’s supply-chain approach supports consideration of products that:

• Minimise unnecessary plastic;
• Avoid excessive disposable components;
• Use reduced packaging;
• Can be reused where appropriate; and
• Generate less waste during normal use.

This helps integrate waste minimisation into routine procurement decisions.

Building and Construction Contracts

UNISSULA’s policies explicitly include providers involved in building contracts and other contracted works.

Construction, renovation, maintenance, and other contracted works can involve significant quantities of materials and packaging.

Extending sustainability expectations to these providers strengthens the university’s ability to encourage responsible material use throughout project implementation.

Plastic Reduction in the Supply Chain

Under the university’s plastic reduction policy, procurement activities are expected to prioritise products with minimal plastic use and avoid single-use plastic where more sustainable alternatives are available.

Extending this policy to suppliers means that plastic reduction can be considered when goods and materials are:

• Selected;
• Packaged;
• Delivered;
• Used; and
• Managed after use.

This helps move plastic reduction upstream into procurement and supply-chain decisions.

Disposable-Item Reduction in the Supply Chain

UNISSULA also encourages products that can be reused or that generate less waste.

The university’s disposable-item policy directs procurement and consumption activities to prioritise products that can be used repeatedly or produce less waste, while avoiding disposable items where sustainable alternatives are available.

Applying this approach to suppliers can reduce the volume of waste entering the university through procurement activities.

Procurement as a Sustainability Tool

Procurement decisions can strongly influence campus environmental performance.

By extending waste minimisation requirements to suppliers, UNISSULA uses procurement not only as a mechanism for obtaining goods and services, but also as a means of supporting responsible consumption.

Relevant considerations can include:

• Necessity of the product;
• Material composition;
• Reusability;
• Durability;
• Packaging;
• Plastic content;
• Potential waste generation; and
• Availability of lower-waste alternatives.

Reducing Packaging Waste

Products supplied to universities often arrive with substantial packaging.

Supply-chain waste minimisation therefore also supports efforts to reduce unnecessary packaging where practical.

This may involve encouraging:

• Reduced packaging;
• Reusable packaging;
• Recyclable packaging;
• Bulk delivery where appropriate; and
• Alternatives to unnecessary single-use materials.

Preference for Reusable Products

Where operationally appropriate, UNISSULA encourages products that can be reused instead of disposed of after a single use.

This principle can apply across different categories of university procurement, including administrative supplies, equipment-related items, food-service materials, and activity supplies.

A reusable product remains in circulation longer and can help reduce repeated purchasing and disposal.

Lower-Waste Alternatives

In situations where reusable products are not practical, lower-waste alternatives can be considered.

This supports a procurement hierarchy based on:

Avoid unnecessary consumption → Prefer reusable products → Reduce material use → Select lower-waste alternatives

Such an approach supports waste prevention before disposal becomes necessary.

Integration with Contractors

Suppliers involved in construction, renovation, maintenance, and other contracted works are also part of the university’s sustainability framework.

The inclusion of contracted work providers helps ensure that waste minimisation expectations extend to project-based activities as well as routine purchasing.

This creates greater consistency across university procurement.

Shared Responsibility with Suppliers

UNISSULA views sustainable procurement as a shared responsibility between the university and its suppliers.

The university establishes expectations through its institutional policies, while suppliers and contractors contribute through responsible delivery of goods and contracted works.

This shared approach can help reduce:

• Unnecessary plastic;
• Disposable products;
• Excessive packaging;
• Avoidable material waste; and
• Inefficient use of resources.

Supply-Chain Accountability

Extending sustainability policies to suppliers also strengthens accountability.

University units responsible for procurement and contract management can communicate the relevant waste minimisation requirements when engaging suppliers and contractors.

This helps integrate sustainability expectations into procurement processes and supplier relationships.

Relationship with Outsourced Services

UNISSULA distinguishes between:

• Outsourced services, such as contracted campus services; and
• Outsourced suppliers, which provide goods, materials, equipment, or contracted works.

Both categories are covered by the university’s broader waste minimisation framework.

This allows sustainability requirements to reach both service delivery and the supply of goods.

Supporting Circular Resource Use

Extending minimisation policies to suppliers supports a more circular approach to resource use.

Instead of focusing only on waste after it has been generated, UNISSULA seeks to consider waste prevention earlier in the supply chain.

This approach encourages attention to:

• How products are sourced;
• How they are packaged;
• How long they can be used;
• Whether they can be reused; and
• How much waste they generate.

Responsible Consumption and Production

The extension of waste minimisation policies to outsourced suppliers and the supply chain supports SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.

Responsible consumption requires institutions to consider not only how resources are used internally, but also how purchasing decisions influence suppliers and material flows.

By extending its policies to external suppliers and contractors, UNISSULA strengthens sustainability considerations throughout its procurement system.

Evidence of Implementation

UNISSULA’s extension of waste minimisation policies to outsourced suppliers and the supply chain is demonstrated through:

1. Circular Letter No. 8411/J/SA/IX/2025 concerning plastic use reduction.
2. Procurement requirements that prioritise products with minimal plastic use and avoid single-use plastic where alternatives are available.
3. Explicit extension of the plastic reduction policy to suppliers within the UNISSULA supply chain.
4. Explicit inclusion of providers involved in building contracts and other contracted works.
5. Circular Letter No. 8412/J/SA/IX/2025 concerning disposable-item minimisation.
6. Procurement requirements prioritising reusable products or products that generate less waste.
7. Explicit extension of disposable-item minimisation requirements to suppliers within the university supply chain.
8. Explicit inclusion of providers involved in building contracts and other contracted works.