USM Green Procurement Policy

“Universiti Sains Malaysia is committed to carrying out procurement that: 1. Obtains the best value for money while minimising negative impacts on the environment and society. 2. Supports ethical, transparent and responsible business practices. 3. Promotes the use of sustainable materials and reduces disposable materials. 4. Ensures that human rights are respected, safe working conditions are maintained and labour laws are complied with. 5. Ensures that the supply chain operates responsibly in social and environmental terms.”

Green Procurement Policy 2020 (Amended 2025), Section D, p. 2 (unofficial English translation of the original Malay text)

The policy applies to all procurement of supplies, services and works at all campuses, departments and Schools, including outsourced services and the whole supply chain, and services contracted within the campus such as catering and canteens, cleaning, security and landscape maintenance (Section B, p. 1).

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has a policy on ethical sourcing of food and supplies: the Green Procurement Policy 2020 (Amended 2025). Ethical sourcing means ensuring that products are obtained in a responsible and sustainable way, that the workers involved are safe and treated fairly, and that environmental and social impacts are taken into consideration during sourcing. The policy sets these requirements in its provisions. Section A (p. 1) sets the purpose of ethical, sustainable, responsible and transparent procurement, with respect for human rights, fair and safe employment practices and integrity in the supply chain. Section E, Part 1 (p. 2) defines a sustainable and ethical product as one produced, supplied and used while minimising environmental harm, respecting human rights, practising fair and safe employment, rejecting corruption and bribery, and prioritising social justice. Part 3 (pp. 2–3) requires USM to give priority to suppliers and certified products based on sustainable and ethical practices and business integrity, and to deal with suppliers who comply, with the requirement extended across the supply chain. Section D (p. 2) commits USM to procurement that obtains the best value for money while minimising negative impacts on the environment and society (item 1), supports ethical, transparent and responsible business practices (item 2), ensures that human rights are respected, safe working conditions are maintained and labour laws are complied with (item 4), and ensures that the supply chain operates responsibly in social and environmental terms (item 5). Because the policy covers services contracted on campus such as catering and canteens, it applies to the sourcing of food and supplies.

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) supports sustainable food systems by institutionalising responsible food procurement and sourcing practices across its campus operations. USM prioritises the purchase of products from local, sustainable sources, including food products and agricultural raw materials from local, sustainable and certified sources, to strengthen regional supply chains, support local smallholders and reduce the carbon footprints associated with food transport.

Sustainability Policy: priority for sustainable sources and local vendors

The USM Sustainability Policy 2014 (Revised 2025), Section 7.3.1 (Responsible Management), item (c), p. 9, provides for USM to prioritise the purchase of products from sustainable sources, especially local vendors, to minimise carbon footprints. This provision is the institutional basis for the prioritisation of local and sustainable purchases, including food, across USM’s campus operations.

Local vendor guidance: 50-kilometre radius

The Governance Guidelines for Sustainability Best Practices recommend prioritising suppliers located within a 50-kilometre radius of USM campuses and engaging vendors with recognised eco-labels and sustainability certifications. For campus food procurement and catering, this guidance is intended to support regional farmers, agricultural cooperatives and local food enterprises and to reduce the emissions associated with food transport.

Green Procurement Policy

Part 3, item 3 (p. 3) of the Green Procurement Policy requires USM to give priority to suppliers, products and services certified on sustainable practices, ethics and business integrity, and Part 2, item 9 (p. 2) lists support for local community development and inclusive economic opportunity among the benefits of the policy.

Together, the Sustainability Policy (Revised 2025), the Governance Guidelines for Sustainability Best Practices and the Green Procurement Policy (Amended 2025) provide the institutional basis on which USM prioritises the purchase of products from local, sustainable sources.

USM has policies around the use minimisation of disposable items in the Green Procurement Policy 2020 (Amended 2025). Section A, item 3 (p. 1) sets the aim of reducing the use of disposable materials and encouraging a circular economy approach in procurement and service delivery, and Section D, item 3 (p. 2) commits USM to promoting sustainable materials and reducing disposable materials. Part 4, items 1 and 2 (p. 3) commit USM to reducing the use of disposable items in all procurement and service delivery processes, and to replacing them with reusable, recyclable or compostable alternatives. Item 4 (p. 3) encourages take-back systems and circular economy approaches in the management of products and services.

USM extends its disposable policy to outsourced services and the supply chain. Section B, Scope (p. 1), applies the policy to services that use outsourced or external resources and to the whole supply chain, including main suppliers, subcontractors and third-party service providers. It applies expressly to services contracted within the campus, such as catering and canteens, cleaning, security and landscape maintenance. Part 4, item 1 (p. 3) commits USM to reducing the use of disposable items through an approach that covers all procurement, outsourced services and the supply chain, and item 3 (p. 3) requires outsourced service providers such as catering, cleaning, maintenance and events to submit a disposable-reduction plan as part of the contract. Section C, item 2 (p. 1) makes suppliers, contractors and service providers responsible for complying with the policy and for extending that compliance to their partners and subcontractors.

USM extends its minimisation policies to outsourced suppliers and the supply chain. Section B, Scope (p. 1), applies the policy to all procurement of supplies, services and works, including main suppliers, subcontractors and third-party providers across the whole supply chain. Part 4, item 5 (p. 3) extends responsibility for reducing disposable items to subcontractors and the entire supply chain, and item 4 encourages take-back systems. Section F (p. 3) provides for periodic compliance audits of all suppliers and service providers (item 2), supporting information or documents on sustainability measures, ethical compliance and disposable reduction when requested (item 3), termination of contracts or other action for breaches (item 4) and supplier performance assessment that treats compliance as a key criterion in future contract renewals (item 5).

The Green Procurement Policy 2020 (Amended 2025) commits USM against forced labour and child labour in its supply chain. Part 2, item 8 (p. 2) lists the elimination of forced labour and child labour among the benefits and aims of the policy, and Section D, item 4 (p. 2) commits USM to ensure that human rights are respected, safe working conditions are maintained and labour laws are complied with. Section D, item 5 (p. 2) requires the supply chain to operate responsibly in social and environmental terms, Section E, Part 3, item 4 (p. 3) requires USM to deal with suppliers that comply with ethical principles and to extend this across the supply chain, and Section F (p. 3) provides for supplier compliance audits and for action, including contract termination, against suppliers that breach the policy.

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has policies to ensure that food on campus is sustainably farmed. These are set out in the Green Procurement Policy 2020 (Amended 2025) (Polisi Perolehan Hijau USM 2020 (Pindaan 2025)), amended on 31 October 2025 and effective from 22 December 2025, which establishes institutional requirements for prioritising sustainable suppliers and products, promoting environmentally responsible sourcing and extending sustainability principles throughout the supply chain.

Coverage of campus food services

Section B, Scope (p. 1), applies the policy to procurement activities across all USM campuses, including outsourced services such as campus catering and canteens. Its coverage extends to primary suppliers, subcontractors and third-party service providers, which establishes a university-wide framework for applying sustainable procurement requirements to food-service operations and their supply chains.

Certified, sustainable suppliers and products

Section E, Part 3, Implementation, item 3 (p. 3), requires USM to give priority to suppliers, products and services certified on the basis of sustainable practices, ethical conduct and business integrity. This provides a procurement mechanism for favouring food suppliers and agricultural products that demonstrate environmentally responsible production practices.

Section E, Part 3, Implementation, item 4 (p. 3), requires USM to engage suppliers and service providers that comply with sustainability and ethical principles, and to extend these requirements throughout the supply chain. For campus food provision, this sets the expectation that sustainability considerations extend beyond canteen operators and food distributors to upstream agricultural producers and sourcing practices.

Supplier accountability

Section F, Monitoring, Reporting and Compliance (p. 3), provides for periodic supplier compliance audits and requires suppliers to provide supporting documentation on their sustainability practices when requested. It authorises action against suppliers that breach the policy, including contract termination, and treats sustainability compliance as a key consideration in contract renewals.