At the University of Gothenburg, sustainability is anything but a buzzword. Rather, it’s built into research, education, collaboration, and daily operations – including how IT equipment is purchased.
Every procurement process is seen as a chance to cut emissions, support fair working conditions, and push the IT industry toward higher standards. We asked the university’s Sustainability Coordinator Björn Magnusson, a major driving force behind these efforts, to share how the university uses TCO Certified – and the advice he has for other purchasers looking to drive change.
Ambitious criteria from the start
Björn Magnusson plays a key role in shaping the university’s sustainability efforts, ensuring that its procurement decisions not only align with – but actually contribute to – its goals. He first came into contact with TCO Certified in the late 1990s, when he was looking for better monitors. Even then, he was impressed by the certification’s ambitious criteria. “It was clear that TCO Certified’s sustainability standards were exceptional from the start,” he says.
In 2014, the University of Gothenburg began including TCO Certified in its IT procurement – initially as an award criterion, a few years later as a mandatory requirement for certain product categories. Today, nearly all standard Windows computers purchased by the university are certified, along with about 85% of displays — a number expected to rise to at least 90% in the near future. These categories alone represent sustainable purchases worth around 2 million euros annually.
For the university, the certification provided exactly what was needed: an independent assurance that covers not just environmental and climate impact, but also social responsibility, hazardous substances, and product lifecycle.
A comprehensive sustainability label
According to Björn, it’s the combination of broad scope and strict, independent verification of compliance that differentiates TCO Certified from other ecolabels. “It’s not just a paper product,” he says. “TCO Certified is about real sustainability.”
One feature he finds especially valuable is the inclusion of SA8000, a global auditing standard focused on social factors such as fair wages, workers’ rights, and safe working conditions. Björn refers to SA8000 as his “mantra”, saying that without this type of audit, sustainability efforts are incomplete.
Björn’s advice for other purchasers
- Make sure the certifications you require include ISO 14024, ISO 17065, and SA8000.
- Include a life cycle perspective in your procurement decisions.
- Ask suppliers who don’t use TCO Certified why not – especially if they’re already close to meeting the criteria.
He also appreciates TCO Certified’s rigorous technical and durability criteria – some even including compliance with rugged military standards – as well as being able to rely on them. “Accredited verification means we can trust that criteria are actually met, without having to do expensive tests and audits ourselves. The verifiers check not only the product, but the entire system it depends on. It’s incredibly thorough,” he adds.
Built into the system
To make sustainable product choices the everyday default, TCO Certified criteria are embedded directly into the university’s purchasing system. For standard computers and monitors, only certified options are available; choosing a non-certified product requires formal approval and justification.
When it comes to smartphones, there is still only one certified option – Fairphone. While seen as the “best sustainability choice,” it only accounts for six of the 561 phones purchased in 2024, due to practical reasons. In the meantime, the university also approves Apple and Samsung as “good sustainability choices”.
But to Björn, “good” means “room for improvement”. He’s known for setting the bar high on lifecycle performance and sustainability, asking potential suppliers tough questions and expecting clear, evidence-based answers. He also actively engages with brands to better understand how their products align with sustainability goals, and to put pressure on them to comply with TCO Certified. Some are surprised to learn that TCO Certified is widely used internationally, not just in the Nordic region.
More life from every device
One of the University of Gothenburg’s major achievements is extending the lifespan of its IT products. The average computer now stays in use for five years – well above the standard three – and the latest procurement agreements include four-year warranties. Once phased out, products are returned to suppliers for recycling – or ideally, a second life. The plan is to extend warranty-supported lifespans even further.
However, achieving this requires that all staff across the university’s large organization understand the goals and how to support them in practice. To help integrate these ambitions into daily routines, Björn offers sustainability training sessions, where employees are encouraged to adopt a long-term mindset. Rather than expecting their IT equipment to be replaced every three years – and treating it accordingly – they learn how to extend its lifespan and take pride in keeping it functional for as long as possible.
Accelerating change together
When asked what he would like to share with other public procurement teams, Björn’s response is immediate and straightforward: for product categories like standard computers and displays, TCO Certified should always be a default requirement.
For other types of products – smartphones, Apple computers, projectors, and large format displays – certified options are still limited. But rather than viewing this as a setback, Björn sees it as a key opportunity for progress. He urges fellow purchasers to set clear expectations and ask suppliers how closely they align with TCO Certified’s criteria.
“The market is ready, and many brands are well on their way to being able to meet the criteria. If more buyers made TCO Certified a standard requirement, we’d drive change even faster.”
Interested in learning more about how to include TCO Certified in your own organization’s procurement processes? You’ll find quick ways of getting started, as well as more comprehensive guidance, on our How to use page.
Sustainability at the University of Gothenburg
“A university for the world” is the University of Gothenburg’s vision for 2021 to 2030, reflecting their commitment to being an internationally responsible, sustainable institution. The university holds ISO 14001 certification and aims to cut its carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2030, with the goal of becoming climate neutral by 2045. In the 2024 QS Sustainability Rankings, it jumped from 73rd to 36th place globally, with their environmental research ranking 12th in the world.
