Aware of the possible societal and environmental impacts of its purchases, Charles University signed up for responsible public procurement at the beginning of 2020. The University's Responsible Public Procurement Strategy sets two goals to achieve this: development of responsible public procurement at Charles University, and support for implementation and development at other universities in the Czech Republic and the creation of educational opportunities in the field.

The University acknowledges the crucial role that ICT products play in the daily lives of its students, academics and employees; products which are essential for their work, scientific research and education. But there is still a wide gap between the privileged and secure conditions where these products are used, and the challenging environments in which they are produced.

The University believes that responsible procurement of ICT products is a meaningful step to narrow this gap. The University also hopes to affect other contracting authorities and help spread the message among its professional network.

Milena Kralickova, the rector of Charles University, stated: "I am very excited that Charles University has become the first member of Electronics Watch in the Czech Republic, which underlines our responsible approach to public procurement. I therefore look forward to future cooperation, which will certainly promote sustainable and fair public procurement at CU."

As part of Charles University's overall sustainable development commitment, affiliating to Electronics Watch is an important step in the area of social sustainability.