Xavier University Joins the Catholic Ethical Purchasing Alliance, Prioritizing People and Planet

BY ISN STAFF | May 8, 2023

Xavier University has joined eight fellow Catholic universities as part of the Catholic Ethical Purchasing Alliance, or CEPA. The Xavier community now has the opportunity to shop ethically at their campus bookstore for spiritwear that was made with both people and the planet in mind. 

Xavier’s All For One Shop now carries the Xavier t-shirt from the brand COLLECTION, a sustainable, worker-led brand based under The Industrial Commons in North Carolina. Through a people- and planet-centered business model, The Industrial Commons works to leverage the textile-based skills of their community to bring economic prosperity back to their geographic region. 

The All For One Shop also features the Xavier University Union-Made Pullover Hoodie from Bayside. Union-made products ensure that workers have voice and agency in their work, and the fact that it was made in the U.S. means a lower carbon emission rate compared to many products that are made and shipped from abroad.

Since the start of Xavier’s partnership with CEPA, the Xavier Student Sustainability (XSS) group and the Laudato Si’ Action Initiative have been key collaborators working to engage the Xavier campus around ethical purchasing. The student group invited CEPA to this year’s XSS Eco Fest, which was held to celebrate Earth Day and raise awareness about sustainability. At the Eco Fest, CEPA coordinator Grace Adams met with students and shared how ethical purchasing practices intersect with environmental initiatives, showcasing the Xavier hoodies and t-shirts as concrete examples of these values in action.

In addition to her Eco Fest involvement, Adams had the opportunity to partner with XSS co-chair Rachel Bickett to present on ethical purchasing at the Challenge of Peace class taught by theology professor John Sniegocki, Ph.D.

“CEPA looks forward to the partnership with Xavier University and the opportunity for further engagement with the campus community on ethical purchasing,” said Grace Adams. “Catholic institutions can be leaders in ethical purchasing and align their purchasing practices with their mission and values.”