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Key Steps:
Adopting an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program
Step 3:
Evaluate Current Products and Practices
Conduct an audit of the products, equipment, and practices in your business to evaluate them from an environmental and human health standpoint. Consider conducting the audits over a period of time, if your business is large. Identify which products contain hazardous substances and can be replaced by more environmentally-friendly alternatives. Examine processes and procedures and determine where improvements can be made. Always remember to consult with users, since they may have problems with a product and would welcome a change to an EPP product. The users will be more supportive of an EPP program if an existing problem is solved by using an EPP product.
- The EPA's Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Web page provides valuable tools and case studies for popular environmentally preferable products and services, including environmental attributes to look for and procurement guidance. EPP information is provided for the following product categories: Buildings and Construction, Carpets, Cleaning, Electronics, Fleets, Food Services, Landscaping, Meetings and Conferences, Office Supplies, and Paper.
- The Center for a New American Dream features best practices for implementing an EPP program, including model policies and specifications for RFPs, in addition to other EPP tools.
- Clean Production Action has a Web page for manufacturers that provides strategic solutions for green chemicals, sustainable materials, and environmentally preferable products. The Web page includes the "Green Screen" benchmarking tool that assesses how hazardous a chemical is and provides less hazardous options.
- EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) is a stakeholder-developed environmental performance standard that enables purchasers to evaluate and select electronic products (currently laptops, desktops, and workstations and monitors with printers and TVs in development) according to 51 lifestyle environmental criteria. EPEAT was developed with support from the EPA and is required for all US government purchases.
- Green Seal is an independent, non-profit organization that provides science-based environmental certification standards to help manufacturers, purchasers, and end users make environmentally-responsible purchasing and manufacturing choices.
- INFORM Strategies for a Better Environment offers a "Cleaning for Health" manual that provides information on a new generation of cleaning products and practices that are cost competitive and meet performance needs but contain less toxic substances than traditional cleaners.
- Practice Greenhealth EPP Program is designed for healthcare providers but provides RFP language for a wide variety of products and services, general guidance for approaching EPP projects, and a list of Web resources for finding products that you may be purchasing without a formal RFP.
- Responsible Purchasing Network is a membership program that provides an array of free resources as well. The network offers detailed guidance on EPP efforts in multiple product and service areas, model RFP language, case studies, and, for members, a newsletter and direct assistance.
- The StopWaste Web site features various fact sheets and guidelines for buying environmentally preferable products that list various types of products (e.g., paper office supplies, office furnishings, janitorial cleaning products, etc.); the environmental attribute to consider when purchasing; the source of the associated "green" standard or guideline on which the environmental attribute is based; and notes or links for further information about that specific type of product.
Contact Paul Harding (801-536-4108) or Frances Bernards (801-536-0086) for further information on the content of this page.
