DEQ Home > BizHelp > Business Sense > Tools > Purchasing Program
Key Steps:
Adopting an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program
Step 5:
Identifying Opportunities for Improvement, Prioritizing Efforts and Setting Goals
Start with a small, manageable pilot project. It is easy to switch to numerous environmentally preferable products all at once since there are a lot of great products out there. But, several small successful pilot projects will help you gain additional support and credibility. Then you can expand your program little by little over a period of time, such as three to five years or even longer, depending on resources and other company goals.
Try to set goals that are specific, measurable, and can be completed in a specific time period. For example:
- Increase purchase of cleaning products, paints, and other chemicals that are less toxic than competing products by 25% in the next contract.
- Increase purchase of products that use less packaging by 20% in 12 months.
- Choose only Energy Star certified or EPEAT registered products when replacing electronic equipment or appliances.
- Increase purchase of recycled content products or reusable products by 25% by the next fiscal year. By purchasing recycled content products, you are helping to "close the loop" by providing markets for recovered materials.
- Increase purchase of products with a long life span, such as rechargeable batteries by 25% in 12 months.
Contact Paul Harding (801-536-4108) or Frances Bernards (801-536-0086) for further information on the content of this page.
