Resources

Introduction:

The goal of environmentally preferable purchasing is to purchase products that are beneficial to human health and the environment. The tools below can help to identify candidate products, programs and policy initiatives toward this objective.

Note: Documents on this page are available in portable document format (PDF).

Contents:

• Guidance Documents
• Government Programs
• Organizations
• Standards and Certifications
• Environmental Benefit Calculators

GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS

• Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) A list of products that must contain recycled content when purchased by federal agencies and those that use appropriated federal funds
• Environmental Preferable Purchasing Guide - State of Minnesota Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board
• Environmental Purchasing Policies 101 (393KB PDF) - An Overview of Current Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policies - CEC
• Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Tools – Environmental Protection Agency
• Environmentally Purchasing Best Practices Manual - Green California, State of California
• Federal Executive Order 13514 - Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance (113KB, PDF) - Signed October 5, 2009
• Federal Executive Order 13423 - Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management (104KB, PDF) - Signed January 24, 2007
• Final Guidance on Environmentally Preferable Purchasing – Environmental Protection Agency
• Green Government Initiative – Purchasing - National Association of Counties (NACo)
• Green Guides – Environmental Protection Agency
• Purchasing Guides - Responsible Purchasing Network

GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS

City
• City/County San Francisco(California) Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
• City of Portland (Oregon) Sustainable Procurement
• City of Santa Monica (California) Sustainable Procurement
• City of Seattle (Washington) Sustainable Purchasing
• New York City EPP

County
• Alameda County Waste Management Authority EPP
• Hennepin County Green Purchasing, Minnesota
• Multnomah County, Oregon - Sustainability Program

State
• California EPP
• Massachusetts EPP
• Minnesota EPP
• New York Green Purchasing
• Washington Environmentally Preferable Purchasing

Federal
• Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program, US EPA
• Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE)

ORGANIZATIONS

• EPPNET - Environmentally Preferable Procurement Network Listserv managed by the Northeast Recycling Council
• INFORM
• National Association of Counties (NACo) Green Government Initiative
• National Institute for Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) Green Knowledge Community
• Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC)
• Responsible Purchasing Network (RPN)
• US Communities Green
• Washington Toxics Coalition

STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATIONS

• ASTM International - ASTM develops standard test methods, specifications, practices, guides, classifications and terminology in 130 areas.
• Biodegradable Products Institute - Non-profit that labels compostable products using scientifically based standards for compostable materials which biodegrade in large composting facilities.
• BioPreferred® Program - USDA certifies and awards labels to qualifying products to increase consumer recognition of biobased products.
• BIFMA (Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association) - Level® is the multi-attribute, sustainability standard and third-party certification program for the furniture industry.
• CRI Green Label - Carpet and Rug Institute Green Label program tests carpet, cushions and adhesives for VOCs and IAQ.
• Chlorine Free Products Association - Non-profit standard setting organization that certifies and promotes chlorine free products
• Design for Environment - An EPA Partnership Program – helps consumers identify cleaners and other products that perform well, are cost-effective, and are safer for the environment.
• EcoLogo Program - Sets environmental standards and certifies products in more than 120 categories.
• ENERGY STAR - A joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that promotes energy efficient products and practices. The label is on major appliances, office equipment, lighting, home electronics, and more.
• EPEAT - Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool - EPEAT is a procurement tool to help institutional purchasers in the public and private sectors evaluate, compare and select desktop computers, notebooks and monitors based on their environmental attributes. EPEAT is operated by the Green Electronics Council.
• e-Stewards - Independently audited certification program for electronics recycling - a project of the non-profit, Basel Action Network (BAN).
• Fair Trade Certified - A non-profit, third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States.
• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) - An international labeling program for forest products. FSC certifies that the product comes from a forest that meets internationally recognized standards.
• Green-e - A non-profit that offers certification and verification of renewable energy and greenhouse gas mitigation products.
• GreenGuard - Third-party certification programs for indoor air quality.
• Green Seal - This non-profit provides science-based environmental certification standards and certifies products that meet this standard for many product categories.
• NSF/ANSI Standard 140-2007 (79KB, PDF) - Multi-attribute American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard for sustainable carpet. ANSI and NSF International are similar in that they are non-profits that set standards and certify products and focus on public health, safety and the environment.
• Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) - SCS is a third-party provider of certification, auditing and testing services, and standards.
• UL Environment - independent green claims validation, product certification and standards development.
• USDA Organic - Regulations and guidance on certification, production, handling, and labeling of USDA organic products.
• WaterSense - An EPA Partnership Program – Independent, third-party certifications for products that meet EPA criteria for water efficiency and performance by following testing and certification protocols specific to each product category.

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT CALCULATORS

• ENERGY STAR® Product Savings Calculators - Series of calculators that quantify the cost savings associated with using ENERGY STAR certified products over traditional models.
• Electronics Environmental Benefits Calculator - This calculator estimates the environmental and economic benefits of purchasing EPEAT-registered products, in addition to improvements in equipment operation and end-of-life management practices.
• Fleet Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculator - Environmental Defense Fund and NAFA Fleet Management Association have created this tool to help fleet managers set emissions goals, track progress, and report results.
• Flexible Fuel Vehicle Calculator - Although flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) are typically available at the same prices as comparable gasoline vehicles, the cost of E85 fuel is higher. This tool developed by EERE calculates the cost of driving the selected vehicle, gallons of gasoline saved, and pounds of greenhouse gases saved by fueling with E85.
• Green Cleaning Pollution Prevention Calculator - This calculator, developed by US EPA, quantifies the projected environmental benefits of purchasing and using "green" janitorial services and products.
• Paper Calculator - A web-based tool developed by Environmental Defense which compares the environmental impacts of papers made with different levels of recycled content, ranging from 0% (virgin paper) to 100%.
• Vehicle Cost Calculator - This calculator, developed by the US Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), allows fleets to compare the costs, benefits, and emissions of hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) with those of conventional vehicles.