Green purchasing
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Contents |
Overview
Green purchasing is referred to by many names: responsible purchasing, eco-procurement, green procurement, and sustainable purchasing just to name a few. It's a way of adding environmental considerations to the price and performance criteria used by public and private sector procurement officers to make purchasing decisions. Most importantly, green purchasing attempts to identify and reduce the environmental impact of an organization's activities and maximize resource efficiency. Green purchasing is a spending and investment process typically associated with public policy, although it is equally applicable to the private sector. It is linked to the wider agenda of sustainable development. Organizations practicing sustainable procurement meet their needs for goods, services, utilities and works not on a private cost-benefit analysis, but with a view to maximizing net benefits for themselves and the wider world. In doing so they must incorporate extrinsic cost considerations into decisions alongside the conventional procurement criteria of price and quality, although in practice the sustainable impacts of a potential supplier's approach are often assessed as a form of quality consideration. These considerations are typically divided thus: environmental, economic and social (also known as the “triple bottom line”).
Green purchasing consists of choosing products that:
- Contain recycled materials--made from sustainable resources, recycled or re-manufactured materials or parts
- Minimize waste--minimal packaging that is recyclable or reusable (take-back provisions)
- Conserve energy and/or water or other natural resources
- Prevent pollution--emissions, VOCs (volatile organic compounds), etc.
- Consist of fewer toxic substances or reduce the amount of toxic substances disposed or consumed
- Protect open-space
- Encourage an environmentally positive practice (water fountains, compost bins, recycling containers, engine block heaters, etc.)
- Uses energy alternatives to fossil fuel
The following are some important attributes of green purchasing:
- Toxic ingredients
- Energy use
- Solid waste
- Water conservation
- Social Responsibility
- Economic development
Environmental Impact/Benefits
It is important to keep in mind that the purchasing decisions we make affect our local environment and the health of our citizens and workers as well as the global community. The following are some examples of how green purchasing can address the key environmental issues mentioned throughout this guide. By purchasing EPPs that are:
Reduce energy use - we help to limit energy consumption, which in turn lowers our emissions of sulfur dioxide (which causes acid rain) and carbon dioxide (a primary greenhouse gas).
Reduce raw material use - made with a percentage of post-consumer recycled content instead of pure virgin products, we reduce the need to extract raw materials, such as petroleum, trees or metals and, in general, use less energy and water. Reduce the amount of waste in our overstressed landfills.
Reduce water use - designed to reuse and/or reduce the amount of water needed to perform certain tasks, we actively work toward conserving this very valuable resource. Such products and technologies involve plumbing devices, cooling systems, appliances, water treatment technologies and more.
Fewer toxic ingredients - we minimize the hazardous impacts of those products during the manufacturing process (e.g. water / air pollution) as well as reduce the damage caused through accidental spills and improper disposal. We also reduce the risk to workers handling the products and the risks posed to building occupants when the product is in use.
Use renewable and clean energy technologies - utilizing renewable energy and clean technologies works toward reducing our dependency on foreign petroleum, stimulating economic development for innovative technologies and meeting our goals for clean energy production.
Reduce total costs - while green purchasing can help an agency economically as well as lighten its environmental impacts, it can also help departments to improve their efficiency, reduce liabilities, and gain competitive advantage when applying for grant and other funding opportunities. The fact is that a green purchasing program is an excellent way of finding products with a high price-performance ratio and with improved use rates. Evaluating a potential purchase by initial (purchase-point) cost alone can actually incur greater total costs for a department. A department's green purchasing program can help identify and reduce hidden costs and develop cost reduction strategies for the entire organization. Some examples of cost savings opportunities include:
- Reduced hazardous management costs (e.g. using less toxic products);
- Reduced operational costs (energy savings from efficient equipment);
- Reduced disposal costs (hazardous and solid waste) by generating less waste and using longer lasting products;
- Reduced repair and replacement costs when using more durable and repairable equipment;
- Reduced employee safety and health costs at the facility with reduced potential liability by improving the work environment and minimizing risks to workers
- Reduced material and energy consumption.
Green Purchasing Recommendations
-Post-consumer recycled content
-Processed chlorine-free
-Recyclable
-Soy-based inks
-Non-toxic
-Recyclable
-Recycled-content
-Re-manufactured
-Reusable
-Accommodations with efficient transportation routes
-Accommodations with energy and water conservation programs
-Accommodations with mass transit-accessible location
-Accommodations with recycling and waste minimization programs
-Electronic distribution of materials
-Minimize travel distance for attendees
-Minimize packing and shipping materials, disposable products
-Online registration
-Recycle handouts and badges, signage, paper products
-Reusable badges, signage
-Reusable food serviceware
-Integrated pest management
-Low-impact development
-Recycled-content materials
-Reduced or no pesticide use
-Storm water management
-Use of native plants
-Waste reduction and recycling, including composting
-Water conservation
-Biodegradable
-Energy efficient
-Recyclable
-Recycled-content
-Reusable
-Water efficient
-Alternatively fueled
-Cleaner fuel
-Electric
-Fuel cell
-Fuel-efficient
-Hybrid-electric
-Low emissions
-No or low hazardous materials
-Reduced or no toxic constituents
-Recycled-content
-Designed for recycling
-Reduced materials use
-Energy efficient
-Extended product life, upgradeable
-Reduced packaging
-Recyclable packaging
-Environmentally sound take-back and recycling options
-Minimizes exposure to concentrates
-No ozone depleting substances
-Recyclable packaging
-Recycled-content in packaging
-Reduced bio-concentration factor
-Reduced flammability
-Reduced or no added dyes, except when added for safety purposes
-Reduced or no added fragrances
-Reduced or no skin irritants
-Reduced or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
-Reduced packaging
-Low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
-No toxic dyes
-Recyclable
-Recycled-content
-Reduced energy use (from manufacturing)
-Reduced or improved air emissions (from manufacturing)
-Bio-based content
-Energy efficient
-Enhanced indoor environmental quality
-Low embodied energy
-Recyclable or reusable components
-Recycled-content
-Reduced environmental impact over the lifecycle
-Reduced or eliminated toxic substances
-Reduced waste
-Responsible stormwater management
-Sustainable development, smart growth
-Uses renewable energy
-Water efficient
-Water reuse and recycling
Green Purchasing Information/Fact Sheets
National Association of Counties Green Procurement Presentation
P2Rx Green Procurement Topic Hub
EPA Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP)
California Sustainability Alliance
Green Purchasing Calculators
- Environmental Benefits Calculator - designed by The Northeast Recycling Council, Inc. (NERC) is an easy-to-use means of generating estimates of the environmental benefits of a study area, based on the tonnages of materials that are source reduced, reused, recycled, landfilled, or incinerated (includes waste-to-energy).
- EnviroCalc - is a downloadable spreadsheet-based tool designed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts EPP Purchasing Program to estimate the environmental benefits of purchases of recycled-content and energy efficient products in a single tool.
- Energy Star - contains a number of calculators created to estimate the potential savings and payback period for purchases of energy efficient products.
- Promoting Green Purchasing: Tools and Resources to Quantify the Benefits of Environmentally Preferable Purchasing - This guide identifies a series of existing tools and resources that can be used to help develop quantitative estimates of the projected benefits of making new EPP choices and document the estimated benefits of past EPP actions.
- Responsible Purchasing Network - This resource provides several different calculators for various types of products.
- EPEAT Global Registry for Greener Electronics - EPEAT is the definitive global registry for greener electronics. It’s an easy-to-use resource for purchasers, manufacturers, resellers and others wanting to find or promote environmentally preferable products.
