|To view the Environmentally Preferred (Green) Purchasing Policy, click here.|
Environmentally Preferred Purchasing is the procurement of products and services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment over the life cycle of the products and services when compared with competing products or services that serve the same purpose.
Some samples of these products and services include:
What About Recycled Product Purchasing?
Finding products made from recycled materials can be easy. Try to select products with the highest recycled content, if the product can be competitively sourced.
Extensive help is available from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA has issued a set of guidelines called the Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines (CPG). For a complete list of products and the EPA’s recommended recycled-content level for each product, visit the CPG program website:
The CPG designates items that must contain recycled content when purchased by federal agencies, or by government contractors using appropriated federal funds. In some cases, state and local governments must also follow the recycled-content guidelines when purchasing certain items using federal funds.
For each category, the EPA recommends content levels for recycled-content products. These levels are divided into the recommended percentages of postconsumer content and total recovered materials content. Understanding each type of content can help you make the best purchasing decisions:
Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT)
EPA Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines
Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED)
National Association of Counties Green Purchasing Toolkit