Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
Issue Summary
U.S. EPA
Other Federal Agencies
States
Publications
Databases and Tools
Financial Assistance
Issue
Summary
Environmentally
preferable purchasing (EPP) is the procurement of goods and services
that cause less harm to humans and the environment than competing
goods and services that serve the same purpose. The products and
services procured under such a policy may include those that:
- contain recycled
content,
- minimize waste,
- are energy
efficient and/or have renewable energy systems, and
- reduce the amount
of toxics disposed or consumed by the user.
Local and state
governments spend billions of dollars annually on goods and services.
By implementing EPP their purchasing power can enlarge the market
for environmentally friendly products and practices. Also, these
practices set an example to the private sector and individuals who
can further expand the beneficial effects of EPP.
In recent years,
several state and local governments along with the federal government
have set out procurement policies intended to minimize the harmful
effect on human health and the environment. The resources listed
below can assist local governments in establishing an EPP program and
policy.
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U.S. EPA
Environmentally
Preferable Purchasing. Geared first to help
federal purchasers, this site can help local and state governments,
green vendors, businesses large and small -- and consumers.
Preventing Wasted Food in Your Community: A Social Marketing Toolkit. Provides tools for local governments and other organizations for launching a social marketing campaign to increase awareness about food waste.
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Other Federal
Agencies
DoE Environmentally Preferable Purchasing. This site offers information on purchasing requirements, how to imbed the requirements into Environmental Management Systems, purchasing approaches, availability of products, education tools, tracking/reporting, and success stories/technology transfer and benefits information so sites can quickly find the required products that meet all the performance, regulatory, cost, etc. specifications.
States
California
- Alameda County, StopWaste.org . StopWaste.Org is a
program dedicated to reducing the waste stream of Alameda County, CA.
Massachusetts
- Operational Services Division, Environmentally Preferable Products
(EPP) Procurement Program. The primary goal of this
program is to use the Commonwealth of Massachusetts's purchasing
power to reduce the environmental and public health impact of state
government and foster markets for environmentally preferable
products.
Minnesota
- Materials Management Division, Environmentally Responsible
Purchasing Minnesota's Materials Management Division
is committed to helping state agencies purchase environmentally
preferable products.
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Publications
EPA's
Green Purchasing Guides
Other
Related Documents
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Databases and Tools
Products
& Services. EPA's Environmentally Preferable
Purchasing Program has summarized information about popular
environmentally preferable products and services, including
environmental attributes to look for, procurement guidance, tools,
case studies, and other useful resources.
Hands-On
Tools. A number of general environmentally preferable
purchasing tools have been developed by EPA and other federal
agencies to assist federal purchasers with putting environmentally
preferable purchasing into practice.
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Financial Assistance
The Municipal Primer Your Guide to Creating a "Green and Growing" Community (CT). Grants and financial assistance are programs through which the CT DEP makes funding available for use by municipalities for specific projects.
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