Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) - CalRecycle Home Page

Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) - CalRecycle Home Page
Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP)
EPP
is the procurement of goods and services that have less impact than competing products serving the same purpose. It is an essential part of our search for high-quality products and services at competitive prices.
EPP must consider environmental factors such as:
Postconsumer recycled content
Energy efficiency
Durability
Low/zero air emissions
Low/zero hazardous substances
Water efficiency
Easy, nonhazardous maintenance
End-of-life management keeps materials out of landfills (e.g., reuse, recycling, return to manufacturers)
Low life-cycle cost
Responsible manufacturing
Packaging and distribution efficiency
To reduce the quantity and toxicity of waste in California, state agencies and other public entities must consider environmentally preferable factors like:
Repairable
Durable
Made with recycled content
Can be recycled again
The Department of General Services (DGS) Procurement Division is the lead agency for EPP.
State Agencies should check
DGS’s Buying Green Guide
DGS
Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program
Department of General Services Procurement Division
707 Third Street, 2nd Floor West Sacramento, CA 95605
Email:
buygreen@dgs.ca.gov
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) are third-party verified reports that detail a product’s impacts on the environment.
The
International Standards Organization (ISO) 14025
defines EPDs as a Type III declaration that “quantifies environmental information on the life cycle of a product to enable comparisons between products fulfilling the same function.”
EPDs can be product-specific, factory-specific, or industry-wide.
For compliance with the
Buy Clean California Act (BCCA),
DGS developed an
EPD Compliance Guide.
Life Cycle Considerations
In addition to providing economic benefits, recycling offers environmental benefits.
Reduces our reliance on virgin materials
Reduces pollution
Saves energy
Mitigates global climate change
Reduces pressures on biodiversity
Recycling’s environmental benefits are found at every stage of the product’s life cycle, from the mining of the raw material, through its manufacture, use, and final disposal.
Assessment
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a popular way to comprehensively analyze environmental impacts over a product’s entire life cycle, from cradle to grave.
Examine the most significant:
Inputs (energy, water, raw materials, equipment, supplies, finished goods)
Outputs (products, product use, and non-product outputs)
Processes (focus first on those with the largest inputs or outputs)
Consider the direct impacts of your actions
Move upstream and downstream to look at the impact of:
The companies you do business with
The companies they do business with, and
The companies they do business with
Consider the choices your organization can make to:
Improve profitability
Reduce environmental impacts
Increase resilience for both your organization and those you impact.
Attributes
A product’s environmental attributes can measure of its environmental impacts. Compare the environmental impacts of competing products for qualities like:
Recycled content
Energy efficiency
Reduced toxicity
The National Institute of Standards and Technology, with funding from U.S. EPA and other federal agencies, developed a lifecycle-based decision support tool called
BEES (Building for Economic and Environmental Sustainability)
. With BEES you can set your own environmental priorities or rely on experts to decide preferences.
To evaluate the environmental impacts of a potential purchase, you can also contact:
Contractors specializing in environmental purchasing
Nongovernmental organizations such as Green Seal, Scientific Certification Systems, or other organizations.
Tools and Resources
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) EPP Resources
Federal Trade Commission Green purchasing guides
U.S. EPA Database of product-specific purchasing information
(environmental standards and guidelines or contract language)
StopWaste.org
provides sustainable purchasing implementation resources, including purchasing policy templates.
Buy Recycled Resources
Recycled-Content Product Manufacturers
State Agency Buy Recycled Program
The Institute for Local Government Climate-Friendly Purchasing Policy
focuses on purchasing practices that help address climate change.
California Specifications and Standards for Select Products
Check the DGS
Buying Green Guide
for the latest information.
Selling Products
DGS How to do Business with the State of California page
provides information on selling products to state agencies.
Marketing EPPs to State Agencies
Other Resources
Green California
provides information on the policies California is implementing to reduce its environmental footprint through sustainable state government operations and practices.
Existing California Law
Public Contract Code Section 12400—Environmentally Preferable Purchasing,
formerly known as
AB 498
, directs the Department of General Services (DGS), in consultation with the California Environmental Protection Agency, members of the public, industry, and public health and environmental organizations, to provide state agencies with information and assistance regarding environmentally preferable purchasing.
The DGS Procurement Division, as the state lead agency for EPP, provides links to California state contracts that offer environmentally preferable products. DGS considers California environmental laws, policies, and regulatory standards. All state government entities should check the
Buying Green Guide
for requirements specific to state purchases.
For more information contact, the Office of Public Affairs,
OPA@calrecycle.ca.gov