Environmentally Preferable Purchasing

Federal, state and local governments spend billions annually on goods and services. Many governments incorporate procurement of recycled products into their general operations. However, many may lack a more comprehensive program that not only encourages recycled content, but also minimizes toxics used and conserves energy, water or other materials. Environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) is the procurement of products or services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or services that serve the same purpose.

An EPP program product will have one or more of the following characteristics:

• contain recycled content,
• minimize waste,
• are energy efficient and/or have renewable energy systems, and
• contain lower toxicity content.

Businesses and non-profit organizations are also able to make a difference through pursuing an EPP program. EPP can save money, improve a company's ability to meet existing environmental goals, and improve worker safety and health at the same time. Furthermore, it can reduce liabilities and health and disposal costs.

U.S. EPA EPP Guidance Principles

By using the five guidance principles below, agencies and companies can begin the process of identifying and purchasing environmentally preferable products and services.

1. Environment + Price + Performance = Environmentally Preferable Purchasing: Environmental considerations should become part of normal purchasing practice, consistent with such traditional factors as product safety, price, performance, and availability.
   

2. Pollution Prevention: Consideration of environmental preferability should begin early in the acquisition process and be rooted in the ethic of pollution prevention, which strives to eliminate or reduce, up-front, potential risks to human health and the environment.
   

3. Life Cycle Perspective/Multiple Attributes: A product or service's environmental preferability is a function of multiple attributes from a life cycle perspective.
   

4. Comparison of Environmental Impacts: Determining environmental preferability might involve comparing environmental impacts. In comparing environmental impacts, Federal agencies should consider; the reversibility and geographic scale of the environmental impacts, the degree of difference among competing products or services, and the overriding importance of protecting human health.
   

5. Environmental Performance Information: Comprehensive, accurate, and meaningful information about the environmental performance of products or services is necessary in order to determine environmental preferability.

Sites outside Ohio EPA will open in a new browser window

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics - About EPP

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency- Purchasing Guides for Green Products ( Cleaners, Copiers, Carpets, Electronics, Food Serviceware, and Meetings)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Buy Recycled Program

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Energy Star Program

National Association of Counties - Environmentally Preferable Purchasing

Other Related Projects and Programs, Including State and Local Government Programs

Ohio Department of Natural Resources - Buy Recycled Program

Ohio EPA is Recognized for Recycled Product Purchasing

Ohio Department of Development - Office of Energy Efficiency

Ohio Department of Administrative Services - Ohio Office of Energy

Commonwealth of Massachusetts - Environmentally Preferable Products Procurement Page

Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance - Environmentally Preferable Purchasing

Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance - Minnesota Recycled Products Directory Searches

Minnesota Solid Waste Management Board - Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Guide

Governor's Green Government Council of Pennsylvania

King County, Washington EPP program

Janitorial Products Pollution Prevention Project - Includes numerous fact sheets on cleaning products and methods

 EPP Tools and Resources

USEPA Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Tools Suite - Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. Excellent purchasing and training tools for EPP.

State of Minnesota Cooperative Purchasing Venture - Program that enables participants to purchase goods and services under contract terms established by the state of Minnesota.

Environmentally Preferable Purchasing- A Starter Kit for County Elected Officials, Purchasers, and Managers