Setting Purchasing Criteria
Determining what environmental criteria to consider when making a purchasing decision often depends on how far across a product's life cycle you are willing to evaluate, what information is available to help you define your criteria, and whether the product is available locally and at a reasonable price.
When comparing the life cycle of products you might consider:
- What is the raw material used to make the product? (Was it made with recycled or less toxic materials?)
- How was the product made? (Consider factors such as air and water emissions from the manufacturing process.)
- Was the product designed to be recycled or reused at the end of its useful life, or is it meant to be discarded as waste?
Given the wide range of factors that influence the environmental impact of a product, decisions must be based on the best available information. Several government, non-profit, and private entities have begun to develop standards for various environmental attributes that can be helpful when writing bid specifications or trying to select products.
Explore these programs for information about the types of criteria being used by various programs as well as what products have met certain criteria.
Federal standards
- Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines
- A list of products that must contain recycled content when purchased by federal agencies and those that use appropriated federal funds — state and local agencies, or government contractors. The list of products includes recommended guidelines for recycled content, and is maintained by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
- EnergyStar Program
- A labeling program identifying energy-efficient office equipment and other products. Developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.
- Environmentally
Preferable Purchasing (EPP)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's site for information on environmentally preferable products and services.
Third-party certification programs for multiple environmental attributes
Most these programs include criteria related to toxicity, recycled content, and resource-efficiency and cover a range of product categories, including office machines and equipment, vehicle maintenance products, cleaners, paints, and printing services.
- Green Seal
- This U.S. non-profit sets environmental standards for products and awards a seal of approval to those products meeting their standards.
- Scientific
Certification Systems
- SCS is one of the nation's leading independent certifiers of environmental claims. The company's environmental section certifies manufacturers' environmental claims — biodegradability, recycled content, water efficiency and no-smog-producing-ingredients. The staff also conducts life cycle assessments of companies' use of natural resources and develops environmental workplace analyses. This organization also offers more specific certification programs related to the food industry, forest management and fishery management.
- Environmental Choice - Canada
- This program is owned by the Canadian federal government and is operated privately by TerraChoice Environmental Services Inc. They develop environmental standards for products and permit their ecologo to be used on products that meet their standards.
- American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
- ASTM is one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world.
ASTM develops standard test methods, specifications, practices, guides, classifications and terminology in 130 areas. For example, they offer several standardized test methods for evaluating plastic lumber.
Third-party certification programs for single environmental attributes
- Chlorine Free Products Association
- A not-for-profit corporation, the CFPA promotes "Total Chlorine Free" policies, programs and technologies throughout the world. Their product certification program includes comprehensive mill audits by industry experts, and products bearing the TCF or PCF emblem is subject to ongoing testing, inspection and enforcement.
- Forest
Stewardship Council
- This is an international labelling program for forest products, which certifies that the product comes from a forest that meets internationally recognized standards.
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