Sustainable Purchasing Strategies July 11 2003 1

Sustainable Purchasing Strategies July 11, 2003 1

Sustainable Purchasing Strategies Scot Case, Director of Procurement Strategies Center for a New American Dream www. newdream. org/procure 610 373 -7703 scot@newdream. org Jesse Eaves, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency www. epa. gov/oppt/epp 202 564 -8867 eaves. jesse@epa. gov 2

Link Between Purchasing and the Environment It’s all connected to purchasing © 2003 by

Who Are We? The Center for a New American Dream is a non-profit organization helping Americans consume responsibly to protect the environment, enhance quality of life and promote social justice. www. newdream. org/procure © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 4

How To Increase Profits? © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American

Hide the Expenses © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream

Environmental Concerns • Mass extinctions • Deforestation & soil erosion • Air & water pollution • “Super” bacteria, viruses, and insects • Dwindling natural resources • Cancer rates increasing • Reproductive disorders increasing • Fisheries collapsing • Water tables falling • Climate Change © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 17

Consuming the Environment “The major cause of the continued deterioration of the global environment is the unsustainable pattern of production and consumption, particularly in industrialized countries. ” – United Nations Agenda 21 Report © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 18

2002 World Summit Emphasized the need for authorities to “[p]romote public procurement policies that encourage development and diffusion of environmentally sound goods and services. ” - 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 19

Energy Consumption • Every gallon of gas burned emits 19 pounds of carbon dioxide. • Every day, the worldwide economy burns an amount of energy the planet required 10, 000 days to create. © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 20

Resource Consumption • One ton of virgin paper requires 98 tons of resources to produce. • A single 1/10 ounce, 14 -carat gold ring requires 2. 8 tons of ore © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 21

Typical Desktop Computer • Manufacturing a typical desktop computer creates 139 -pounds of waste and 49 pounds of hazardous materials. • Producing the six-inch silicon wafer from which computer chips are cut generates 2, 840 gallons of wastewater and 7 pounds of hazardous waste. © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 22

Two Cups of Coffee a Day • 34 gallons of coffee a year. • 18 pounds of coffee beans • 12 pounds of fertilizer • A few ounces of highly toxic pesticides • 43 pounds of coffee pulp • Clear cutting of forests to grow even more coffee • Bird species disappearing • More erosion • More pesticides © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 23

Defining Environmentally Preferable Purchasing © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American

Federal Government Definition Environmentally preferable products are “products and services [that] have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared to other products and services that serve the same purpose. This comparison may consider raw materials acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse, operation, maintenance, or disposal of the product or service. ” - Executive Order 13101, Greening the Government Through Waste Prevention, Recycling, and Federal Acquisition, September 16, 1998 © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 25

The “Real” Definition Environmentally preferable purchasing means: Buying less polluting products and services from

How H 2 E and EPA Can Help You With Environmentally Preferable Purchasing EPP: Tools For the Trade Jesse Eaves US EPA 202 -564 -8867 eaves. jesse@epa. gov 27

Healthcare Procurement: Your Money Matters • Hospitals Spend TRILLIONS - On products and services every year • Federal Government Spends: – over $250 billion annually in direct purchases • State/local governments spend: – nearly $400 billion annually in purchases 28

The Federal EPP Program -Created purchasing tools with you in mind -Created to make things simple 29

Serving Customers’ Needs • Providing tools • Supporting development of voluntary standards • Focusing on specific products and services • Partnering to serve unique needs 30

Focusing on Specific Products and Services • • Conferences/meetings Copiers Cafeteria serviceware Carpets Electronics Cleaners Building materials/operations • Certified biobased products 31

EPA’s EPP Website Easy, Accessible Answers… FAST 32

Tools For Contracts • Biggest mechanism for making an impact • Contracts comprise the majority of Hospital spending on goods and services • Think EPP at earliest contract stages • Not that hard: THE ANSWERS ARE AT YOUR FINGERTIPS 33

EPP Database • Your teachers were wrong (this time) PLAGARIZE!!! • Search hundreds of product categories • Copy contract language • See Vendor Lists 34

EPP Database 35

EPP Database 36

EPP Database • PLEASE NOTE: Linking to these lists does not constitute "endorsement" of these products or companies on the part of the EPA's Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program. 37

EPP Database - Easy to use - Constantly updated - Got a problem? Tell us about it. We want to make this as easy as possible. - http: //yosemite 1. epa. gov/oppt/eppstand 2. nsf 38

Procurement Policies Use the trail the others blazed 39

Procurement Policies • Based on environmental attributes 40

Other Tools and Documents • Cleaning Product Ranking Tool http: //www. epa. gov/opptintr/epp/cleaners/select/matrix. htm 41

Other Tools and Documents Tips For Buying Green With A Government Credit Card - You have the direct purchasing power to buy EP Products, reduce packaging, conserve energy - Even small purchases make a big difference http: //www. epa. gov/oppt/epp/tools/creditcard. htm 42

Opportunities Where Can We Begin? © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New

Opportunities • Buildings –New construction –Renovation –Maintenance • Landscaping/Pest Management • Cafeteria Supplies • Meetings • Cleaning Products • Office Supplies • Computers • Paint • Copiers • Paper • Electricity • Printing • Furniture • Vehicle Fleets © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream • Lodging 44

Why Cleaning Products? • Institutional/commercial (I/C) cleaning is a $100+ billion industry. • I/C cleaning industry uses roughly 6 to 8 billion pounds of cleaning products. • Cleaning industry employs 2 to 3 million janitors; but due to very high turn-over, more are exposed. • Janitors tend to be minorities. • Most people spend more than 90 percent of their time indoors. • Many indoor environments contain hazards that lead to health complaints. © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 45

Cleaning Attributes? • Carcinogens • Corrosivity • Reproductive toxins • Product packaging • Endocrine disruptors • Transportation distance • Skin & eye irritants • Flammability • Asthmagens • Toxicity • Allergens • Used with cold water • Dyes & fragrances • Biodegradability • VOC content • Aquatic toxicity • Biobased vs. petroleum-based • Third-party certification © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 46

New Problems • There were too many sets of competing standards and purchasing criteria. • Additional standards/criteria are counter productive if the goal is to maximize environmental protection. • Manufacturers saw EPP as a moving target and were not responding to RFPs. © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 47

New Solution With EPA funding and support, CNAD worked with the innovative pioneers to reach consensus on a single set of environmental criteria that could be used nationally. Goal: Make it easier for purchasers to identify and buy “green” cleaners. © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 48

Overall Benefits IT’S FINALLY EASY!! • One set of criteria. • One set of necessary documentation. • Nationwide list of acceptable products is being developed. • Manufacturers not dealing with confusing and potentially conflicting environmental requirements. www. newdream. org/procure/products/clean. html © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 49

Why Paper? • About 42% of the wood harvested for industrial use goes to making paper. • In the U. S. , the pulp and paper industry is the second largest consumer of energy and uses more water to produce a ton of product more than any other industry. • An average office worker uses about 10, 000 sheets of copier paper year! • Office paper is the fastest growing use of paper. The cost of printing, copying, mailing, storing and disposing can exceed the initial price by as much as 10 times! © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 50

Why Paper? • Of the 4. 7 million tons of copy paper used in the United States in 2000, less than 10% contained recycled fiber. • U. S. copy paper use consumes 100 million mature trees every year. © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 51

Why Paper? Each ton of 100% postconsumer paper saves: • 24 trees • 7, 0000 gallons of water • 4, 100 kw hours of electricity • 60 pounds of air pollution © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 52

Paper Attributes? • Recycled-content • Virgin-fiber sources • No old-growth • No endangered forests • Process chlorine-free (PCF) • Totally chlorine-free (TCF) • Enhanced Elemental chlorine-free (ECF) • No genetically modified trees (GMOs) • No plantation conversion • No polluting companies • Tree-free papers • FSC-certified papers © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 53

Paper Resources • Environmental impacts • Consensus recommendations on buying safer paper • Extensive list of resources www. newdream. org/procure/products/paper. html © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 54

Using Eco-Labels Effectively Can Someone Else Tell Me What’s Green? 55

Beware of Misleading Claims • Eco-safe • Environmentally friendly • Earth smart • Environmentally safe • Environmentally preferable • Essentially non-toxic • Practically non-toxic © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream • Made with non-toxic ingredients • Degradable • Biodegradable • Compostable • Environmentally safe • CFC-free • Ozone friendly • Recyclable 56

FTC Recommendations • Environmental claims should be specific. • Know the difference between recycled and recyclable. • Know the difference between post-consumer recycled content and recycled content. • Degradable products do not save landfill space. © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 57

FTC Green Marketing Guidelines Available at: www. ftc. gov © 2003 by Scot Case,

Eco-Label Objectives • Communicate verifiable and accurate information. • Encourage demand supply of environmentally sound products and services. • Reduce stress on the environment. • Stimulate market-driven continuous environmental improvement. © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 59

Identifying a Good Label • Meaningful and verifiable information • Clear, consistent meaning • Lifecycle-based approach • No conflict of interest • Standards reviewed and updated regularly • Available to small and medium sized companies • Consistent with FTC labeling guidelines • Transparent labeling development process • Key stakeholders involved throughout development process • Open to public comment throughout development process © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 60

Labeling Resources • www. eco-labels. org -- Maintained by Consumers Union, publishers of Consumer Reports. Includes an assessment of more than 90 (and growing) labels. • www. epa. gov/oppt/epp -- EPA’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program. Includes list of questions for evaluating labeling and certifying claims. © 2003 by Scot Case, Center for a New American Dream 61

Use Your Peers- Hospital Success Stories - Hackensack Medical Center - Strong Memorial Hospital - University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers - Kaiser Permanente Northwest Region • Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center • Bronson Methodist Hospital • Premier, Inc. • Beth Israel Medical Center http: //www. h 2 e-online. org/tools/waste-case. htm 62

Documents For You!! Detailed stories, outline every step to make it easier for You http: //www. epa. gov/oppt/epp/documents/doccase. htm 63

Service Focus: Green Meetings • “One-stop shop” website www. epa. gov/oppt/greenmeetings • A one-stop shop for Green Conference information including a checklist of opportunities to minimize the environmental impacts of holding meetings and conferences. 64

Focus: Green Building • Building for Economic and Environmental Sustainability (BEES) software • ASTM standards development • ASTM E 2129 - Standard Practice for Data Collection for Sustainability Assessment of Building Products • ASTM - Standard Practice for Sustainable Development Relative to Planning, Design, Construction, and Operation of Buildings – General Principles • Green Specifications Database • Marketing and outreach www. epa. gov/greenbuilding 65

Online Resources • EPA’s EPP Website – http: //www. epa. gov/oppt/epp • H 2 E EPP Site - http: //www. h 2 e-online. org/tools/epp. htm • Center For A New American Dream – http: //www. newdream. org/procure • Energy Star® - http: //www. energystar. gov • EPPnet – http: //www. nerc. org/eppnet. html • See Other Resources at http: //www. epa. gov/oppt/epp/linkspage. htm 66

Do Your Part • Prevent… 67

Do Your Part Protect 68

Questions? Visit www. epa. gov/oppt/epp Call 202 -564 -8867 Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics U. S. Environmental Protection Agency