Making Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Choices at Your Building

What is “environmentally preferable”?

To protect our environment and our own health, it is important to consider how a product is made and what it’s made with.  Environmentally Preferable Purchasing, or “EPP”, goes beyond recycled content.  It looks at other important environmental attributes of products such as energy consumption, toxicity, air and water pollution impact, materials efficiency (such as packaging), and the disposal impact at the end of its useful life.  For example: 

• Buying 100 percent recycled-content paper can reduce energy use by 44 percent, cut solid waste emissions in half and decrease water use by 50 percent.
• Purchasing green building products and operating and maintaining buildings with the environment in mind can improve indoor air quality and save energy, water and natural resources while increasing worker productivity and reducing costs.

How to Get Started  

StopWaste.Org has several tools for you and your tenants to get started on environmentally preferable purchasing.  Visit www.StopWaste.Org/EPP to download the documents below:

Fact Sheets on how and where to buy environmentally preferable products in the greater Alameda County area:

• Janitorial Cleaning Products For Commercial Applications
• Janitorial Paper Supplies
• Paper Office Products
• Nonpaper Office Products
• Remanufactured Toner Cartridges
• Rechargeable Batteries
• Park and Recreation Products
• Transportation Products

Compostable Food Service and Kitchen Products: a list of resources and distributors for compostable plastic products, such as plates, cutlery, to-go containers, and compostable bags.  The list indicates whether products are certified, GMO-free, or heat / moisture resistant, where known.

A Guide to Green Maintenance & Operations: Action items, purchasing strategies and additional resources are provided for lighting, paint, flooring, furniture, energy efficient appliances, water efficient products, mechanical, janitorial cleaning & supply products, and landscaping.  This Guide was developed for building managers and maintenance staff to purchase products that increase energy efficiency, conserve natural resources and improve indoor air quality.

A Resource Guide for Environmentally Preferable Products: a guide, in table format, that lists various types of products (e.g. paper office supplies, office furnishings, janitorial cleaning products, etc.), the environmental attribute to consider when purchasing, the source of the associated “green” standard or guideline on which the environmental attribute is based, and notes or links for further information about that specific type of product.

A Model Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy that can be customized for your company’s management priorities.

Implementation Guidance document to accompany the model policy with definitions, websites for product standards and resources, and product examples.

Free Assistance

The StopWaste Partnership, the business assistance program of StopWaste.Org, offers free assistance to help your company and your tenants purchase more efficiently for cost savings and for the environment.  Implementation Assistance is available for adopting environmentally efficient purchasing practices, information on product standards and product examples, local supplier lists, references to others who have used the products, and training for purchasers and other staff. Sample Specifications for products such as office paper, janitorial cleaning supplies and paper products, and remanufactured toner cartridges are also available.

Alameda County businesses can contact Rachel Balsley <rbalsley@stopwaste.org> for information about the StopWaste Partnership for technical assistance.  See also www.StopWaste.Org/Partnership or call (510) 891-6500.

More Resources

For Green Building and construction-related products and information, see the Green Building Chapter in this guide or visit www.BuildItGreen.org. Please also see the Energy and Water Conservation chapters of this guide for additional environmental purchasing tips as they relate to those subjects. Also, find information on Energy Star certified appliances and products at www.energystar.gov.

StopWaste.Org’s Bay Friendly Landscaping Program offers product ideas and sustainable practices for the landscaping professional and a list of Bay Friendly Qualified Landscapers, www.BayFriendly.org.

For additional information on Household, Office, and Consumer Goods, such as where to find green gifts, products with reduced toxins, energy efficient autos, green lodging and dozens more helpful resources to “green” your home and office, see the Environmental Purchasing Links at www.StopWaste.Org/EPP.

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