Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP)
Overview
Every purchase you make of copier paper, automotive fluids, and
cleaning products can have an effect on the whole environment, including
the human one. And, you can have a tremendous impact on recycling by
closing the loop and buying recycled-content products.
The practice of environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) or green
purchasing can have a profound impact. From worker safety to budget
savings, your purchasing choices have many tangible benefits, including:
- Reducing the toxics in the environment
By choosing less toxic alternatives, fewer chemicals are released, which
may be harmful, and worker safety can be improved.
- Saving money
Energy- and water-efficient products use fewer resources, and thereby
reduce your overall power or water bills.
- Creating less waste
Reusable or refillable products generate less waste than single-use or
disposable ones, thereby saving valuable landfill space.
- Expanding product availability
By purchasing recycled-content products, you expand the availability of
these products using the standard economic laws of supply and demand
- Conserving natural resources
Practicing EPP ensures that more natural resources can be available for
generations to come, thereby creating a sustainable community.
Many myths abound of how these products are inferior to virgin
products. That is ancient history. Recycled products today have
performance guidelines that they adhere to, and in many cases are cost
less than virgin or comparable products. For more on this topic, see the
CIWMB publication Recycled-Content Products Deserve Another Look (PDF).
How to Buy Environmentally-Friendly Products
To participate in EPP, consider the following steps:
- Write an EPP policy
A policy to purchase environmentally-friendly products goes a long way towards gaining acceptance throughout your organization. For examples of EPP policies, visit the CIWMB web site at www.ciwmb.ca.gov/EPP/LawPolicy/.
- Create and prioritize a list of products
Make a list of the products you regularly purchase, and prioritize those that you want to change to environmentally-friendly products.
- Research the availability of those products
One helpful tool is the CIWMB's Recycled-Content Product Database or "RCP Directory." This database lists thousands of recycled-content products, as well as manufacturers, distributors, and reprocessors who produce the products or process the materials used to make them.
For more information on how to buy recycled, download the Take the Next Step: Buy Recycled (PDF) brochure available from the CIWMB.
Tools to Buy Environmentally Preferable Products
The Waste Board offers a number of tools to assist you with making wise purchasing decisions. Examples are:
- Recycled-Content Product (RCP) Database
The RCP database provides access to information on RCPs as well as the manufacturers, distributors, reprocessors, mills, and converters that manufacture or supply these products or the recycled materials to make them.
- RecycleStore showcases innovative recycled-content products manufactured in the Recycling Market Development Zones, and puts users in touch directly with their manufacturers.
- The Recycled Product Trade Show is a unique opportunity for product suppliers, government staff, and private sector buyers to meet and discuss recycled-content and other environmentally preferable products.
For a complete list of the Waste Board's offerings, visit Buy Recycled
Web site at www.ciwmb.ca.gov/BuyRecycled/.
Other useful Web sites are:
- Cooperative Recycled Paper Purchasing
The Board supports activities to disseminate information about this coalition, which provides opportunities to purchase recycled paper at a discounted cost through cooperative purchase agreements.
- RecycleWorks Purchasing
RecycleWorks, a program of the County of San Mateo, offers a comprehensive section on purchasing, including sample letters to vendors and ideas to make purchasing sustainable.
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