United States Environmental Protection Agency Pollution Prevention and Toxics (7409) EPA742-F-98-001 April 1998 www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program Quick Reference Fact Sheet Objectives: • To encourage, motivate, and assist Executive agencies to include the environment as a factor in their purchasing decisions along with price and performance. • To provide guidance to procurement officials on how to procure environmentally preferable products and services that have lesser or reduced effects on human health and the environment when compared to others that serve the same purpose. The federal Background: government is the single largest U.S. consumer, purchasing more than $200 billion worth of goods and services a year. President Clinton’s 1993 Executive Order 12873 on Eederal Acquisition, Recycling, and Waste Prevention required EPA “to issue guidance that recommends principles that Executive Agencies should use in making detenninations for the preference and purchase of environmentally preferable products.” EPAs Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) Program was established to issue such guidance and to serve as a point of contact for government agencies. On August 22, 1997, EPP became part of the Eederal Acquisition Regulation (EAR). The EAR revisions require federal agencies to “implement cost-effective contracting preference pro¬ grams favoring the acquisition of environmentally preferable and energy-efficient products and services.” Guidance on Environmentally Preferable Purchasing: EPA identified seven guiding principles to help Executive agencies incorporate environmental preferability into their procurement practices. The following prin¬ ciples were proposed in the Federal Register (ER) in EPAs “Guidance on Acquisition of Environmentally Preferable Products and Services” (60 ER 50722): 1. 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. 2. A product’s or service’s environmental preferability is a function of multiple attributes. 3. Environmental preferability should reflect the lifecyxle considerations of products and services to the e.xtent feasible. 4. Environmental preferability should consider the scale (global versus local) and temporal reversibility aspects of a product’s or service’s impact. 5. Environmental preferability should he tailored to local conditions where appropriate. 6. The environmental objectives of products or services should he a factor or suhfactor in competition among vendors, when appropriate. 7. Agencies need to examine product attribute claims carehdly. Purchasing decisions can greatly influence the goods and services provided by the marketplace. Printed on paper that contains at least 20 percent postconsumer fiber. Environment + Price + Performance = EPP Pilot Projects: Agencies are gaining practical experience in purchasing environmentally preferable products and services by apply¬ ing the above principles to a specific product or serv'ice acquisition. Pilot projects generate more detailed informa¬ tion. Executive agencies are encouraged to participate in pilot projects or provide examples of EPP practices; this information will be shared with other agencies to avoid duplication of effort. Selected Accomplishments to Date: U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and EPA Cleaning Products Pilot Project. ✓ U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and EPA Parking Lot Renovation Pilot Project. ^ Eederal Green Purchasing Symposium for federal agencies and the private sector to examine EPP issues and barriers in the federal marketplace. Projects Underway: • DOD and EPA Interior Renovation Pilot Project for the Pentagon. • GSA and EPA Paints Pilot Project. • Compilation of sample EPP contract language to be used in federal procurement practices. • “Greening Uncle Sam” interactive procurement tool to provide federal procurement officials with EPP back¬ ground and information. • “Pioneers in EPP” initiative to identify current EPP activi¬ ties and initiate pilot projects within federal agencies. • Green Conferences tool kit to provide Executive agencies with EPP infomiation to utilize during conference coordi¬ nating. • An examination of EPP practices in the private sector. Available Case Studies: • Cleaning Products Pilot Project (EPA742-R-97-002). • Leading by Example: Two Case Studies Doamienting How the Enviromnental Protection Agency Incorporated Environmental Eeatures into New Buildings (EPA742-R-97-006). • Paving the Road to Success—The Department of Defense's Parking Lot Repair and Maintemince Connact: An Environmentally Preferable Case Study (EPA742-R-97-007). • A Study of State and Local Government Practices That Consider Environmental Peifortnance of Goods and Services (EPA742-R-96-007). • The City of Santa Monica's Enviromnental Purchasing: A Case Study (EPA742-R-98-001). • Green Spending: A Case Study of the State of Massachusetts' Environmental (EPA742-R-98-002). (To be pub¬ lished mid-1998.) For more information on the EPP Program or to order publications, contact: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse (PPIC) 401 M Street, SW. (7409) Washington, DC 20460 Phone: 202 260-1023 Pax: 202 260-4659 E-mail: Or visit the EPP web site at . n>EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency (7409) Washington, DC 20460 Official Business Penalty for Private Use $300 I