Green Procurement
Buy Smart using Green Procurement Practices
What is Green Procurement?
Green procurement means purchasing products and services that minimize environmental impacts.
It incorporates human health and environmental concerns into the search for high-quality products that have a low carbon footprint, reduced packaging, greater durability and a high recycled content.
Why Green Procurement Makes Sense
- Reduced waste generation
- Lower waste-management fees
- Easier compliance with environmental regulations
- Improved tenant and community health
- Reduced carbon footprint
Three Key Steps to Green Procurement
Step 1: Plan and purchase
- Take the 3Rs approach to procurement.
- Establish criteria for purchasing environmentally responsible products. Consider:
- Minimal use of virgin material in the product or service lifecycle.
- Replacement of disposables with reusables or recyclables.
- Minimal environmental impact from the entire product or service lifecycle.
- Minimal or no packaging (choose bulk over individually packaged products).
- Durability and easy maintenance.
- Products that can be easily recycled.
- Include environmental outcomes in procurement contracts.
Step 2: Maintenance
- Use purchased products responsibly. For example, set your printers’ default to double-sided printing.
- Service your equipment as required to ensure that it lasts.
- Repair or refurbish equipment whenever possible. For example, upgrade your computers rather than replacing them.
Step 3: Disposal
- Consider the following means of “disposal”:
- Return-to-vendor. Look for suppliers that will take back their products and/or packaging for recycling.
- Reuse. Donate goods to charities such as Goodwill.
- Recycle. Make sure your waste/recycling contractors are clear about what can and cannot be recycled.
- If you generate hazardous waste, dispose of it correctly and legally.
