Climate-Friendly Purchasing

See also Waste Reduction and Recycling and Green Building sections.

• Adopt and implement a procurement policy that establishes standards for climate-friendly products and requires agency purchases to meet such standards as:
  • New equipment meets Energy Star or comparable energy efficiency standards.
  • Computer purchases meet the highest feasible EPEAT certification level.
  • Office paper purchases (copy paper, printer paper, writing pads, stationery, envelopes and business cards) contain a minimum specified percentage of post consumer recycled content.
  • Carpeting and other furnishings contain a minimum percentage of recycled content.
  • Plastic items (refuse and recycling receptacles, decking, parking lot barriers, furniture, etc.) contain recycled content.
  • Products certified by either GreenSeal or EcoLogo, as long as they cost no more than an agency-determined percentage above the price of non-certified products.

• Create an interdepartmental team to 1) promote policy implementation, 2) track policy adherence, and 3) suggest additional items to be included in the agency’s climate-friendly purchasing program, including such tasks as:
  • Reviewing and analyzing current (baseline) purchasing by major product categories.
  • Prioritizing product categories in terms of greenhouse gas emissions implications and improvement potential.
  • Reviewing policies, procedures, organization/staffing for implementation barriers.
  • Reporting achievements under the policy to policy makers and the public annually.

• Require service providers to follow climate-friendly practices, or provide a preference in selecting and contracting with service providers to those that follow climate-friendly practices.
• Provide incentives for the use of alternative fuel vehicles for agency contracts for services involving vehicles (buses, waste hauling and recycling, construction, etc.).
• Ensure that the highest feasible percentage of annual expenditures for contract services is with companies registered with the California Climate Action Registry or its successor.

• Provide a price preference to product vendors that follow climate-friendly practices, including use of recycled content materials, Energy Star and EPEAT materials and equipment, as well as alternative fuel vehicles.
• Provide a price preference to product vendors that inventory and register their greenhouse gas emissions with the California Climate Action Registry or its successor and that report their verified greenhouse gas emissions within the jurisdiction.

• Educate the public about climate-friendly procurement opportunities.
• Work with the business community to educate them about climate-friendly procurement opportunities.