What is Sustainable Purchasing?

Sustainable purchasing demonstrates the City’s commitment to buying goods, materials, services, and capital improvements in a manner that reflects Seattle's core values of fiscal responsibility, social equity, community and environmental stewardship. The City's goal is to bring together policies, communication tools, process improvements, standards, and reporting mechanisms to help align purchasing practices with City values and incorporate these into a Sustainable Purchasing Program.

Who is involved?

Sustainable purchasing is a collaborative effort that involves the Fleets and Facilities Department, the Resources Division of Seattle Public Utilities, and the Office of Sustainability & Environment.

What policies, programs and guidelines currently exist to support ongoing purchasing practices?

Environmental concerns are addressed through the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy, the Buy-Recycled Program, and the Environmental Management Program.

Our Sustainable Purchasing Program seeks to save money, increase local, small, and minority and women-owned business participation in City contracts and facilitate responsible environmental practices.

Our Environmentally Responsible Purchasing Policy states, "The City shall promote the use of environmentally preferable products in its acquisition of goods and services." In purchasing decisions, departments are directed to consider life cycle effects from:

- Pollution

- Waste generation

- Energy consumption

- Recycled material content

- Depletion of natural resources

- Potential impact on health and nature

A Few Facts

• Energy Star is a joint program of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy designed to alert consumers to more energy efficient models. The EPA started the program in 1992, and PCs and monitors got the first labels.



• If all copiers sold in the United States were ENERGY STAR®-labeled and set to automatically default to duplex, the amount of paper used could be reduced by more than 200 billion sheets. This adds up to a savings of 1 million tons of paper, enough to save an estimated 20 million trees! (Massachusetts Operational Services Division via EPA.)



• The European Community and Japan generate about one-fourth less packaging waste per person than in the United States. In the U.S., the consumer bears the cost of packaging disposal. Legislation in Europe places this burden on manufacturers. Retail product packages create about half of all packaging waste. The other half is transport packaging – containers for shipping products from manufacturer to purchaser.(Minnesota Pollution Control Agency)



• Seven hundred pounds of paper are consumed by the average American each year*



• Three cubic yards of landfill space can be saved by one ton of recycled paper*
  

  (*source Grist Magazine)

City Resources

Codes & Resolutions - Environmental Purchasing (Doc 22KB)

Sustainable Purchasing Policy - published 11/06/03 (Doc 50KB)

City Council PBT resolution - reduction in use of persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic chemicals (Doc 32KB)

Seattle Municipal Code - recycled content product procurement (Doc 16KB)

Chemical Use Policy (Doc 37KB)

Seattle Janitorial Commidity Team Fact Sheets

Green Disinfectants (PDF 453KB)

Green Glass (PDF 444KB)

Green Restrooms (PDF 455KB)

Green Toilets (PDF 444KB)

Green Vendors (PDF 452KB)

Other Helpful Links

EPA's Environmentally Preferable Purchasing page has tools and information, including product information.

EPA's Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines

Canada's Environmental Choice Program

State of Minnesota EPP Guide

King County Environmental Purchasing Program

Northwest Product Stewardship Council

Green Seal's Choose Green Reports - reports on everything from office supplies to tires.

Product Information

Battery disposal information (PDF 57KB)

Cleaning products - environmentally friendly (PDF 148KB)

Janitorial products - Environmental specs (PDF 1.19MB)

Laptop purchasing process - Environmental questions for vendors (DOC 85KB)

Office equipment guidance (PDF 63KB)

Vendor Questionnaire - City of Seattle

Print job checklist - City of Seattle