Home | Membership | People | News | Events | NJHEPS Projects | Target Community | Recommended Reading | Links Environmentally Preferable Purchasing & Sustainable Materials Use Environmentally preferable purchasing involves purchasing "...products or services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or services that serve the same purpose...," according to the US EPA and US federal government. EPP products can be found for a wide range of products and services: Cleaning products and services Office supplies Food and food-related items/services Building and construction materials These products or services can be comparatively evaluated according to an increasingly broad and sophisticated set of "EPP" criteria, among them: "Embodied energy" -- the total energy involved in the product's life cycle Toxicity -- how much mercury, for example, is in that light bulb? Contributions to regional economic well-being and local development Recyclability -- how does the product or service use recycled goods or recycle its waste products? "Fair Trade" -- the contributions of a product or service to living wages and health for its producers/suppliers Sustainable resource use -- the degree to which a product's materials are sustainably created and harvested (e.g., certified wood, fibers from fast-growing species that grow with few fossil-fuel inputs). "Sustainable materials use" refers to getting more value from materials, including the "3R's" (reducing, reusing, and recycling the materials we do use, to reduce the amount of virgin material we extract or create). This involves using and disposing of materials in an environmentally responsible way. Resources for EPP & Sustainable Materials Use General The New Jersey Solid Waste Policy Group (NJSWPG): An excellent overview of EPP and 3R's issues, tips, and strategies. INFORM, Inc.: Premier source of reliable research and product information on a wide variety of EPP and waste reduction issues. Cook College Paper Brochure: Orientation brochure for Cook College, Rutgers, that introduces various paper issues and strategies. Orientation Brochure: A general "sustainability overview" brochure, that contains some information about paper issues. Paper Reduction Green Computing Flyer: (Adobe Acrobat PDF). The flyer offers strategies for both computer departments and individuals to follow to reduce paper use and use less computing energy. "The Real Cost of Paper: presented to Drew University to jump-start a green paper use campaign. The Business Guide to Paper Reduction: A ForestEthics publication with case studies and hard facts about successful cost-saving paper reduction campaigns. The Citigroup Paper Project: An overview web site on Citigroup's well-documented and successful campaign to reduce paper use. Copy Paper's Hidden Costs, Real Opportunities: A succinct flyer on the Citigroup paper reduction campaign. "Getting it Done: Effective Sustainable Policy Implementation at the University Level," in Sustainability: Taking the Long View, Society of College and University Planning (Ann Arbor, Michigan), 2003. Contains Penn State cost savings from changing default document margins. Recycled & EPP Products Recycled Paper Issues: A PowerPoint presentation, prepared by the Solid Waste Policy Group, Rutgers Cook College. Dispelling Myths about Recycled Paper: (Word). Conservatree, Paper for the Environment  Treecycle Recycled Paper Buying Environmentally Preferable Paper, from the Center for a New American Dream. Official New Jersey State Contract on Paper Purchasing (State of New Jersey, Department of the Treasury) U.S. Government Printing Office, Paper Specification Standards Make That Recycled: A Buyer's Guide to Recycled Coated Freesheet Paper Leading By Example:How Businesses Are Expanding the Market for Environmentally Preferable Paper New Jersey Recycled Products Guide Recycled Products Purchasing Cooperative (RPPC) EPA's Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines Purchasing for Pollution Prevention: Inform's website with cutting-edge research and practical tools for reducing toxics and improving indoor air quality through responsible purchasing. Purchasing Power: Harnessing Institutional Procurement for People and the Planet: A new Worldwatch Institute report on the potential of institutional purchasing for environmental progress, with strategies and case studies. The Bottomline on Buying Recycled: An article from Inside Supply Management with info about how using recycled inputs in the materials you purchase can slow climate change and improve your bottomline. Recycling & Waste Reduction Waste at Work: Prevention Strategies for the Bottom Line Making Less Garbage on Campus: A Hands-On Guide New Jersey DEP Bureau of Recycling and Planning EPA - Global Warming Tools: Tools developed by the EPA so you can see the greenhouse gas consequences of your purchasing, manufacturing, and waste management actions. EPA - WARM Online EPA created WARM to help solid waste planners and organizations track and voluntarily report greenhouse gas emissions reductions and energy savings from several different waste management practices. Buying for the Future: Contract Management and the Environmental Challenge, by Kevin Lyons. An excellent overview for institutions wishing to begin implementing EPP. NOTICE TO READERS: please contact us if you know of any additional web resources that we should add to the above list. THANK YOU! NJHEPS GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE SUPPORT OF: Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation New Jersey Board of Public Utilities New Jersey Clean Energy Program NJHEPS Corporate Sponsors AT&T Foundation and its 40+ Member Institutions