United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Pollution Prevention
and Toxics
(7409)
EPA742-N-01-001
February 2001
www.epa.gov/oppt/epp
&EFA
Issue 8 | February 2001
ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERABLE PURCHASING
MOD for Electronics to be Signed
Concern about the environmental impact of electron-
ic equipment has prompted a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) between the U.S. Postal
Service, the Department of Defense, the Department of
Interior, the Department of Energy, and the Environmental
Protection Agency. The MOU, signed by the agencies this
winter, intends to aid these federal agencies and others in
developing and implementing environmentally preferable
I and energy-efficient practices and technologies for elec-
| tronic equipment.
The electronics industry is rapidly growing, and cur-
rently only a small percentage of the equipment is recy-
cled. Electronic equipment—especially those with
< Continued on Page 3 >
- Highlights -
• New EPP Training Tool
' New State and Local
Case Study
DOI Store
• Sustainable Forests
> An International
Perspective on EPP
• ASTM Green Building
Standard
EPP Qualitative Study
• Promising Practices Tool
• Selling Environmental
Products to the
Government
PROFILE OF A PIONEER:
Greening Up at RTP
Chris Long, project manager of the
new EPA facility in Research
Triangle Park (RTP), North
Carolina, has found his dream job. It
was, however, more a case of being in
the right place at the right time than
actively searching. Chris had been work-
ing at RTP facilities when the 1 million-
square-foot, $272.7 million campus was
funded in late 1991. Since then, his role
as project manager has made him
responsible for tracking down and
putting together all the pieces of the
massive green building puzzle, from
recycled-content construction materials
to energy-efficient fume hoods and light-
ing systems.
Thanks to Chris and his team, the RTP
campus design also considers issues such
as landscaping, indoor-air quality, and
construction management. During the
past few years, RTP has become one of
the leading examples of green construc-
tion and a model for thinking holistically
about human environmental impacts.
Chris, who began his career as a car-
penter, started working for the govern-
ment in 1984 as a Presidential
Management intern and joined EPA in
1985, moving
to the RTP
interim facility
2 years later.
He has always
been an envi-
ronmentalist
and was one of
the first to rec-
ognize in the
new campus
< Continued on Page 3 >
Printed on processed chlorine-free paper containing 50 percent sugarcane pulp and 50 percent recycled materials,
including 30 percent postconsumer waste.
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EPP in Practice
The EPP Update is highlighting a variety of paper types that
EPA has determined to have certain positive environmental
attributes. The paper choice for this issue is Neenah
Environment. Look to future issues of the EPP Update to
highlight additional paper types.
Paper Offers Sweet Rewards
This issue of the EPP Update is printed on
processed chlorine-free paper developed by
Neenah Paper Company. The company's
Environment stock contains 50 percent sugarcane
pulp and 50 percent recycled materials, of which
30 percent is postconsumer fiber. It is available in
two colors: tortilla and mesa white. The use of tree-
free fibers in the paper-making process has several
environmental advantages over wood-based feed-
stock. Tree-free fibers contain lower levels of lignin
than tree cellulose and therefore require significant-
ly fewer chemicals for processing. Additionally, less
energy and water is used to process these fibers,
and tree-free fibers can be blended with postcon-
sumer materials to create papers for many applica-
tions. Sugarcane pulp used in the production of this
particular type of paper is widely attainable and
available year-round.
For more information on Neenah's papers, call
800 558-5061 or visit
New Training Tool
Makes Learning About
EPP Easy
Whether you are looking to gain a general
understanding of EPP or trying to learn
how to incorporate EPP into an existing
procurement process, the Web-based General EPP
Training Tool is the resource for you. A Web-based
HTML version is available to all with Web access,
but a more advanced interactive version, complete
with sound and animation, is available to those
with more current versions of the popular Web
browsers.
Both versions of the tool guide users through a
variety of topics covering EPP basics such as defin-
ing EPP, explaining EPP policy, and describing
EPA's Five Guiding EPP Principles. Additional content
includes descriptions of environmental performance
characteristics, a discussion of the impact of gov-
ernment purchasing, and explanations of the rela-
tionship between EPP and other government
purchasing requirements and green procurement
programs. Handy
menus detail the
content of each
section and topic,
allowing users to
visit them chrono-
logically or select
only those meeting
their particular
needs. The end
of each section
includes an interac-
tive self-evaluation
and a page of addi-
tional resources to help users buy green.
You can find the General EPP Training Tool on
the EPP Web site at .
For more information, please contact Russell Clark
of EPA at 202 260-4418 or .
G« tanl E 3 Training Tool
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MOU for Electronics < Continued from Page 1 >
cathode-ray tubes, printed wiring
boards, mercury switches, capacitors,
and batteries—contains persistent bioac-
cumulative toxics such as mercury, lead,
cadmium, and chromium.
The MOU addresses areas such as
acquisition, design, material choices,
manufacturing, reuse, demanufacturing,
and recycling processes. The agreement's
ultimate objective is to increase demand
for environmentally preferable electronic
equipment, promote best lifecycle man-
agement, share management successes
with the private sector, and encourage
infrastructure growth for electronics
reuse and recycling in the United States.
For more information, contact Chris
Kent of EPA at 202 260-3480 or
.
Electronic Equipment—
Where Does it Go?
• Today 1.5 million computers enter waste
streams annually.
By 2004, as many as 315 million obsolete
computers could potentially be disposed of
in landfills.
Dumping 315 million computers into
landfills amounts to the introduction of 1.2
billion pounds of lead, 2 million pounds of
cadmium, and 400,000 pounds of mercury
into waste streams.
In 1998, only 6 percent of discarded
computers were recycled.
By 2005, most people will trade in their
computers for newer models within 2 years
Pioneer < Continued from Page 1 >
project the chance for EPA to help cre-
ate a symbol of what the Agency stands
for. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
to do the right thing," he said. Chris
also recognized that while working for
EPA, he could easily access top special-
ists in the green building field. "I was
surrounded by really talented, knowl-
edgeable people, and so I drew them
into the project," he said. Chris now
splits his time between finishing cam-
pus construction, due for completion
by mid-2001, and handling the thou-
sands of comments, questions, and
requests that the RTP project has gener-
ated. But despite the hectic schedule
and occasional headaches, Chris said he
is proud of the fact that he is making a
tangible contribution to humankind
and the environment.
For more information on the RTP
project, visit the RTP facility Web site at
or access
the EPA publication, Leading By
Example, which discusses the RTP
project, at
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New Case Study Highlights State
and Local Government EPP Initiatives
EPP strategies highlighted
in State and Local
Government Pioneers:
• Cooperative Efforts
• Price Preferences
• Best-Value Purchasing
• Green Teams
• Vendor Fairs
• Third-Party Certifiers
• Incentive Programs
• Employee Training
• Vendor Surveys
Anew EPA case study highlights
several state and local govern-
ments' EPP activities. State and
Local Government Pioneers—How State
and Local Governments are Implementing
Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
Practices explores the evolution of sin-
gle-attribute EPP programs into multi-
attribute EPP initiatives. It describes
various EPP strategies and examines
several product and service areas. The
case study also includes updates on six
state and local governments featured in
a related 1996 EPA publication. EPP
activities in Maine; Minnesota;
Washington; Wisconsin; King County
Washington; and San Diego County
California, are revisited.
Based on conversations with more
than 125 officials from more than 60
state and local governments, State and
Local Government Pioneers focuses on
46 EPP programs that are examining a
wide variety of environmental attribut-
es. Like the federal government, many
state and local governments
are attempting to reduce
their environmental impacts
by purchasing products and
services they consider envi-
ronmentally preferable.
These environmental purchasing
decisions range from relatively simple
recycled-content paper purchases to
complex specifications for "green build-
ings," which incorporate a diverse
group of environmental attributes, such
as increased energy and water efficien-
cy; pesticide-free lawn maintenance;
and numerous low-toxicity biobased,
and recycled-content building
materials.
In addition to describing state and
local governments' EPP definitions and
strategies, the case study addresses the
types of products they are examining
and purchasing and the lessons learned
from their experiences. It also explores
EPP strategies for a wider variety of
products and services, including chemi-
cals and chemical-"free" products,
cleaning products and services, com-
puters, green buildings, green power,
integrated pest management, paint,
paper and paper products, and alterna-
tively fueled vehicles.
For more information or to access the
case study electronically, visit EPAs EPP
Web site at or contact Julie Shannon
of EPA at .
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New Store Offers Socially Conscious
Products to Government Purchasers
Anew office-supply store gives
government purchasers the abili-
ty to "buy green" while simulta-
neously supporting employment for
people with disabilities. Located next to
the cafeteria in the basement of the
Department of Interior's (DOI's)
Headquarters building in Washington,
DC, the store carries close to 1,000
items, about 60 percent of which have
specific environmental attributes. Even
some of the construction materials used
to build the store were chosen with the
environment in mind; about 30 percent
are recycled-content products, includ-
ing the paint and metal shelving. To
further promote its environmental mis-
sion, the store also provides recycling
bins outside the front doors, where visi-
tors can deposit used toner cartridges,
batteries, computer diskettes, and over-
head transparency sheets.
The store is operated by Blind
Industries and Services of Maryland
(BISM) under the auspices of the Javits-
Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Act, which pro-
motes employment opportunities for
people who are blind or severely dis-
abled, and it carries a full line of JWOD
products. The store is a product of a
recent Memorandum of Agreement
(MOA) signed by DOI, EPA, the
Committee for Purchase from People
Who are Blind or Severely Disabled,
National Industries for the Blind, and
NISH (serving people with a range of
disabilities). The MOA focuses on
enhancing the supply and purchase of
environmentally preferable products
and services through programs, such as
JWOD, that are mandatory sources for
federal procurement.
Reminiscent of a gift shop in layout
and design, the store offers a vast array
of office supplies with innovative envi-
ronmental attributes, including a
biodegradable ballpoint pen made from
cornstarch. There are also biodegrad-
able desk supplies and flatware along
with a host of recycled-content office
products. The on-site inventory is sup-
plemented by the store's e-commerce
Web site, ,
which can provide next-day delivery to
the store or ship directly to the cus-
tomer any of the 35,000 products that
JWOD supplies.
Currently, the store primarily serves
DOI and nearby government offices,
including the Department of the
Treasury, the Office of Personnel
Management, and the Red Cross, but
BISM hopes to expand the store's ser-
vices to all federal agencies in the DC
area and eventually all agencies across
the United States. Both government
purchasers and interested individuals
are invited to shop at the store.
To learn more about the new DOI
store or BISM, contact Ken Barnett,
director of store operations, at
. Contact Joan
Smith, JWOD program analyst, at
703 603-0664 to learn more about
JWOD and its full line of prod-
ucts, or visit the JWOD Web site
at .
Whtf ere Green Products?
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Protecting the World's
/t is difficult to overestimate the role that
forests play in ensuring the health of our
planet—they purify the air we breathe,
moderate the worlds climate, provide homes
for more than half of the world's species, con-
trol soil erosion, and prevent severe flooding.
They also supply us with a wide range of
essential products, from pharmaceuticals to
paper and wood products. Purchasing wood
products that originate in well-managed
forests can help keep the world's forests
healthy and productive so that they can sus-
tain future generations. Although forestry
experts differ on what it takes to make a for-
est "sustainable," it is clear that the demand
for products from sustainable forests is play-
ing an important role in the market for wood
products. Purchasers can contribute to this
important trend by expressing a preference
for wood products manufactured from sus-
tainably managed forests.
Corporate EPP News
Within the past 18 months, 7 of the top 10
"do-it-yourself home improvement retail-
ers, including the two largest—The Home
Depot and Lowes—have pledged to eliminate the
purchase ol wood from endangered forests. Two of
the nation's leading home builders, Centex Homes
and Kaufman & Broad, have agreed to stop using
wood from old-growth forests. The Andersen
Corporation, one of the largest window and door
manufacturers, has also pledged not to use wood
from endangered forests.
Together, these companies represent a significant
part of the market. In the United States, the seven
home improvement retailers annually sell 20 percent
of all of the wood used for home remodeling, and
the home building industry accounts for 72 percent
of all the lumber consumed each year. An EPP-based
focus on sustainable wood products can be a signifi-
cant force in protecting the world's forests. Foresters
around the world are discovering that the better they
manage their land, the more buyers they can find for
their wood.
Getting to the Root
of Sustainable Forest
Programs
More and more purchasers are
asking how to select products
from sustainably managed
forests. In the United States, the two most
familiar programs defining and promoting
sustainable wood harvesting are the
Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFISM) and
the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
Both endorse a variety of environmental
principles designed to ensure the long-
term protection of the world's forests,
including protecting water quality, pre-
venting soil erosion, promoting biodiver-
sity, and protecting endangered species.
FSC promotes additional principles such
as tracking and reducing herbicide use
and protecting the rights of forestry
workers and indigenous people.
Both programs publish indicators that
can be used to verify that forests are
being managed in accordance with the
programs' principles. Companies meeting
the requirements of either of these pro-
grams can display that program's logo in
advertisements and company literature.
The programs hope the desire to earn
the logo will encourage the forestry
industry to improve its environmental
performance.
Because SFI was originally established
by the American Forest and Paper
Association (AF&PA), a trade association
promoting the U.S. forest and paper
industries' interests, many environmental
groups, including the World Resources
Institute, the Natural Resources Defense
Council, and the Rainforest Action
Network, question the significance of the
SFI logo. Some of these groups claim that
the SFI requirements are less stringent
than the FSC requirements. In addition,
they contend that because meeting the
SFI standards is required to be an AF&PA
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Forests With EPP
member, there might be an incentive to
keep the requirements easy to meet.
AF&PA defends itself against this
charge by noting that some of its mem-
bers have been expelled for failing to
meet the SFI standards and that others
have joined because of them. AF&PA rec-
ognizes that "public skepticism [of SFI] is
understandable and appropriate" and that
"credibility is critical for the SFI pro-
gram." An independent panel of 18
experts, including officials from the Isaak
Walton League and the U.S. Department
of Agriculture's Forest Service, along with
SFI program participants and outside
stakeholders, recently spent 18 months
strengthening the SFI standard to make it
more explicit and enforceable. According
to SFI, one of its current goals is to create
greater consistency between the SFI pro-
gram and other sustainable forestry stan-
dards, including FSC.
Although SFI is strengthening its pro-
gram, two important differences remain
between the SFI and FSC approaches—
verification procedures and certification
standards for wood products. Under the
SFI program, companies can self-certify
themselves as meeting the SFI standards.
Some companies elect to have indepen-
dent third parties verify that they meet
the SFI standard, but FSC requires such
verification before a company can display
the FSC logo. The FSC assessments are
typically conducted over a 1- to 2-week
period by an independent three-person
interdisciplinary team that includes a
forester, an ecologist, and a social scien-
tist. FSC has accredited only nine organi-
zations to conduct the certification
evaluations worldwide, including two
U.S. organizations—Smart Wood and
Scientific Certification System's Forest
Conservation Program.
Perhaps more important for product
purchasers, only FSC's logo ensures that
products are manufactured from certified
forests. Although SFI establishes a forest
standard, it does not have a mechanism
to certify that a product is manufactured
from a forest meeting its standard. FSC's
"chain-of-custody" process allows product
manufacturers to certify that their prod-
ucts are produced with wood from FSC-
certified forests. In order for a product to
bear the FSC logo, every manufacturer
involved in its production must be FSC-
certified.
FSC's certification requirements and
product focus has earned the endorse-
ment of several leading green building
proponents. Environmental Building News,
one of the green building industry's lead-
ing publications, claims "third-party forest
certification, based on standards devel-
oped by the Forest Stewardship Council,
is the best way to ensure that wood prod-
ucts come from well-managed forests." In
addition, buildings rated under the U.S.
Green Building Council's Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design criteria
earn higher scores if they use wood mate-
rials in accordance with FSC's guidelines.
For additional
information
The following Web sites
provide additional infor-
mation on certified wood:
• Certified Forest
Products Council —
Forest Conservation
Program —
www. freemancorp. com/
fcp.html or
forestryshtml
• Smart Wood —
Sustainable Forestry
Initiative —
forestry/sfi/menu.html
EPA Specifies Certified Wood
EPA specified FSC-certified wood as part of the EPA Region 10 contract for
interior remodeling. The contract stated, "acceptable certifiers shall be the
Smart Wood Program (212 677-1900) or the Forest Conservation Program
(510 832-1415) or Forest Stewardship Council accredited equivalent." Additional
information on this project, including a link to the full contract, is available on
the EPP Web site at .
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An International Perspective
Many EPP practitioners in the United States
believe European governments are more suc-
cessful with their environmental purchases
than their U.S. government counterparts. It turns out,
however, that European governments face many of
the same challenges. Based on recent interviews with
representatives from the European Union (EU) and
three European countries—the United Kingdom (UK),
Switzerland, and Denmark—this article briefly
describes some of the common successes and chal-
lenges we share. It also touches upon unique features
of the three programs.
Adopting EPP Policies
As in the United States, government purchases rep-
resent a large share of economic activity in the three
countries, with government expenditures ranging
from 10 percent (Switzerland) to as much as 21 per-
cent (UK) of the country's Gross Domestic Product.
The three countries have adopted a variety of
approaches and policies to use this buying power to
achieve sustainable production and consumption. The
UK and Denmark have each developed national poli-
cies promoting consideration of environmental factors
in purchasing decisions. In Switzerland, there is cur-
rently no national EPP policy. Instead, EPP has been
more of a grass-roots activity involving purchasers
from the cantons and municipalities, and some federal
officials, with coordination and exchange of informa-
tion among these players occurring on an ad hoc
basis. From this grass-roots activity, a national policy
is evolving.
Whether EPP is a top-down or a bottom-up initia-
tive, all three countries have set EPP within a more
comprehensive framework of sustainable development
or "Integrated Product Policy." The broader frame-
work appears to be a very useful way to raise aware-
ness about the interrelated impacts of everyday
activities—including the purchasing practices of pub-
lic entities and individuals—on the environment,
society, and the economy.
Defining EPP
European countries are developing EPP guidance
and definitions that are similar to those adopted in
the United States. Generally, each country defines
environmentally preferable products as those that are
less harmful to human health and the environment
when compared with similar products. Furthermore,
EPP is seen as an integral part of determining "most
value for money," "most economically advantageous,"
or "best value." The UK, for example, defines environ-
mentally preferable products as those that:
• Are fit for the purpose and provide value for the
money spent.
• Are energy- and resource-efficient.
• Use the minimum amount of virgin materials.
• Make the maximum use of postconsumer
materials.
• Are non (or reduced) polluting.
• Are durable, easily upgraded, and repairable.
• Are reusable and recyclable.
Translating the Broad Policies Into Practice
All three European programs emphasize the impor-
tance of taking limited steps toward full EPP imple-
mentation. Environmental concepts are still new to
most purchasing officials, and they need good infor-
mation, guidance, and training—an easier task if
focused on a few product categories. In the UK, for
example, much emphasis has been on purchases of
energy-efficient equipment and services and recycled-
content paper. A recent initiative is targeting timber
and timber product purchases from sustainable, third-
party-certified sources. The UK is also expanding a
green building program that uses the Building
Research Establishment's Environmental Assessment
Method (BREEAM), a green building rating system, to
evaluate the environmental efficiency of new govern-
ment construction projects.
Denmark is focusing its EPP efforts on a select num-
ber of product categories for which accurate environ-
mental information is available. The program, which
began in 1994, is concentrating on office equipment,
computers, office furniture, cleaning products, paint,
lighting, transportation, kitchen equipment, organic
food, and writing and copier paper. As additional
information on other product categories becomes
available, Denmark will expand the program.
In Switzerland, all federal administrations are
required to have an Environmental Management
System (EMS) policy by 2005. EPP will be an integral
part of these policies, and Switzerland hopes that an
EMS approach will help institutionalize EPP. In the
meantime, the country is focusing on a federal "com-
petence center" that was recently created within
Switzerland's Federal Department of Finances to com-
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on EPP
pile the various product specifications and other
purchasing procedures currently used within the
country. The center will encourage the use of envi-
ronmental factors when making purchasing deci-
sions, including whether suppliers have adopted an
EMS approach.
Developing Useful Information
Providing purchasing officials with useful environ-
mental information is an important part of any suc-
cessful EPP initiative. The UK has developed a
number of resources, including green purchasing
guidelines, information on environmental marketing
claims (similar to the Federal Trade Commission's
"Green Guides"), a supplier "self-assessment" ques-
tionnaire, and some limited category-specific envi-
ronmental attribute information. These resources
and links to environmental purchasing resources
worldwide are included on the UK's green procure-
ment Web site . The UK official also referenced EPP
activities by the National Association of Counties,
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and King
County, Washington, all of which are included as
links on the UK's green purchasing Web site. This
trans-Atlantic cooperation demonstrates a commit-
ment to EPP as an important strategy for meeting the
worldwide environmental challenge.
For additional information on EPP internationally
please visit
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ASTM Green Building
Standard Passes
In a major step forward for EPP in buildings, the American Society for Testing
and Materials (ASTM) Buildings Performance Committee passed a standardized
questionnaire on the environmental performance of building materials in
October 2000. For the past 2 years, EPAs EPP Program has been working to engage
nongovernmental organizations that develop standards in establishing environmen-
tal standards for potential use in federal procurement (see EPP Update #5,
September 1999, for details). ASTM's new questionnaire contributes to that effort.
The standard questionnaire, officially titled "Standard Practice for Data Collection
for Sustainability of Building Products," will be accessible through the ASTM Web
site in spring 2001. It provides 31 questions applicable to all
building products; in the future, the committee plans to vote on revisions to the
standard, adding questions that are specific to certain types of products, such as
structural steel, wood products, and different types of floor coverings. The intended
audience for the standard includes building industry professionals—planners, devel-
opers, architects, engineers, contractors, and others—who possess a broad, general
understanding of sustainability issues relative to the performance of buildings, but
who would benefit from additional data to inform their product choices. The
Subcommittee on Sustainability of the ASTM Buildings Performance Committee,
under which this activity is taking place, welcomes new participants in this effort.
To participate or to learn more about this effort, contact Ruth Heikkinen of EPAs
EPP team at .
10
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How Does EPP Measure Up?
E
goals:
PA recently completed a qualitative study to help the Agency measure the suc-
cess and usefulness of the EPP program. The study which was based on market
research and discussions with federal employees, accomplishes the following
Explores what motivates the federal workforce to link environmental preferability
to purchasing-related decision-making.
Documents EPP activity among federal agencies.
Tests the awareness and utility of EPAs EPP outreach materials.
Assesses the viability of methods for a subsequent quantitative research phase.
The results of the study will be available on the EPP Web
site in winter 2001. For more information, contact
Julie Winters of EPA at .
,
Promising Practices Tool Makes EPP Easier
Have you recently visited our Promising Practices Guide? A collaborative effort
between the Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program,
the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, the Office of the Federal
Environmental Executive, and EPA, the guide is a collection of 16 success stories
highlighting strategies for incorporating environmental criteria into a variety of prod-
uct and service contracts. Each short case study includes a synopsis about
the purchasing process, identifies lessons learned, and provides links to
additional information such as contracts and specifications. The guide
also includes an extensive list of "green" purchasing resources, as well as
links to other government and nongovernmental programs, databases,
and purchasing tools. You can find the Promising Practices Guide on the
EPP Web site at . Over the next
few months, we would like to include more success stories, so if your
organization or one that you know of has recently issued a "green" con-
tract that might be a good addition to the Promising Practices Guide,
please let us know!
For more information on the Promising Practices Guide, please contact
Eun-Sook Goidel of EPA at 206 553-1855 or .
PROMISING PRACTICES
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A Guide to Selling 'Green' to the Feds
Businesses are often uncertain how to begin selling their environmental products to the federal government.
EPAs EPP Program has developed a new document to help address these businesses' needs. "Selling
Environmental Products to the Government: Your Map to the Federal Marketplace" provides vendors with
specific information about whom to contact in some of the major agencies and the kinds of items these agencies
buy. An update to a 1997 brochure, this document also provides answers to commonly asked questions and
helpful hints about selling green products to the federal government.
"Selling Environmental Products to the Government" is available electronically via EPAs EPP Web site
. You may also order a hard copy from the Pollution Prevention
Information Clearinghouse by calling 202 260-1023 and referring to document #EPA-742-K-97-002.
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
(7409)
Washington, DC 20460
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
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