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| EPP Idea FormulatedCleaners Pilot InitiatedExecutive Order 12873 Signed by President Clinton**EPP Idea Formulated**
Purchasing decisions can have large environmental consequences.  Recognizing this, the federal government passed several pieces of legislation related to affirmative procurement, allowing the federal government to begin incorporating environmental considerations into its purchasing practices.The Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) program is an example of an environmental program that has developed from the new, multi-media approach to environmental protection.  Rather than addressing environmental problems on a single-medium basis, such as energy efficiency or recycled content, environmentally preferable purchasing is targeted at minimizing environmental impacts across all environmental media by using a life cycle approach.**Cleaners Pilot Initiated**
February 1993 began the three-year collaborative effort between the General Services Administration (GSA) and EPA in developing a framework to identify and compare environmentally preferable commercial cleaning products.  This framework includes multi-attribute environmental information.  The Cleaners Pilot culminated in the development of a case study detailing pilot activities and lessons learned.  **Executive Order 12873 Signed by President Clinton***�The U.S. Federal Government is committed to minimizing the environmental impact of the products and services that it purchases.�*
-President ClintonOctober 20, 1993
On October 20, 1993, President Clinton signed Executive Order 12873, entitled �Federal Acquisition, Recycling and Waste Prevention.�  Section 503 of the Executive Order indicates that �...EPA shall issue guidance that recommends principles that Executive agencies should use in making determinations for the preference and purchase of environmentally preferable products..."  In response to President Clinton�s mandate, EPA established the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing program in its Pollution Prevention Division, located in the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.footer>**Contacting EPP | EPP HomeOPPT Home | EPA Home | Search | Comments
Last Revised:  November 2, 1998URL:  http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp/milestones.html**             |