1EPA Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program

Green Spending

A Case Study of 

Massachusetts’ Environmental

Purchasing Program

United States 

Environmental Protection 

Agency

EPA742-R-98-002

August 1998

www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp

Pollution Prevention 

and Toxics

(7409)

2Printed on paper that contains at least 20 percent postconsumer fiber.
Environmentally Preferable

Purchasing Program

Environmentally preferable purchasing ensures that

environmental considerations are included in purchasing

decisions, along with traditional factors such as product

price and performance. The EPP program provides guidance for federal agencies to facilitate purchases of

goods and services that pose fewer burdens on the

environment. 

For more information contact:

Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse (PPIC)

Phone: 202 260-1023

E-mail: ppic@epa.gov
Foreword ◆ i

T he U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognizes that environmentally preferable purchasing is a dynamic concept that, depending on the

product category, will not necessarily be implemented in the same manner

from agency to agency or even within a specific agency. In order to demonstrate

some of the ways environmentally preferable purchasing principles are currently

being applied, EPA is documenting examples of environmental purchasing efforts

undertaken by Executive agencies, state and local governments, and the private sector.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ environmental purchasing program is

one of these efforts. This case study describes how Massachusetts incorporated

environmental attributes into its purchasing process and how it spread the word to

Commonwealth purchasers about the importance of buying environmental products. This case study illustrates how collaborating with other agencies and

emphasizing education and outreach can result in a successful environmental purchasing program. We hope the lessons and insights documented in this case study

will help you and your organization as you begin incorporating environmental

preferability into your purchasing decisions.

Foreword

Purchasing in Perspective

• The federal government purchases more than $200 billion worth of goods

and services each year.

• State and local governments combined purchase more than $1 trillion

worth of goods and services per year, according to Governing magazine's

Sourcebook 1997.

• The Commonwealth of Massachusetts purchases more than $300 million

worth of commodities each year.
ii ◆ Foreword

EPA’s Environmentally Preferable Guidance

EPA identified seven guiding principles to help federal agencies incorporate

environmental preferability into their procurement practices. The following principles were proposed in the Federal Register (FR) in EPA's “Guidance on Acquisition

of Environmentally Preferable Products and Services” (60 FR 50722):

1. Consideration of environmental preferability should begin early in the acquisition process and be rooted in the ethic of pollution prevention, which strives to

eliminate or reduce, up front, potential risks to human health and the environment.

2. A product or service's environmental preferability is a function of multiple 

attributes.

3. Environmental preferability should reflect the lifecycle considerations of products and services to the extent feasible.

4. Environmental preferability should consider the scale (e.g., global versus local)

and temporal reversibility aspects of a product or service's impact.

5. Environmental preferability should be tailored to local conditions where 

appropriate.

6. The environmental objectives of products or services should be a factor or subfactor in competition among vendors, when appropriate.

7. Agencies need to examine product attribute claims carefully.
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .i

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Putting Environmental Purchasing Into Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Procurement Reform and Its Impact on Environmental Purchasing . . . . . . .10

Measuring Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Questions for the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Helpful Tips From Massachusetts’ Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Opportunities for Growth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

For More Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Contents ◆ iii

Contents
Introduction ◆ 1

Astate government can significantly affect the kinds of products and services

that are supplied through its large, influential purchasing power. The

Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which purchases more than $300 million

in commodities each year, opted to help the environment through its purchasing

practices. Rather than simply awarding contracts to the lowest bidders,

Massachusetts has taken a proactive stance toward purchasing and now incorporates

environmental considerations into its purchasing decisions.

Massachusetts is one of the first states to go beyond a buy-recycled program by

incorporating various other innovative environmental practices into its procurements, such as awarding points to bidders and vendors who meet specific

environmental criteria. Since 1988, when Massachusetts first established its environmental purchasing program, the Commonwealth has devoted more of its resources

each year to the procurement of environmentally preferable goods. In fact, in fiscal

year 1997, the Commonwealth spent $34 million on dozens of products with environmental attributes, and in many cases, these products were less expensive than

their conventional counterparts. 

Traditionally, environmental purchasing programs are managed by state environmental officials who try to work with procurement departments to ensure that

environmental attributes are incorporated in their specifications. Due to differing

goals and distance between offices, however, this relationship has often been

problematic for some states. Consequently, Massachusetts decided to try a different

approach. Through funding provided by environmental agencies, the Operational

Services Division (OSD), the central purchasing agency for the state, hired two staff

members to work solely on environmental issues. These individuals, who are considered part of OSD's staff, attend procurement meetings and play a central role in

writing specifications for statewide contracts. This unique approach has enabled the

purchasing office to rely more on its own resources, communicate more effectively

within the office, and produce the resulting environmental success. 

Massachusetts’ experience with this program provides useful tips for states,

government agencies, and other organizations interested in applying EPA’s guiding

principles for environmental purchasing. This case study documents the lessons

learned by Massachusetts about environmental procurement, including the need to 

do the following:

• Collaborate with other agencies that can contribute necessary skills and 

valuable perspective to the project. 

• Interact directly with purchasers and utilize brochures, fact sheets, and 

other informational materials.

Introduction
• Educate purchasers and end-users about environmentally preferable products rather than simply requiring them to buy the products.

• Make products with environmental attributes more easily accessible to 

purchasers.

• Be patient and persistent.

2 ◆ Introduction

This case study provides background information

on the Commonwealth’s environmental purchasing

program, an overview of the program and its successes, and a discussion of the challenges and

opportunities Massachusetts is likely to encounter

when it expands the program in the future.

Information was obtained by conducting interviews

with several key officials responsible for implementing the Commonwealth’s program and by

consulting annual reports and other documents

published by Massachusetts.
Putting Environmental Purchasing Into Action ◆ 3

Setting the Stage

T he Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ environmental purchasing efforts originated in its buy-recycled program. Launched in 1988 with a Commonwealth

executive order on recycled products procurement, the buy-recycled program

gained added momentum in 1992 with the publication of the Commonwealth’s

Solid Waste Master Plan. That plan established a 46 percent recycling rate goal by

2000 and acknowledged the importance of buy-recycled efforts in meeting that

goal. The Commonwealth reached a milestone in its buy-recycled campaign in July

1994, when it included recycled-content requirements in its contracts for printing

and writing paper.

Based on the success of its buy-recycled program, Massachusetts recognized it

could purchase other products with favorable environmental attributes and began

incorporating additional attributes into the procurement process.

Massachusetts’ definition of products with environmental attributes is similar to

the federal government’s definition in Executive Order 12873. The Massachusetts

definition reads, “Environmentally preferable products are...commodities 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.

Such products and services may include, but are not limited to, those which minimize waste, utilize recycled materials, conserve energy or water, and/or reduce the

consumption or disposal of toxic materials.”

How Environmental Purchasing Works in

Massachusetts

Commonwealth agencies can purchase products in the following three ways:

• Through statewide contracts. These contracts are for high-volume

purchases by multiple agencies on which the Commonwealth spends 

more than $50,000 each year. In addition to the approximately 70

Commonwealth agencies, municipalities and authorities (such as schools)

also can buy products through statewide contracts. Massachusetts’ central

purchasing agency, OSD, does not track these purchases, however.

• Through independent agency purchases. If an individual agency

identifies the need for a product that is not on a statewide contract, it 

can purchase the item through an independent agency purchase.

• Through small purchases. Agencies can purchase products as small

purchases if they are buying less than $1,000 worth of a product, as long

as the product is not on a statewide contract.

Agencies must purchase products through a statewide contract, unless the products are unavailable or do not meet the specifications for a particular use. Special

Putting Environmental Purchasing Into Action
4 ◆ Putting Environmental Purchasing Into Action

products required for certain types of equipment also are exempt from statewide

contract purchasing.

OSD is responsible for establishing statewide contracts, writing product specifications, monitoring Commonwealth purchasing, and educating agency purchasers.

OSD also coordinates Massachusetts’ environmental purchasing efforts with help

from two other Commonwealth agencies: the Executive Office of Environmental

Affairs (EOEA) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Money

from DEP’s Clean Environment Fund supports two environmental purchasing

positions within OSD: an environmental purchasing coordinator and an environmental purchasing trainer. These individuals attend procurement meetings and play

a central role in writing specifications for statewide contracts, which has enabled

the purchasing office to rely more on its own resources and communicate more

effectively within the office.

In the past, DEP attempted to coordinate the Commonwealth’s environmental

purchasing efforts. DEP found, however, that staff members did not have the time

necessary to devote to purchasing in addition to their other duties. Communication

and interaction between DEP and OSD also was difficult because the two agencies

were in separate buildings. The Commonwealth eventually realized that individuals

were needed in the purchasing office to help incorporate environmental attributes

into the procurement process.

An interagency workgroup comprised of representatives from OSD, DEP, and

EOEA meets bimonthly to ensure cooperation among the various players in the

environmental purchasing program and to share information. In addition, the environmental purchasing coordinator and trainer meet with OSD procurement staff

on a regular basis. They attend team meetings, for example, with the procurement

staff members responsible for writing specifications for products in a certain category. This type of interaction ensures that procurement staff learn more about

environmental issues and environmental experts gain a better understanding of procurement. It also minimizes the difficulties encountered by both procurement and

environmental staff members in communicating with one another and fosters better

relations among the agencies involved.

Key collaborators in Massachusetts’ environmental

purchasing program include the following:

• Operational Services Division

• Executive Office of Environmental Affairs 

• Department of Environmental Protection
The Main Event: Product Evaluation

Gathering Data

Together, the environmental purchasing coordinator and trainer identify products that appear to be good candidates for incorporation into their environmental

purchasing program. In order to be a good candidate, a product should be available

in the marketplace or information about its environmental attributes should be

available. The coordinator and trainer then talk with other purchasers, determine

whether any specifications or standards currently exist for the product, and analyze

the cost of the product in relation to a competing conventional product that serves

the same purpose. To gather this information, the coordinator and trainer contact

other states and municipalities active in environmental purchasing, conduct searches on the Internet, and send out queries through the National Association of State

Purchasing Officials (NASPO), an organization of state government purchasers that

maintains a database of recycled commodities. (See the NASPO Web site at

<www.naspo.org>.) 

Verifying Product Information

OSD relies, in great part, on information

provided by vendors when determining a

product’s environmental attributes. Vendors

certify that the products they supply meet

the specifications of the contract or bid.

OSD depends on the accuracy and truthfulness of this information, as it does not

verify the information provided by the vendors. OSD also does not conduct

independent lifecycle assessments of products to determine their complete

environmental impact.

Vendors realize that the Commonwealth can cancel a contract at any time if the

information they provide is inaccurate; thus, they presumably provide honest and

accurate information. The environmental purchasing coordinator and trainer also

occasionally visit manufacturers of some of the environmental products the

Commonwealth purchases to see how the products are made and to ask for letters

certifying the environmental attributes of the particular product. Recently, for

example, the environmental purchasing coordinator and trainer visited a plastic bag

manufacturer to observe how recycled plastic pellets are used to make the bags.

Incorporating Products Into Statewide Contracts

Once information about environmental products is collected and analyzed, the

environmental staff brings it to the attention of the procurement team writing the

contract specifications. Often, an existing product specification is brought to the

procurement team to use when writing the state’s specification. OSD maintains a

library of existing product specifications, as well as other product information, such

as performance and cost. 

Putting Environmental Purchasing Into Action ◆ 5

“We don’t want to cause people stress. We want to

make products available and encourage people to use

them through marketing and education. We believe

that if you force people to buy certain products, it

will hurt the program in the long run.”

—Eric Friedman, Environmental Purchasing

Coordinator, OSD
The environmental staff works with procurement teams to determine whether

they can change an existing product specification or if a separate specification is

needed. In some cases, OSD establishes dual contracts for items. OSD maintains

one contract for recycled paint, for example, and another for virgin paint. The

environmental staff recommends taking this approach if a product is relatively new

to the marketplace or if its performance is still being evaluated. In addition, OSD

might establish a dual contract for a product if less than three vendors offer the

environmentally preferable product or if the cost of the environmental product is

significantly higher than its conventional counterpart. 

Two products for which Massachusetts currently has dual contracts are paint and

motor oil. Massachusetts has found that recycled paint is not available in the variety of colors and types required by some purchasers. The state, therefore, has a

dual contract for recycled and virgin paint. While motor oil is currently purchased

using a similar dual contract, the state is investigating the use of a single contract

that would specify that all motor oil must contain a minimum of 50 percent rerefined oil base stock. (Motor oil typically consists of base stock and additives.) For

many purchases, the state already exceeds this 50 percent requirement; it purchases

motor oil containing 75 to 100 percent re-refined oil base stock. 

The Challenge of Multiple Environmental Attributes

The Commonwealth finds it challenging to consider multiple attributes on an

individual product basis for several reasons. Among these reasons is a lack of available information on multiple attributes. Product information tends to focus on

single attributes, and sometimes individual attributes are at odds with one another.

Some paper products, for example, are available either with recycled content or

chlorine-free content, but are not available with both of these environmental

attributes. 

Most of Massachusetts’ program has focused on considering single attributes of

products, with a few notable exceptions. OSD is currently considering more than

one environmental attribute in two of its paper contracts. Its janitorial paper contract requires that paper be made with recycled content and that it not be bleached

with elemental chlorine. The two-way envelopes Massachusetts buys are made with

recycled content and prevent waste by eliminating the need for return envelopes.

In addition, Massachusetts is in the final stages of development for bid specifications involving multiple attributes for cleaning products. The specifications will

address attributes such as biodegradability, volatile organic compounds, skin and

eye irritants, carcinogens, and toxic ingredients.

Although OSD has found it more difficult to integrate multiple attributes than

single attributes, it plans to continue to consider more than one environmental

attribute on a product-specific basis as it learns more about other agencies’ and

organizations’ environmental purchasing successes. 

6 ◆ Putting Environmental Purchasing Into Action
Spreading the Word About Environmental

Purchasing

Rather than issue a mandate, Massachusetts adopted an educational approach for

its environmental procurement program. OSD believes that allowing customers to

make well-informed decisions based on available information is as efficient as, if not

more so, than requiring customers to comply with strict program guidelines. As

OSD has realized, a satisfied customer is the best marketing tool.

Educating Vendors

In addition to indicating its preference for products with environmental attributes through contract and solicitation language, OSD communicates with vendors

through its Internet home page, <www.magnet.state.ma.us/osd/enviro/enviro.htm>.

OSD also calls vendors directly to express its interest in environmental products

and to request information about product attributes. Vendors are generally receptive to OSD’s request for information and frequently call OSD to promote

particular products.

Educating Customers (End-Users)

OSD has worked to broaden its definition of “customer” in order to spread the

word about environmental purchasing to entities other than Commonwealth agencies. Its customer base now includes all executive agencies; authorities such as the

Massachusetts Port Authority; universities; municipalities, including local schools;

and purchasing cooperatives on both the municipal and county levels. OSD educates its customers about environmental purchasing in the following ways:

• Commonwealth vendors’ fairs. OSD considers vendors’ fairs one of the

most successful ways to spread the word about its environmental purchasing

efforts. OSD held three fairs in the past 3 years. At the fairs,

Commonwealth purchasers can speak directly with vendors. OSD also

offers training seminars on purchasing products in different categories as

well as on writing product specifications. OSD has no direct measure of the

impact of the fairs on purchasers; the fairs are popular, however, drawing

increasingly large numbers of attendees. Participation has grown from 40

vendors and 140 purchasers at the first fair to 85 vendors and 400 purchasers at the most recent fair.

• Workshops. OSD holds periodic workshops that address general environmental purchasing issues. In fiscal year 1995, OSD held 11 such workshops,

but attendance was low and the workshops required a tremendous amount

of time to organize. As a result, OSD decided to contact other organizations holding workshops or conferences in Massachusetts to incorporate

sessions on environmental purchasing into their events, thus saving valuable

time and effort. In addition, if an agency or municipality in the

Commonwealth approaches OSD and requests a workshop on a specific

topic, OSD will organize the event. This process allows OSD to focus its

efforts on educating a targeted audience without going to the trouble of

sending out invitations, finding a workshop site, and coordinating other

meeting logistics.

Putting Environmental Purchasing Into Action ◆ 7
8 ◆ Putting Environmental Purchasing Into Action

• Awards program. To provide an incentive to Commonwealth agencies to

purchase environmentally preferable products, OSD created an awards program to acknowledge agencies and municipalities that have been

particularly active in environmental purchasing. Awards are presented in

each of the following seven categories: 1) best overall agency program, 2)

best overall municipal program, 3) most innovative program, 4) best targeted program, 5) best facility program, 6) best university program, 7) best

written policy, and 8) best environmentally preferable purchasing program.

In November 1997, OSD presented awards to six agencies and two municipalities in the Commonwealth.

• Web site. OSD dedicated a page on its Web site to environmental procurement. The site contains various procurement annual reports and

publications (that can be downloaded), includes updates on the

Commonwealth’s environmental purchasing efforts, and promotes upcoming events.

• Fact sheets. OSD produced six fact sheets on buying re-refined oil, recycled paint, remanufactured toner cartridges, recycled paper, recycled

envelopes, and recycled office supplies. Designed to educate Massachusetts

purchasers, these fact sheets include information on cost comparisons

between environmental products and their conventional counterparts, case

studies of Commonwealth entities currently using the environmental products, and facts about the products’ performance and standards. OSD

distributes the fact sheets to agencies, municipalities, and authorities and

makes them available on its Web site. OSD plans to develop additional fact

sheets over the next several months. 

• Guidebook. OSD developed a 24-page Recycled Products Guide, which lists

all the statewide contracts that offer environmental products. The guide

also includes tips for writing product specifications, instructions on how to

use state contracts, and steps to follow in order to start a buy-recycled program for municipalities. Although the primary audience for the guide is

agencies and municipalities, any Commonwealth purchaser can request a

copy.

• Informational mailings. Periodically, OSD sends information to

Commonwealth purchasers about specific products or contracts. OSD uses

mailing lists developed by other agencies or departments in Massachusetts

as well as a list of purchasers who attended the most recent vendor fair.

The address for OSD’s Environmental Procurements

Web site is:

www.magnet.state.ma.us/osd/enviro/enviro.htm
Massachusetts customers who have 

purchased products based on their 

environmental attributes—including 

cleaners, recycled paint, recycled-content

plastic lumber products, remanufactured

toner cartridges, energy efficient lighting,

and retread tires—are pleased with the

Commonwealth’s educational efforts.

According to many customers, vendor

fairs and The Recycled Products Guide are

particularly helpful in raising awareness

about these products. Many customers

also state that the Commonwealth's list of

environmental products saves them time and resources they would have spent

identifying products. Some customers recommend, however, that Massachusetts

more clearly communicate the cost-effectiveness of buying certain environmental

products.

Putting Environmental Purchasing Into Action ◆ 9

“The Commonwealth is dedicated to getting the word

out on environmentally preferable products and

making them available on statewide contracts. OSD

has made it easier to purchase these products, and

OSD staff members are accessible to communities

that have questions about purchasing the products.” 

—Sharon Byrne Kishida, Regional Recycling

Coordinator, Essex County
10 ◆ Procurement Reform and Its Impact on Environmental Purchasing

Massachusetts recently conducted an evaluation of purchasing process costs and the

performance of products purchased under statewide contracts. The

Commonwealth performed the evaluation because the procurement staff

were spending 80 percent of their time processing only 20 percent of Massachusetts’

purchases. The state was also concerned that, by awarding contracts only to the lowest bidders, it was sacrificing product quality and durability and, therefore, not meeting agency

needs. As a result, Massachusetts changed several aspects of its procurement process.

Instead of always awarding a contract to the lowest bidder, OSD now tries to include

value and environmental considerations in its award criteria. Massachusetts focuses on environmental criteria when appropriate and makes every attempt to incorporate a purchasing

preference for products with environmental attributes. OSD considers a procurement to

represent the best value when it performs well, provides the best quality and economic

value, encourages competition among vendors, and ensures the continuing participation of

quality vendors. In addition to considering the best value and assuring that procurements

meet contract specifications, OSD awards points to bidders who meet various environmental criteria including recycled content, energy or water conservation, and toxic or

other waste reduction. OSD is beginning to award contracts more frequently to vendors

who meet environmental criteria and has established a goal to make this a standard practice.

Massachusetts also is beginning to award points to vendors that use products and services

with environmental attributes in conducting their business. For its grocer contract, for

example, Massachusetts offered additional points to vendors who submitted an environmental plan in which they agreed to initiate source reduction of primary and secondary

packaging, recycle packaging materials, examine the cost of adding a line of cleaners and

disinfectants with environmental attributes, provide automatic dispensing systems to minimize excess spillage and use of cleaners, and investigate the use of alternative fuel vehicles

for the grocer fleet. Massachusetts is currently reviewing the effectiveness of its new points

system. 

OSD finds that the cost-competitiveness of environmental products differs according to

the product category. Recycled-content paper products, for example, are often priced competitively to virgin products. Some products with environmentally preferable attributes,

such as remanufactured toner cartridges, are cheaper than their counterparts. In some cases,

where vendors submitted bids for environmental products that were not priced competitively, OSD successfully renegotiated with the vendor for a lower price. 

In one instance, after an award was made to a recycled paint vendor, OSD discovered

that end-users were not purchasing the recycled paint because it was approximately 10 percent more expensive than virgin paint. OSD approached the vendor, explained why

end-users were not buying the recycled paint, and asked whether the vendor could lower its

prices. In order to keep the Commonwealth’s business, the vendor reduced its price to within a few cents of the price for virgin paint.

Due to these and other changes brought about by procurement reform, OSD revised its

Procurement Policies and Procedures Handbook to include a section on environmental purchasing. The new section describes procuring departments’ responsibilities regarding

environmental purchasing, lists the environmental products available on statewide contracts,

and recommends methods for promoting the use of products and services with environmental attributes.

Procurement Reform and Its Impact on 

Environmental Purchasing
Measuring Success ◆ 11

Measuring Success

One important measure OSD uses to gauge the success of its program is the

amount of money it spends on environmental products. Massachusetts

increased its spending on products with environmental attributes from

approximately $2 million in 1992 to approximately $34 million in 1997.

Other indicators of success include the variety of products purchased (at least 

45 types) and the number of environmental product contracts. Aside from recycledcontent products, OSD finds it rather difficult to track the use of products with other

environmental attributes. OSD can track the number of Energy Star computers purchased in a year, for example, and estimate the associated energy savings. This

estimated figure, however, might not be representative of actual savings since OSD

has no way of determining whether the energy saving feature on the computers is

actually being used. This uncertainty derives from accounts of computer support staff

members disabling the energy saving feature when the computer is set up and then

forgetting to reactivate it. OSD is hoping to rectify this problem by considering ways

to educate computer support staff members about the importance of using the energy

saving feature. 

OSD also measures success in more qualitative ways, namely by attempting to

gauge the level of support for the program within the Commonwealth and the extent

to which awareness about products’ environmental attributes has been raised. In order

to conduct these evaluations, OSD solicits regular feedback from end-users about

product performance and addresses their responses accordingly. If responses are negative, the environmental purchasing coordinator and trainer attempt to determine the

source of the customers’ dissatisfaction. An attempt also is made to ascertain whether

the dissatisfaction is based on the product itself or on how the product is being used.

If an end-user expresses dissatisfaction with a remanufactured toner cartridge, for

example, OSD tries to determine if the problem is the actual toner cartridge, the way

the cartridge is used, or the maintenance of the laser printer.
12 ◆ Questions for the Future

OSD is currently considering a number of key questions to help shape the

future of its environmental purchasing program. These questions include

how to consider multiple attributes, how to address issues inherent to procurement reform, and how to maintain program interest and momentum.

Massachusetts hopes to find answers to these questions by looking at other local,

state, and federal government efforts as well as companies’ experiences of purchasing environmental products.

How Can Multiple Attributes Best Be

Incorporated?

Massachusetts is committed to expanding its environmental purchasing activities

beyond single-attribute products such as recycled-content plastic lumber. As previously described, the Commonwealth is currently purchasing recycled-content,

chlorine-free paper products, and recycled-content two-way envelopes that prevent

waste by eliminating the need for return envelopes. The state also is finalizing bid

specifications for cleaning products that will consider multiple attributes including

biodegradability, volatile organic compounds, skin and eye irritants, carcinogens,

and toxic ingredients. OSD continues to research ways to incorporate multiple

attributes into purchasing decisions on a case-by-case basis. OSD understands that,

when multiple attributes are involved, it needs to determine which of them to consider and when, as well as how to prioritize them.

How Will Procurement Reform Affect

Environmental Purchasing?

Recent changes in Massachusetts’ procurement process are affecting the

Commonwealth’s environmental purchasing efforts in two ways:

• Statewide contracts are being consolidated into “mega” contracts, which

include broad specifications for thousands of items. The number of products covered under one contract will make it more difficult to ensure that

environmental criteria are specified for individual products.

• Purchasing authority is being granted to more Commonwealth agencies

who are then able to solicit items through their own bids. Ensuring that all

buyers include environmental criteria in their purchasing decisions will be

more difficult because of the number of individuals involved.

As these changes take effect, OSD will need to increase its efforts to educate

purchasers, even though these efforts can be resource-intensive. OSD realizes that

challenges posed by future changes in procurement processes will need to be

addressed as well. OSD believes that education and outreach will continue to be an

important component of its environmental purchasing program. 

Questions for the Future
Questions for the Future ◆ 13

How Will OSD Maintain Program Interest and

Momentum? 

Officials involved in the Massachusetts purchasing program acknowledge that

these programs typically require an investment of resources to sustain interest and

to inform and train purchasing staff. Although DEP has no plans to stop funding

the two environmental purchasing positions within OSD, the department originally

intended to become less involved over time, assuming that environmental expertise

would become institutionalized within the purchasing division. Some DEP officials,

however, are concerned about the program’s continued viability without long-term

DEP involvement, given the promotional and training needs inherent in such voluntary programs.
14 ◆ Helpful Tips From Massachusetts’ Experience

Although the Massachusetts program is still in its developmental stage, the insight

gained thus far by program managers can help other states, agencies, and businesses

seeking to incorporate environmental criteria into their purchasing process. Here

are some tips:

• Seek support and involvement from other agencies. One of the keys to the success of the Massachusetts program is the cooperative arrangement among its

environmental division, purchasing division, and executive environmental office.

When representatives from the three agencies meet to keep one another informed

of their efforts, both progress and objectives remain clear. Working together, and

with senior management support, these government agencies have been able to

ensure that environmental criteria are effectively incorporated into the purchasing

process. 

• Look for opportunities for face-to-face interaction with purchasers. OSD

learned that fact sheets, guidebooks, and informational mailings, although useful,

are usually not as effective as a face-to-face conversation with a purchaser. OSD

staff members, for example, met on several occasions with Massachusetts Highway

Department personnel. That effort resulted in the Highway Department’s decision

to buy recycled-content plastic lumber products and re-refined oil.

• Use vendors’ fairs to help spread the word about environmental purchasing.

OSD realized that its annual vendors’ fair is an important element in

Massachusetts’ environmentally preferable purchasing program. Vendors’ fairs provide an opportunity for purchasers to talk directly to vendors about their

environmental products. The fairs also increase the credibility of the products by

demonstrating that a broad range of items are readily available from numerous

sources. Vendors’ fairs create greater visibility and interest in the entire program.

• Focus on education rather than requiring purchasers to buy certain products.

Massachusetts focused on making products with environmental attributes available

and encouraged people to use them through marketing and education. OSD found

that a satisfied customer is the best marketing tool. The Massachusetts Highway

Department, for example, is currently promoting environmental products to other

agencies because it is so pleased with the environmental products it purchased

through the Commonwealth’s contracts. OSD relies on these kinds of success stories, as well as user testimonials and pilot tests, to show that the products perform

well.

• Acknowledge mistakes and take steps to remedy them. OSD acknowledges

that it is breaking new ground by trying to incorporate environmental criteria into

purchasing. When products do not perform up to par, OSD tries to remedy the situation by investigating the cause of the product dissatisfaction and brokering a

relationship between the product vendor and the user to correct the problem.

• Do not expect change overnight. Overcoming purchaser resistance takes time

and energy, but can be accomplished with persistent education, outreach, and the

willingness to be flexible.

Helpful Tips From Massachusetts’ Experience
Opportunities for Growth ◆ 15

OSD currently plans to add other products and product attributes to its environmental purchasing program. OSD is considering the purchase of Energy

Star fax machines and copiers, in addition to computers and printers, and is

in the process of writing specifications for cleaning products with environmental

attributes. In addition, OSD hopes to expand its program to include products purchased indirectly through service contracts, which involves a far greater number of

products than those purchased directly. Examples of indirect service providers include

companies that offer cleaning or construction services.

As these efforts indicate, OSD and its cooperating agencies are committed to

expanding the environmental purchasing program and look forward to future successes in environmental procurement.

Opportunities for Growth
16 ◆ For More Information

F

or more information about Massachusetts’ environmentally preferable

purchasing program, visit the Commonwealth’s home page on environmental

purchasing at <www.magnet.state.ma.us/osd/enviro/enviro.htm>. You also can

contact:

Eric Friedman

Environmental Purchasing Coordinator

Operational Services Division

One Ashburton Place, 10th Floor

Boston, MA 02108-1552

Phone: 617 727-7500, Ext. 351

Fax: 617 727-4527

E-mail: efriedman@state.ma.us

For More Information
We want to hear from you! Please tell us about your environmentally

preferable purchasing activities and efforts. We are collecting and sharing information, tools, and hints about what works and what doesn’t, as

environmentally preferable purchasing evolves and expands. Please contact the EPP program by e-mail, regular mail, or fax:

Eun-Sook Goidel

Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

401 M Street, SW. (7409)

Washington, DC 20460

E-mail: goidel.eunsook@epa.gov

Fax: 202 260-0178
1EPA

United States

Environmental Protection Agency

(7409)

Washington, DC 20460

Official Business 

Penalty for Private Use

$300