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|  | Environmentally Preferable Products: Proposed GuidanceEPA744-F-94-002    September 1995     Environmentally Preferable Products: Proposed Guidance     Environmentally Preferable Products: Proposed Guidance for Implementing Executive Order    12873, Section 503     The federal government is committed to minimizing the environmental impact of the    products    and services that it purchases.     Spending $200 billion annually, the federal government can apply its purchasing power    to    create a demand for products and services that have a reduced impact on the environment.     In order to identify and show a preference for "environmentally preferable"    products and    services, President Clinton has called upon EPA to issue guidance for executive agencies    to    use when purchasing goods and services.     [BOX:] "Environmentally preferable" products and services have a lesser or    reduced effect    on human health and the environment when compared to other products and    services that serve the same purpose.     Executive Order 12873    Federal Acquisition, Recycling, and Waste Prevention    Sections 201 & 503    October 20, 1993Who Needs to Know About EPA's Proposed Guidance?     --All parties buying products and services for the federal government.     --All parties using products and services purchased by the federal government.     --All parties providing products and services to the federal government.     --Federal contractors.Approach     --The guidance is not regulatory and considers the federal government to be a consumer    in the    marketplace.     --EPA intends to bring together federal acquisition and environmental expertise, as    well as the    experience of all interested parties both inside and outside the government.     --EPA has held public meetings, received public comment, and continues to encourage    input    from all parties potentially affected by the guidance. This is to ensure that the final    guidance is    comprehensive, reasonable, and practical.Overview     The proposed guidance includes a set of seven general guiding principles designed to    help    executive agencies begin the process of identifying and purchasing environmentally    preferable    products and services.     The proposed guidance also recommends implementation activities for executive agencies,    such as issuing policy directives and applying the principles to pilot acquisitions.The Seven Guiding Principles     Principle #1: Pollution Prevention     Consideration of environmental preferability should begin early in the acquisition    process and    be rooted in the ethic of pollution prevention that strives to eliminate or reduce, up    front,    potential risks to human health and the environment.     Purchasers should consider a product or service's environmental impact at the time when    they    are deciding to purchase it. This approach allows for up-front elimination or reduction of    potential risks to human health and the environment. Principle #2: Multiple Attributes     A product or service's environmental preferability is a function of multiple    environmental    attributes.     A specific product or service may have a number of environmental impacts in both    natural    resource consumption and toxic effects. Targeting a single environmental attribute can    obscure    other environmental impacts that might cause equal or greater damage.Principle #3: Life-cycle Perspective     Environmental preferability should reflect life-cycle considerations of products and    services to    the extent feasible.     Environmental impacts can occur at any time during the life cycle of a service or    product such    as during raw materials acquisition, product manufacturing, packaging and transportation,    distribution, use, maintenance, or disposal. Purchasers should consider various stages of    a    product or service's life cycle in evaluating its environmental preferability.Principle #4: Magnitude of Impact     Environmental preferability should consider the scale (global versus local) and    temporal    aspects (reversibility) of the impacts.     Environmental preferability should reflect both the magnitude and the permanence of a    product    or service's environmental impact. Purchasers should consider the geographic scale and the    degree to which an impact is reversible when determining environmental preferability.Principle #5: Local Conditions     Environmental preferability should be tailored to local conditions where appropriate.     The magnitude and permanence of the environmental impacts of products and services will    depend on where and how these products and services are used. Purchasers should factor in    local conditions, such as natural resource availability, when evaluating products and    services.Principle #6: Competition     Environmental attributes of products or services should be an important factor or    subfactor in    competition among vendors, when appropriate.     Environmental performance is one of many factors considered in purchasing and should    serve    as a basis for competition among vendors in the marketplace. This kind of competition will    also foster continuous improvement in the environmental performance of products and    services    in the marketplace.Principle #7: Product Attribute Claims     Agencies need to examine product attribute claims carefully.     Executive agencies should pay close attention to the environmental claims made by    providers    of products and services. Relying on several informational sources rather than just one    will    provide the most accurate assessment of a product or service's environmental performance.Implementation Activities     Policy Directives:     EPA recommends that each executive agency issue a policy directive that includes the    following elements:     --Commitment to increase the acquisition of environmentally preferable products.     --Incentives and award programs for those who successfully promote or purchase    environmentally preferable products.     --Pilot projects.     Pilot Projects:    Agencies can gain practical experience in purchasing environmentally preferable products    and    services by applying the principles of the general guidance to a specific product or    service    acquisition. Pilot projects will generate more detailed guidances on purchasing    environmentally preferable products and services. These pilots will also include tool    development, training, and education.     EPA has identified a number of pilot projects that can be implemented in the short    term:     A joint EPA and General Services Administration (GSA) pilot demonstrating the    purchase of environmentally preferable cleaning products.     --A joint GSA/EPA project to identify attributes of environmentally preferable    computers.    Energy efficiency, which has already been highlighted by the Energy Star program, will be    one    of a number of attributes examined in this pilot.     --Although not specifically mentioned in the guidance, EPA is investigating the    possibility of    implementing a building pilot that would include environmentally preferable leasing,    construction, and building management.     Executive agencies are encouraged to volunteer other pilot acquisitions.    For More Information     Copies of EPA's proposed guidance document can be obtained by calling the Pollution    Prevention Information Clearinghouse (PPIC) at 202 260-1023. The guidance has also been    published for public comment in the Federal Register on September 29, 1995 (60 FR 50722)    and on the Internet at    (http://www.epa.gov/docs/EPA-TOX/1995/September/Day-29/pr-139.html). footer>**Contacting EPP | EPP HomeOPPT Home | EPA Home | Search | Comments
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