HomeMy WebLinkAbout102-Attachment A - Administrative Policy Governing Environmentally Preferable Purchasing and Use.pdfAttachment A
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CITY OF SARATOGA, CALIFORNIA
DRAFT Administrative Policy Prepared by: City Manager’s Office
Effective Date:
______________________________________
Dave Anderson, City Manager
SUBJECT: Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy
I. Purpose
This policy has been established to promote the purchase of goods and services that
are environmentally preferable. By including environmental considerations in
purchasing decisions, the City of Saratoga can encourage sustainable practices that
improve public and employee health, conserve natural resources, reward
environmentally responsible manufacturers, and minimize the City’s environmental
impact.
II. Definitions
Bio-based: Products or substances that utilize agricultural crops or residues but do not
include products made from forestry materials.
Biodegradable: A product, material, or substance that has the ability to readily
decompose in a reasonable period of time.
Chlorine Free: Products processed without chlorine or chlorine derivatives.
Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC): The family of compounds of chlorine, fluorine, and
carbon. CFC’s contribute to the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer, and have
been used as an ingredient for refrigerants, solvents, and for blowing plastic-foam
insulation and packaging.
Dioxins and Furans: A group of chemical compounds that are classified as persistent,
bio-accumulative, and toxic by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.
EPA).
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Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT): A consumer tool to
help institutional purchasers in the public and private sectors evaluate, compare, and
select desktop computers, notebooks, and monitors based on their environmental
attributes.
Energy Star: The U.S. EPA’s energy efficiency product labeling program.
Environmentally Preferable: A product or service that has a lesser or reduced effect
on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or
services that perform the same purpose. Environmentally preferable products and
services may include the following characteristics:
- Durable, repairable, reusable, or recyclable
- Minimal packaging, toxic content, or chemical hazard potential
- Resource and energy efficient during the manufacture, production, distribution,
use, and disposal phases of a product’s lifecycle
- Use and disposal pose little or no environmental liability
Green Building Principles: The incorporation of environmental, health, and waste
prevention practices in building design, site-planning and preparation, materials
acquisition, construction or remodeling, deconstruction, and waste disposal.
Green Seal: An independent, non-profit environmental labeling organization. Green
Seal standards for products and services meet the U.S. EPA’s criteria for third-party
certifiers. The Green Seal is registered certification mark that may appear only on
certified products.
Postconsumer Recycled Material: Material which would normally be disposed of as a
solid waste, having reached its intended end-use and completed its life cycle as a
consumer item, and does not include manufacturing or converting wastes.
Practicable: Goods or services that are compatible with local, state, and federal laws,
without reducing safety, quality, or effectiveness, and where the product or service is
available at a reasonable price in a reasonable period of time.
Rapidly Renewable: Materials or substances that are not depleted when used and can
be replenished in a short amount of time.
Recyclable: Products or materials that can be reprocessed, remanufactured, or reused.
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Recycled Content: The percentage of recovered material, including pre-consumer and
post-consumer materials, in a product.
III. Background
Local and state governments form one of the largest consumers of goods and services.
As such, these organizations have a significant opportunity to reduce their
environmental impact and encourage sustainable markets by incorporating
environmental considerations in purchasing practices.
By incorporating environmental considerations in public purchasing, the City of
Saratoga can reduce its burden on the local and global environment, remove
unnecessary hazards from its operations, protect public health, reduce costs and
liabilities, and help develop markets for environmentally responsible products and
services.
IV. Policy
A. General Policy
1. The health and safety of workers and citizens is of utmost importance and
takes precedence over the items in this policy.
2. Nothing contained in this policy will be construed as requiring a
department or contractor to procure products that do not perform
adequately for their intended use, exclude adequate competition, or are not
available at a reasonable price in a reasonable period of time.
3. Nothing contained in this policy will be construed as requiring the City,
purchaser, or contractor to take any action that conflicts with local, state,
or federal requirements.
Source Reduction
1. The City will institute practices that reduce waste and result in the
purchase of fewer products whenever practicable and cost effective,
but without reducing safety or workplace quality.
2. Products that are durable, long lasting, reusable, or refillable are
preferred whenever feasible. For example, the City will not use single-
use water bottles when practicable.
3. Packaging that is reusable, recyclable, or compostable is preferred
when practicable.
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4. When practicable, the City will consolidate the number of shipments
from a vendor to reduce the amount of shipping materials.
5. Vendors will be encouraged to eliminate packaging, use only the
minimum amount necessary for product protection, and to take back
and reuse pallets and other shipping/packaging materials.
Lifecycle
1. When purchasing products or services, the City will consider short and
long-term costs when comparing alternatives. This will include total
costs expected while the product is owned by the City, such as
acquisition, extended warranties, operation, supplies, maintenance,
disposal, and anticipated lifetime compared to alternatives.
Toxics & Pollution
1. Whenever possible, the City will reduce or eliminate use of products
that contribute to the formation of dioxins and furans. These products
include:
a. Paper, paper products, and janitorial paper products that are
bleached or processed with chlorine or chlorine derivative.
b. Products containing polyvinyl chloride (PVC), like office
binders, furniture and flooring.
Forest Conservation
1. Whenever practicable, the City will procure wood products such as
lumber and paper that originate from forests harvested in an
environmentally sustainable manner. When possible, the City will give
preference to wood products that are certified to be sustainably
harvested by a comprehensive, performance-based certification
system. The certification system will include independent third-party
audits, with standards equivalent to, or stricter than, those of the Forest
Stewardship Council certification.
Bio-based Products
1. Paper, paper products, and construction products made from non-
wood, plant-based contents such as sustainably grown agricultural
crops and residues are encouraged whenever practicable.
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2. Bio-based products that are biodegradable and compostable, such as
bags, film, food and beverage containers, and cutlery, are encouraged
whenever practicable.
B. Office Supplies
1. The City will purchase copy and printer paper with recycled and/or
postconsumer content, at a reasonable price and without sacrificing
quality.
2. The City will purchase printers and copiers that are compatible with
recycled content materials and supplies.
3. All documents will be printed and copied on both sides to reduce the use
and purchase of paper, whenever practicable.
C. Equipment & Fleet
1. The City will encourage vendors and suppliers to take back equipment for
reuse or environmentally safe recycling when the City of Saratoga
discards or replaces such equipment.
2. When practicable, equipment will be purchased with the most up-to-date
energy efficiency functions. This includes, but is not limited to, high
efficiency space heating systems and high efficiency space cooling
equipment.
3. When practicable, the City will purchase products that have been certified
by the U.S. EPA Energy Star Program.
4. When practicable, the City will purchase products and equipment with no
lead or mercury.
5. When practicable, the City will purchase desktop computers, notebooks,
and monitors that meet Electronic Product Environmental Assessment
Tool (EPEAT) criteria designated as “required” as contained in the IEEE
1680 Standard for the Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer
Products.
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6. When replacing vehicles, the City will consider less-polluting alternatives
such as compressed natural gas, bio-based fuels, hybrids, electric batteries,
and fuel cells.
D. Facilities and Parks
1. When practicable, the City will replace inefficient interior and exterior
lighting with energy-efficient equipment.
2. When practicable, the City will purchase water-saving products. This
includes, but is not limited to, high-performance fixtures like toilets, low-
flow faucets and aerators, and upgraded irrigation systems.
3. When practicable, facility construction and renovations undertaken by the
City will follow green building design, construction, and operation
principles.
4. Whenever possible, all landscape renovations, construction, and
maintenance performed by the City, including workers and contractors
providing landscaping services to the City, will employ Bay-Friendly
landscaping or sustainable landscape management techniques for design,
construction, and maintenance. This includes, but is not limited to,
integrated pest management, grass-cycling, drip irrigation, composting,
and procurement and use of mulch and compost that give preference to
those produced from regionally generated plant debris and/or food waste
programs.
5. To reduce waste, the City encourages selection of plants that are
appropriate to the microclimate, can grow to their natural size in the space
allotted to them, and perennials rather than annuals for color.
6. The City encourages use of native and drought-tolerant plants that require
no or minimal watering once established.
7. When practicable, the City will limit the amount of impervious surfaces in
the landscape. Hardscapes and landscape structures constructed of
recycled content materials are preferred. Permeable substitutes, such as
permeable concrete, asphalt, or pavers are encouraged for walkways,
patios, and driveways.
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8. To the extent practicable, the City will purchase, or require contractors to
supply, industrial and institutional products that meet Green Seal
certification standards or other similar third-party certification standards
for environmental preferability and performance.
9. To the extent practicable, the City will purchase or require janitorial
contractors to supply, vacuum cleaners that meet the requirements of
Carpet and Rug Institute “Green Label Testing Program” or other similar
third party programs that require vacuum cleaners to capture fine
particulates and operate at an acceptable sound level.
10. The use of chlorofluorocarbon and halon-containing refrigerants, solvents,
and other products will be phased out and new purchases will not contain
them.
11. All surfactants and detergents will be readily biodegradable, and where
practicable, will not contain phosphates.
12. When maintaining buildings and landscapes, the City will treat pest
problems through prevention and physical, mechanical, and biological
controls when practicable.
13. The City will use products with the lowest amount of volatile organic
compounds (VOCs), highest recycled content, and low or no
formaldehyde when purchasing materials such as paint, carpeting,
adhesives, furniture, and casework.
E. Streets
1. When practicable, the City will use recycled, reusable, or reground
materials for asphalt concrete, aggregate base, or Portland cement concrete
for road construction projects.
2. When practicable, the City will specify and purchase recycled content
transportation products, including signs, cones, parking stops, delineators,
and barricades.
V. Implementation
A. This policy will be implemented by an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
Team, comprised of staff members who administer or perform purchasing for
their department/division.
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B. Implementation of this policy will be phased in, based on available resources and
City priorities.
C. Vendors and contractors will be encouraged to comply with applicable sections of
this policy for products and services provided to the City, where practicable.
VI. Evaluation
A. The Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Team will meet on an annual basis to
evaluate the success of the policy implementation.
B. The Team will accept and schedule special meetings to consider policy
suggestions from employees.
VII. References
A. Alameda County Waste Management Authority and Source Reduction & Recycle
Board, Stopwaste.org Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Model Policy
B. National Association of Counties, Sample Purchasing Resolution on the
Procurement of Environmentally Preferable Products
C. Town of Portola Valley, Policy Concerning Environmentally Preferable
Purchasing