Contacts

Environmental Communication & Public Involvement
P.O. Box 1663
MS J591
Los Alamos, NM 87545
Phone: 505-667-0216
FAX: 505-665-1812
envoutreach@lanl.gov

Site Index

Green Purchasing

The federal government is probably the single largest consumer in the world, spending over $200 billion annually on a wide variety of products and services. Government purchases, therefore, have significant environmental consequences. Through its purchasing decisions, the federal government can minimize its environmental impact while simultaneously supporting manufacturers that produce environmentally preferable - green - products and services.

What is Green Purchasing?

Green purchasing at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and other federal facilities means considering environmental factors in purchasing decisions in addition to traditional factors such as performance, price, health, and safety. Green purchasing, also known as affirmative procurement, is procurement of products or services considered to be environmentally preferable, meaning those products that have a comparatively smaller negative effect on human health and the environment. The aim is to eliminate waste, prevent pollution, and improve the quality of the environment.

What are Green Products?

Green products are ideally:
reusable
recycled - containing post-consumer material or recovered material
recyclable - consisting of components that can be completely recycled
bio-based
bio-degradable
energy efficient
water or energy conserving
free of pollutants
packaged with minimal materials

Environmental Preferability

Environmental preferability of a product can be demonstrated at any stage of the product's life cycle (design, raw material acquisition, manufacturing, packaging, transportation, distribution, maintenance, and disposal). Preferability is also a function of the local conditions in which the product is being used. Environmental preferability is comparative among products for the same function, and this means that there is almost always room for improvement in any product choice.

Executive Order 13101

Green purchasing is not optional — it is required by Executive Order 13101: The Greening the Government Through Waste Prevention, Recycling, and Federal Acquisition. Executive Order 13101 and section 23.704 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation require agencies to identify and purchase green products and services.

DOE and Green Purchasing at LANL

The Department of Energy's (DOE) goal for green purchasing at LANL is to have 100% of the purchases of items in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-designated categories contain recycled content except when the items are not available at a reasonable price or do not meet performance standards. This goal is an Appendix F performance measure included in LANL's contract with the Los Alamos National Security, LLC.
Current list of all EPA designated items
DOE Presentation on the five Greening the Government Executive Orders and their application to site acquisition and operation.

More Information about Affirmative Procurement

General Services Administration -- Smarter solutions for a better environment
Other sources of Affirmative Procurement Information
Database of Environmental Information for Products and Services -- a searchable database of product-specific information such as environmental standards and guidelines or contract language developed by various government programs or third parties.
Promising Practices Guide for 'Greener' Contracts -- a series of short case studies highlighting successful strategies for incorporating environmental factors into a variety of product and service contracts.
General EPP Training Tool -- covers EPP principles, applications, and mandates in an entertaining multimedia format.
Tips on "Greening" Conferences -- a one-stop shop for green conference information including a checklist of opportunities to minimize the environmental impacts of holding meetings and conferences, contract language for obtaining "greener" conference planning and support services, and links to information on other related initiatives.

Data & Documents

Public Notices

Review of August 2008 Groundwater Data