1 of 9

Environmentally Preferable Products ��Sustainable�Purchasing Policies

2 of 9

Procurement is Key to Waste Reduction

Source: 2022 Waste Characterization Study, MassDEP

Issues:

Disposal capacity constraints
Rising costs
Lost value of materials
Environmental Impacts

Just to take a step back, it’s important, I think, to be reminded of the big picture.

There is a lot of power and choice in our procurement decisions – particularly on the collective municipal level.

What we choose to purchase – or not purchase – can create more waste, or they can support waste reduction – and the State’s Waste Reduction Goals and Solid Waste Master Plan. Our choices can determine whether a product becomes trash or not. Whether it’s single use or not. Whether it’s a hazardous or not.

Everything we buy will become a waste, eventually.

And in recent years, more than 1M tons of trash generated in MA is sent for disposal out of state because of capacity constraints here at home. You all know the cost of disposing of this material as well. Our procurement decisions – what we decide to purchase and how we handle the material we then throw away – is an economic issue, and environmental issue and a planning issue. We need to manage this material no matter what and there a are a lot of choices upstream and downstream that impact how we do this.

So how does this relate to EPPs and Buy Recycled?

We want to employ all of the tools we have to reduce waste first, before the stuff we buy becomes something we have to manage in the waste stream.
Sound procurement policies can enable more reuse, more procurement of products made with high levels of post consumer recycled content (that’s what we are all collecting in our recycling programs) and it also includes less packaging.
Our procurement decisions can support recycling markets. Most common recyclables have a positive commodity value? Manufacturers want and need this material.

Just a side note – I was at the NERC conference last week (maybe some of you were too) and there was a presentation about the overproduction of virgin plastic coming from other countries. Manufacturers wanting to used recycled material in their products are facing issues around 1) not having access to enough of that material 2) the availability of cheap virgin plastic material. Our decision to not only recycled material, but support those markets for products with recycled content is critical to making the entire system work.

We also want to seek products that have low or no toxicity, for our health, for the environment, and to reduce the amount of costly hazardous disposal that comes after buying hazardous products. You all know how challenging costly it is to deal with hazardous material in your municipality it.
If we pause to think about how the products we purchase were produced and how they will need to be managed when we are done using them, we can make better procurement decisions, we can reduce our impact on the environment and support strong recycling markets – and employ tools that will reduce cost of managing our waste.

3 of 9

Buy Recycled Policies

3

4 of 9

This spending has an impact on the environment

(hidden costs or externalities)

Many EPP products meet specific standards and hold certifications (ecolabels) - but not all.

What is EPP?

EPP products and services might have any of these attributes:

Recyclable
Recycled content
Less toxic
Energy efficient
Water efficient

t

EPP (verb): Purchasing goods and services in a way that considers environmental and health impacts.

EPP (noun): Products or services that have a lesser impact on human health and the environment when compared to competing products or services that serve the same purpose.

Biodegradable/compostable
Repairable
Durable
Refurbished, remanufactured
Other (organic, battery powered, etc.)

We wanted something that would be easy for a municipality to adopt but would also have real impacts – more than just ticking a box for a grant opportunity.

So we looked to The State of Massachusetts Operational Services Division Environmental Preferable Product program. This program was started over 30 years ago with the objective to integrate environmental criteria into statewide contracts. They have researched and vetted hundreds of products and services that meet standards of low-toxicity, recycled content, producer responsibility and endless other criteria. You can see some of these attributes of EPP products listed here. More than half the statewide contracts have epp products on them. The variety and availability is extensive.

In addition, they have negotiated contracts so that these products and services are readily available to municipalities without going through a procurement process and the prices are often on par or lower than what you may see on the open market.

5 of 9

Office products
Recycling Supplies
Vehicle Products and Parts
Water Treatment Technologies

EPP Products & Services: Low-Hanging Fruit

Office Supplies

& Paper

What to do: Purchase 100% post-consumer recycled paper and supplies with ecolabels (e.g. FSC certified.

Why it’s low-hanging: Readily available, cost-competitive, high volume.

SWC #: OFF53

Lighting Products

Cleaning Supplies & Janitorial Services

IT Equipment & Electronics

What to do: Purchase ENERGY STAR or equivalent certified LED lighting.

Why it’s low-hanging: Major energy savings, long lifespan, and good ROI.

SWC #: MRO Contracts

What to do: Purchase Green Seal or Eco-Logo certified cleaning products and require green cleaning practices in janitorial contracts.

Why it’s low-hanging: Safe for health, better indoor air quality, and widely available.

SWC #: FAC118

What to do: Purchase ENERGY STAR, EPEAT-certified computers, monitors, printers.

Why it’s low-hanging: These certifications are clear and established.

SWC #: ITC73

What to do: Purchase reusable service ware (e.g., trays, tableware, etc.), made from recycled content and/or biodegradable/compostable.

Why it’s low-hanging: Readily available, cost-competitive.

SWC #: GRO40

Foodware

6 of 9

Purchase products and services offered through the Operational Services Division’s Environmentally Preferable Products and Services Program.

Reducing waste by prioritizing reuse, donation and the purchase of durable, reusable and refillable products

Adhere to Federal Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines for minimal accepted recycled content levels when purchasing office supplies, such as office paper, envelopes, notepads and file folders.

So the Epp program is at the heart of the new policies we are asking you to adopt.

Specifically, what we are asking for is a newly adopted policy that hits on three things

We developed a template for you to follow which is posted on our website, along with a lot of other guidance and policy examples. But, the meat of what we will look for in these policies is here:

1- We want you to have reference to the EPP products and services program and a commitment to use those contracts for your municipal purchasing whenever feasible.

2- We are also going to be looking for language about reducing waste at the source and incorporating a culture of reuse and donation. This can be tackled by creating habits of reuse within your municipality and making sure you explore other options before just throwing goods and equipment away, as well as, when you have to purchase new products making sure they are durable, long lasting, reusable or refillable. Can your town reduce the number of single use plastic water bottles purchased for events? Can the local Council on Aging use reusable dishware for their meal service? And can you donate goods and equipmenent before throwing it away?

3 – The third thing we will look for is a reference purchasing office supplies with recycled content. This a bit of a redundant but really links these policies back to our Buy Recycled policies and emphasizes our commitment to supporting markets for products with recycled content.

7 of 9

There is Sooooo Much More

Green Seal Certified

Cradle to Cradle

EcoLogo

PFAS Free Buying Guide

Ensure Recycling is happening in all municipal and school buildings

Road construction projects use recycled, reusable or reground materials.

Ban single use plastic water bottles

Reuse office furniture and other hard goods

Food waste programs in municipal buildings

Sustainable Landscaping Practices

EnergyStar Products

Energy Efficient HVAC upgrades

Green Communities Guidance

7

Support Recycling Markets

Minimize Waste

Minimize Environmental Impacts

Conserve Natural

Resources

Again, we tried to make this both achievable and impactful, but we also hope your city or town will embrace the idea of really flexing the power of your purchasing decisions and understand that making deliberate procurement decisions does not necessarily mean spending more money. I gave you our minimum criteria, but here are some examples of other points you could include in a sustainable purchase policy. There are some more robust policies on our website you could reference.

- To minimize waste, your municipality could consider banning single use water bottles for all municipal events and gatherings. Bedford just passed a policy last year that outlines a specific procedure for finding opportunities for the reuse of durable goods like office furniture and equipment. You could also address food waste in your policy or energy reduction

So there are endless ways to make your EPP or Sustainable Procurement Policy more robust and fit the needs and goals of your municipality.

8 of 9

Additional Guidance

rebecca.ferguson@mass.gov

9 of 9

QUESTIONS?

Takeaways:

Updated EPP or Sustainable Purchasing Policies will be due June 2026

No ‘notification’ requirement

Minimum requirements include:

Commitment to purchasing off State EPP Index

Reducing waste by prioritizing reuse, donation and the purchase of durable, reusable and refillable products

Purchase of office supplies with minimal recycled content