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BUY GREENER, BE GREENERColleges, Universities and Green Purchasing
Adam J. Smargon, Doctoral CandidateUniversity of Delaware
Marriott Inn and Conference CenterUniversity of Maryland
College Park, Maryland16-17 April 2012
The History of Green Purchasing
During World War II, U.S.citizens were asked to:
• ration paper and metal• grow food• join car-sharing clubs
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The History of Green Purchasing
Resource conservationwas the order of the day.
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Global Trends
• Global consumption spending has increased six-fold since 1950
• Every item we buy has hidden impacts on the natural environment or on human welfare
• Items we buy require huge inputs of water, wood, energy, metals, and other resources
• The wealthiest one-fifth of the world’s population owns 87 percent of all cars
• One-fifth of humanity lives on less than a dollar a day
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So What Can We Do About This?
• We can be intelligent about the raw materials needed to make things
• We can re-work the manufacturing processes to use less energy
• We can vote with our dollars to state what things we want and don’t want
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Why Green Purchasing?
Motivation: how environmental issues relate to people
Administration: increasing efficiency
• Reducing operational expenses
• Reducing demand for natural resources
• Lessening environmental impact
• Leads to making money and/or saving money
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Why Green Purchasing?
The government needs to lead on this issue
Japan and Denmark
cities and counties in the United States
...but the potential for green purchasing still remains untapped
public procurement is a tool in achieving public policy goals
...why not environmental concerns?
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Why Green Purchasing?
• “Completing the loop”• US EPA: multiple environmental attributes– recycled content– energy efficiency– low VOCs (volatile organic compounds)– reconditioned or remanufactured parts– bio-based materials–water use efficiency– product disassembly potential
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The Theory of Green Purchasing
• Can achieve environmental policy goalswhile staying within budget constraints
• Large scale users should be discriminating• Can redefine "purchasing power“• Vendor policies can be changed for the better• Natural resources can be available longer• Good publicity for the supplier• “the responsible corporate neighbor”• Positive press can lead to increased sales
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The Theory of Green Purchasing
• Contracts are negotiated and awarded by the purchasing departments of governments, schools, corporations, and other large organizations– screening the environmental impact of incoming
commodities– screening for the possibilities of outgoing waste
• Environmentally-Sensitive Contract– competitive bidding process–Kevin Lyons, Rutgers University (all three campuses)
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The Power of Procurement
• the world’s institutions are significant consumers• institutions are important in building more
sustainable markets• diverting even a small portion of institutional
spending to more environmentally sound products and services can send a powerful message to the marketplace
• governments: as much as 25% of GDP
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The Power of Procurement
• businesses buy finished products, raw materials, and packaging– lengthy supply chains that span the globe
• aggregate spending along supply chains far outweigh the consumption of finished products• universities: $250 billion in 2010–equivalent to nearly 3% of U.S. GDP
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The Four Competitive Dimensions of Value
Quality
Dependability
Flexibility
CostCenter for Energy and Environmental Policy
My Experience in Green Purchasing
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)Troy, New York
RPI’s Green Purchasing Coordinator• experimental internship• no formal authority• no access to secured/proprietary data • all I had were my own gentle powers of persuasion
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Recycled Paper
When I started, only 3% of RPI bought recycled paper
Paper is the most visible green product in offices
any change in 3% would be a marked improvement
increase knowledge about prices and availability on campus
increase recycled paper use on campus as much as possible: educate the campus about the prices, availability, and quality
The quality of recycled paper has improved over time…
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Recycled Paper
Executive Order 12873Federal Acquisition, Recycling, and Waste Prevention
signed in October 1993 by President ClintonThe American federal government must buy and use recycled-
content paperhelped to establish and boost the recycled paper industry in the U.S. and around the world
there are now more paper purchasing options in existenceRPI gets to buy better recycled paper at cheaper pricesRPI gets to buy many different kinds of energy-efficient goods
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The Recycled Paper Ultimatum
““I want all of our future paper purchases changed I want all of our future paper purchases changed permanentlypermanently from virgin stock to recycled stock, from virgin stock to recycled stock,
and I want it at the and I want it at the same pricesame price as virgin stock… as virgin stock…
or I'm changing vendors.or I'm changing vendors.””
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Recycled Paper
• It’s easy in theory, but it was challenging in practice at RPI
• I could not break contracts and change vendors
• Different methods of on-campus delivery of boxes of paper
• Should you buy paper elsewhere to sidestep the contract? NO!
– Volume is diluted– Campus traffic is increased– Negotiation strength is weakened
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Recycled Paper• There is probably an
established relationship between your organization and the paper provider
• All systems are firmly in place and are well-oiled machines
I could not change paper providers
I was lucky that RPI’s provider did offer recycled-content paper: Great White
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Supply and Demand
To increase demand, I contacted every department on campus; over one hundred financial managers have decentralized purchasing ability
I gave them choices:– virgin and recycled– white and colored– letter size and legal size
…with all the prices for every kind of paper.
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Supply and Demand
some were concerned about the extra cost per box
some were concerned about the quality of the paper Reassurance: “18 departments on campus have already made
the change from virgin paper to recycled paper…”Testimony: “A local city school district ran over two million
pages on Great White with no problems at all…”
I increased recycled paper use on campus from 3% to 38%...
in only four months.
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Energy Star
EPA created Energy Star for “superior energy efficiency”“If you can reduce the amount of energy your product uses by
at least half… then we will slap an Energy Star logo on your product.”
motivator for the manufacturerscustomers will see it when they shopenergy efficiency is one more
criterion for American consumersto consider when buying products
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Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFLs)
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75% less energy than incandescent bulbscan last six to ten times longer
incandescent bulbs operate at 350º FCFLs operate at 90º F
I retrofitted my entire apartment with CFLsI save on my utility bill, month after monthpayback system: you pay more than normal up front,but long-term savings over time… it pays for itself in a few monthsthe prices of CFLs have come down over time… save more if you buy in bulk4-pack of 14-watt Sylvania CFLs are $6.97 at Home Depot: only $1.74 per bulb!You can recycle up to six CFLs per visit at IKEA, Ace Hardware, Home Depot,
and True Value Hardware
What to Buy?
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• Paint: low/no VOCs (volatile organic compounds)• Paper: high percentage of post-consumer recycled content• Compact fluorescent light bulbs• Appliances with the Energy Star label• Produce: organic, local, and in-season
Fair Trade products
Tea, chocolate, bananas, sugar, rice, olive oil,coffee, flowers, wine, vanilla, and spices
Meaningful Environmental Claims
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• What type of environmental claim is being made?– single environmental attribute vs. multiple attributes
• Is a copy of the standard/protocol available for review?– Does it refer to appropriate national/international standards?
• How was the standard/protocol developed?– Preferred: open, public, transparent processes (examples: ANSI, ASTM, ISO)
• Who developed the standard/protocol?– Preferred: consensus-based process by broad stakeholder groups
• What process is used to verify that the product meets the standard?– Self-certification– Self-certification with Random Audits– Independent Third-Party Certification– Independent Third-Party Certification with On-Site Audits
Driving Less… and Driving Better
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• Best: walk, use public transit, and/or use a bicycle• Better: purchase an electric car or a hybrid• Good: look for a car with excellent gas mileage
• keep it tuned up: change spark plugs, air filters• appropriate levels of oil, antifreeze, washer fluid, other fluids• check the alignment and brakes / check your tire pressure• check your filters and systems• avoid fuel with alcohol in it
Furnishings
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FurnitureCarpeting and interior decorations Chairs, desks, and other office equipmentDraperies: organically grown cotton!Recycled Carpeting
Example: Collins & Aikman
Less Toxic Alternatives to Common Products
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Ever read the back of cleaning bottles?
borax instead of bleachvinegar instead of Windexclub soda instead of a Shout wipe…baking soda has dozens of uses!
for more information, search the ‘Net for “alternatives to toxic household products”
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BUY GREENER, BE GREENERColleges, Universities and Green Purchasing
QUESTIONS AND
COMMENTS
Adam J. Smargon302 561 4585