Transcript Purchasing for Green Hotels - Seattle
Purchasing For Green Hotels
Purchasing For Green Hotels
Solutions for Revenue, Health and Communication Heidi Siegelbaum Steve Gersman
In 20 minutes…
• The Story of Stuff • What is Green Purchasing • Product Categories • Standards and Certification • Benefits • The Process • Where to Go for Help
What is Purchasing Really About?
THE STORY OF STUFF • http://www.storyofstuff.com
• This is the story of everything your hotel buys. That story?
• Extraction, Production, Distribution, Consumption and Disposal
Production of Stuff includes People
• Along the way of making products or “stuff”, we affect societies, cultures, environment and people • We live in a finite planet which means the resources are not endless and will in fact run out if not managed for long term use • Drinking water and food are great examples
Changing The Face of Production
What is Green Purchasing?
• Environmentally Preferable
Purchasing
Purchasing products and services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or services that serve the same purpose
Drivers
• Reduce costs, increase profit • Reduce storage and handling • Reduce worker risks and liabilities • Respond to guest interests in your green practices • Help protect local environment • Marketing differentiation • Improve associate and guest health • Reduce environmental impacts overall
Product Categories
• Office supplies: all paper, office equipment • F&B: electronics, kitchen equipment, and food • Hotel wide: Lighting, carpets, interior design elements, cleaning products • Rooms: bedding, furniture, drapes, amenities
Getting Started
Ideally, a green purchasing strategy should fit into an overall environmental management plan– otherwise, choices tend to be opportunistic or champion driven
Steps
1. Create a baseline- what are you purchasing now. Who is involved and how are decisions made?
2. Determine objectives and priorities and draft a purchasing policy 3. Form a cross-department team with dedicated lead 4. Look at existing lists 5. Pilot test products with users
Barriers
• Habit- people don’t like change • Product love- users develop unusually strong commitments to certain products they don’t want to give up • No user testing of new green products • Supplier love- your suppliers may feel threatened and you really like your suppliers • Perception: green products don’t perform or are tacky
Greenwashing
• Misleading claims by sellers or manufacturers about the green attributes of product or service • You are particularly vulnerable: early stages of innovation, green explosion of products and you know what else
Six Sins of Greenwashing
A Terrachoice 2007 Report revealed that most products didn’t live up to their green claims. • No Proof • Irrelevance • Fibbing • Hidden Trade-Off • Vagueness • Lesser of Two Evils
Criteria
• Less toxic • Recycled content and recyclable locally • Remanufactured or reconditioned • Durable with warranties • Energy efficient • Water efficient • Take back potential • Biobased • Reduced life cycle impacts
Standards and Certification Orgs
• EPA: Environmentally Preferable Purchasing program (Comprehensive Purchasing Guidelines), Energy Star and Design for Environment • GreenSeal • EcoLogo • Responsible Purchasing
Performance Standards Orgs
• National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) • ASTM International • ISO • Scientific Certification Systems • Master Painters Institute
Local Help
Seattle www.seattle.gov/environment/purchasing.htm
King County www.metrokc.gov/procure/green Ecology www.ecy.wa.gov/beyondwaste/epp/stand_certifications.html
Product Specific Criteria
• Electronics: EPEAT • Green Building Products: US Green Building Council • Forest Products: Forest Stewardship Council • Recycled Content Products: EPA’s CPG • Food: Organic Trade Association • Low Emission: Greenguard
Priority: Electronics
• Loaded with the nasties: mercury, cadmium, lead, hexavalent chromium, PVCs • Planned obsolescence • Exploding number of gadgets/upgrades • Many recyclers export it as a product with value but it’s really electronic trash
Electronics In Context
Environmentally Preferable Electronics Assessment Tool:
www.epeat.net
Northwest Product Stewardship Council
www.productstewardship.net
Electronics Take back Coalition
www.computertakeback.com
Basel Action Network
www.ban.org
Cleaning Chemicals: Priority
• Indoor air quality- corrosive chemicals, solvents, asthmagens • Chemicals in products very poorly regulated - most chemicals used in products and personal care products have never been tested • Raises workmen’s compensation and liability issues
Energy Star Calculator
www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=bulk_purchasing.bus_purchasing
This tool covers commercial appliances, foodservice, heating & cooling, lighting, electronics, office products and construction products
Building Tools and Programs
Seattle Green Building Program
www.seattle.gov/dpd/greenbuilding
BEES
www.bfrl.nist.gov/oae/software/bees
Building Energy Software Tools Directory
www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/tools_directory/s ubjects_sub.cfm
Whole Building Design Guide Tools Index
www.wbdg.org/tools/tools.php
Paper tools
Paper Calculator
http://www.edf.org/papercalculator.org
Paper Choices
www.conservatree.org
Forest Stewardship Council:
www.fscus.org
Carpets
Spanking brand new standard
National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) 140-1007 (low VOCs, recycled content)
Other Subjects
Cleaning
www.ofee.gov
& www.ewg.org
Paper
www.edf.org/papercalculator
Renewable Energy
www.green-e.org
Low Emissions Products
www.greenguard.org
Sleeping Lady
• Office supplies purchased through Corporate Express • GreenSeal, Energy Star, and Green Hotel Association used to identify products • Local, wild, hormone free and organic food served where possible • Compostable disposable cups
Sleeping Lady
• Indoor Air quality and Health: Furniture is low VOC, easily upholstered and solvent/formaldehyde free • All natural latex foam, jutte webbing, formaldehyde free stains and FSC wood among other • Some of their practices qualify for LEED points as well
The Umbrella Tells All
Life cycle and consumption: THE STORY OF STUFF (FAB) www.storyofstuff.com
Gracious Thanks
• EcoLogo- Scot Case • Ecology EPP program- Tina Smimich • King County Procurement- Karen Hamilton • Pacific NW Pollution Prevention Resource Center • King County/Seattle Public Health- Tracee Mayfield • Responsible Purchasing • Seattle Sustainable Purchasing- Shirli Axelrod • Sleeping Lady, Rebecca Darley
Thank you!
Cascadia Sustainable Tourism [email protected]
(206) 784-4265 [email protected]
(425) 922-0102