BUY GREENER, BE GREENER

Colleges, Universities and Green Purchasing

Adam J. Smargon, Doctoral Candidate University of Delaware Marriott Inn and Conference Center University of Maryland College Park, Maryland 16-17 April 2012

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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 conservation was 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 goals while 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 Cost

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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 12873 Federal Acquisition, Recycling, and Waste Prevention signed in October 1993 by President Clinton The American federal government must buy and use recycled content paper helped to establish and boost the recycled paper industry in the U.S. and around the world there are now more paper purchasing options in existence RPI gets to buy better recycled paper at cheaper prices RPI 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 permanently from virgin stock to recycled stock, and I want it at the same price as virgin stock… 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 manufacturers customers will see it when they shop energy efficiency is one more criterion for American consumers to consider when buying products

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Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFLs)

75% less energy than incandescent bulbs can last six to ten times longer incandescent bulbs operate at 350º F CFLs operate at 90º F I retrofitted my entire apartment with CFLs I save on my utility bill, month after month payback system: you pay more than normal up front, but long-term savings over time… it pays for itself in a few months the prices of CFLs have come down over time… save more if you buy in bulk 4-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

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What to Buy?

• • • • • 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

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• • • • •

Meaningful Environmental Claims

– 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

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• • •

Driving Less… and Driving Better

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

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Paper or Plastic?

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Paper or Plastic?

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Paper or Plastic?

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Paper or Plastic?

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Paper or Plastic?

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Furnishings

Furniture Carpeting and interior decorations Chairs, desks, and other office equipment Draperies: organically grown cotton!

Recycled Carpeting

Example: Collins & Aikman

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Less Toxic Alternatives to Common Products

Ever read the back of cleaning bottles?

borax instead of bleach vinegar instead of Windex club 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 GREENER

Colleges, Universities and Green Purchasing

QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

Adam J. Smargon 302 561 4585 smargon @ udel.edu

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