Setting EPP Goals and Measuring Success

NAHMAA Conference, 2008

Debra Taevs, Deputy DirectorPollution Prevention Resource Center

PPRC

• One of eight regional pollution prevention information centers comprising the Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange (P2Rx™), funded in part through grants from EPA.

• Provide pollution prevention information, networking opportunities and other services.

• Represent a broad constituency, including state and local pollution prevention programs, manufacturing extension partnerships, cooperative extension and nonprofit organizations. The diversity of audience contributes to an overall breadth of P2 information and opportunities.

PPRC’s Mission

• Help businesses improve environmental performance

• Help government agencies develop policies that improve environmental performance

• Provide informational support to gov’t tech assistance programs

EPP Rapid Research• Support for moving to more

environmentally friendly purchasing decisions

• Available to agency TAP’s, businesses and non-profits

• Fast information that draws on PPRC’s network of P2 contacts and technical experience

• Resource when staff time is limited

• Roadmap when staff doesn’t know where to look

• Provides pros and cons to consider in a purchasing decision

• Additional resources for more in depth research

EPP “Rapid Research” http://pprc.org/research/epp/

• Is Coating Old Pipes with Epoxy an Environmentally Friendly Option? (Homeowner's Association) May 2008• What is the Best Water Bottle Option for Field Staff? (Sellen Construction, WA) February 26, 2008 • How to Set Goals for an EPP Program and Measure Progress (Multnomah County, OR) February 25, 2008 • Brown Grease for Biodiesel (Industrial Ecology Roundtable) January 11, 2008• Is Comingled Recycling the Best Choice? (Walla Walla RC Committee) January 7 , 2008• Legal Support For Aftermarket Suppliers (King County, WA) September 7, 2007• Green Cleaning Training and Certification (Clean House, Seattle, WA) May 2, 2007• Sanding Belt Recycling (Weyerhaeuser Company) March 2, 2007• Printing Ink and Cleanup (Portland, OR) March 1, 2007• Lead Free Wheel Weights (King County, WA) February 15, 2007• Recycled vs. Low VOC Paints (City of Seattle) February 13, 2007• Biodiesel For Generators (City of Seattle) February 1, 2007• Polypropylene Shopping Bags (Inner Monkey Custom T's) January 22, 2007• Manufacturer Warranties of Equipment Running Biodiesel (City of Seattle) January 19, 2007• Non-Corrosive Bridge Paint (Multnomah County, OR) January 10, 2007• Paint for Galvanized Steel (Washington Department of Ecology) January 4, 2007• Biodiesel-Powered Landscaping Equipment (City of Seattle) January 2, 2007• Roadway De-Icers (King County, WA) December 18, 2006

How to Set Goals for an EPP Program and Measure Progress

?

• Where do you start?• Purchasing offices may deal with thousands of

products.• How do you get the biggest bang for your

buck?• How do you insure that you’re program will

really make a difference?• How do you get buy in from management?

Heavy Hitters Surveyed in the Rapid Research

• State of Minnesota• King County• City of Seattle• California Integrated Waste Management

Board (CIWMB)• Responsible Purchasing Network• EPA’s EPP Study

Results of Survey

• Most programs don’t have goals and if they do they are “Programmatic” and not environmental outcome related

• Most programs don’t attempt to measure the results of their EPP program

• Some programs are positioning themselves so that they will be able to measure environmental outcomes at a later time

Typical Goals for EPP Programs Surveyed

• 50% of purchases within a specific category needs to conform to purchasing mandate e.g. EPEAT for computers

• At least 10% of all purchases need to be for EPP products• At least $3 billion are spent on recycled content products• 100% of all office paper to be 100% post consumer content• Comprehensive implementation of the EPP program

“whenever practicable”• % of purchases that conform to verifiable 3rd party standards• To help create consensus around what EPP means and to

develop standards

State of Minnesota EPP Goals

• Reduce waste and toxicity• Encourage the reuse of materials• Improve recycling efforts• Incorporate environmental criteria into State

contracts• Continue training for waste reduction and

environmental purchasing and• Track and evaluate environmentally responsible

purchasing

City of Seattle• Sets a limited number of commodity specific goals

• Use verifiable 3rd party standards and set goals that are measurable by determining what you can rate with each standard such as greenhouse gas reductions, recycled contents, water savings, toxics reduction, solid waste, energy consumption or embodied energy

• Get buy-in at top levels for goals that are set, and at the user level to make sure that products work with the people that use them for the “top down, bottom up” approach.

• Seattle has set EPP goals for: Office supplies- 20% with recycled content Paper- 100% post-consumer recycled /30% reduction of use All fleets to use B40 biodiesel by the end of 2008

King County

• Buy environmentally preferable products “whenever practicable”

• Rather than setting EPP goals for specific products, they take advantage of new products and new standards as they become available

• Help client-agencies learn of emerging standards of environmental preferability

• Participate in processes that help create consensus around what EPP means as well as helping develop standards.

California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB)

• Specific purchasing goals for 11 product categories. 50% of purchases within these categories need to conform to purchasing mandates. In addition, at least 10% of all purchases need to be for EPP products. Product categories include;

Vehicles

Food Computers

Office supplies Paper Liquid fuel Furniture

Road materials

Pre-fab buildings Pest/weed control agents Paint/varnish

• CIWMB contracted Green Seal to help set EPP priorities based on product categories that would yield the largest environmental benefits.

• Without a centralized or automated purchasing system, at this time they are unable to measure results of their EPP program, although they are planning to track more metrics with their next system upgrade which will insure that all purchases are recorded in the same system.

• Recommend goals and metrics be applied to product categories that have adequate tools/calculators and standards. Their top choices; computers and peripherals, paper and food.

Conclusion

• Don’t be intimated to begin an EPP program• Start small and grow• Qualitative goals with continuous

improvement are great in the beginning• Verifiable 3rd party standards can be

cornerstones for the program

Verifiable 3rd party standards include:

• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) http://www.astm.org/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/index.shtml?E+mystore5

• Ecologo http://www.ecologo.org/ • Energy Star http://www.energystar.gov/ • EPEAT for Desktop computers http://www.epeat.net/ • Green Seal for office supplies http://www.greenseal.org/ • Green Shield http://www.greenshieldcertified.org/• Paper Calculator• Scientific Certification Systems http://www.scscertified.com/

Contact info:

Debra TaevsPPRC1402 Third Avenue, Suite 1420 Seattle, Washington 98101-2195Main: 206-352-2050dtaevs@pprc.orgwww.pprc.orgEPP Page http://pprc.org/research/epp/