Purchasing for Environmental Health

Santa Monica, California and Environmentally Preferable Purchasing

In September, 1994, the City Council of Santa Monica, California adopted environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) as one of the eight guiding principles of the Santa Monica Sustainable City Plan. City officials in Santa Monica recognized the relationship between its purchasing decisions and the impact they have on public health and the environment, both locally and globally. Consequently, the city is committed to identifying and procuring products and services  that minimize the burden on the environment and human health for both current and future generations. The city has developed and abides by an environmentally and socially responsible procurement policy, which emphasizes long-term values and can serve as a model for other public as well as private organizations.

Santa Monica’s environmentally preferable purchasing policy affects many purchasing decisions, including office supplies, computer equipment, janitorial supplies, lighting, paint and others.

Some examples of outcomes of the EPP policy:

 * The police department purchases lead-free practice ammunition, saving $9,000/year in hazardous waste disposal costs.

 * The city purchases cleaning products that are biodegradable, lower in volatile organic compounds (VOC), and free of carcinogens, reproductive toxins, and ozone-depleting chemicals. This decision has saved the city 5% over the cost of conventional cleaning products.

 * The city employs an Integrated Pest Management program to reduce the use of and exposure to harmful pesticides.

Santa Monica’s environmentally preferable purchasing policy  is a large and positive step towards protecting the health of the workers, residents and environment. It can serve as an effective model for other cities.

More information is available at www.santa-monica.org/epd/.

Incentives for Cleaner Buses

In the spring of 2002, California voters passed Proposition 40, the California Clean Water, Clean Air, Safe Neighborhood Parks, and Coastal Protection Act. Proposition 40 allocates funds to the California Air Resources Board for the acquisition of "clean, safe, school buses for use in California's public schools that serve pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12." The program is part of the Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program that provides funds on an incentive-basis for the incremental cost of cleaner-than-required engines and equipment.

More information can be found at www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/moyer/moyer.htm.

Kaiser Permanente ‘s Environmental Initiatives

Kaiser Permanente is the largest nonprofit health care organization in the United States, serving approximately 8.2 million people in nine states and the District of Columbia. Kaiser Permanente has taken an important leadership role in its commitment to protect human and environmental health by incorporating responsible practices into all levels of its care delivery. Kaiser’s environmental  initiatives are focused on three areas: green buildings, which incorporates sustainable design and construction practices into all new construction and re-builds; environmentally responsible purchasing, which involves purchasing goods that incorporate post-consumer recycled content, selecting reusable and durable products and eliminating mercury content; and sustainable operations, which focuses on energy conservation measures that have eliminated millions of pounds of air pollutants annually.

Given its tremendous buying power and its plan to build 20 new hospitals in the next decade, Kaiser Permanente’s environmental initiatives are helping to drive a growing market demand for safer product alternatives that are competitively priced and superior in performance, such as PVC-free carpeting and building materials. Kaiser’s environmental initiatives serve as an exemplary model for other organizations to emulate.

Go to www.kp.org to learn more.

Consorta - Group Purchasing Policies

Consorta is a health care Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) that works with hospitals to leverage their buying power to get lower prices and better contracts for medical supplies. GPOs work by achieving economies of scale, which can also be used to improve the environmental performance of products produced for the health care sector. The power that GPOs hold to help hospitals achieve cost management and quality can also enhance a common mission to protect the environment and human health.

Consorta has implemented a comprehensive program for environmentally preferable purchasing. This program considers the environmental impacts of products throughout their life cycle and evaluates the quality, functionality and price alternative products. Consorta contracts for environmentally safe products that do not negatively impact other health issues; are manufactured by companies that are committed to reducing the manufacturing waste stream; combine environmentally friendly features with economy; are of high quality; offer the same or better functionality than current products; and are readily and reliably available at reasonable prices. Consorta takes into consideration the health and environmental  impacts of mercury, polyvinyl chloride, medical waste incineration and pesticides when making purchasing decisions.

As Consorta's environmentally preferable purchasing effort evolves and matures, it will continue to focus on collaboration with manufacturers to develop alternative products that are safer for patients, staff and the environment.

More information can be found at www.consorta.org.

Compact With America – Safer Health and Beauty Products

The Compact with America provides the opportunity for beauty product manufacturers to pledge to provide safer health and beauty products to its customers. The Compact is a part of a larger effort called, "The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics,” a coalition of public health, educational, religious, labor, women’s, environmental and consumer groups. The goal of the campaign is to protect the  health of consumers and workers by requiring the health and beauty industry to phase out the use of chemicals that are known or suspected carcinogens, mutagens and reproductive toxins.

In January 2003, the European Union (E.U.) amended the cosmetics directive (76/768/EEC) to ban the use of chemicals that are known or strongly suspected of causing cancer, mutations or birth defects. Companies are required to remove these chemicals from cosmetic products sold in the E.U. by September 2004. Since the E.U. directive requires that all cosmetic products containing toxic chemicals be reformulated for the E.U. market, cosmetics companies in the United States are being asked to make those reformulated products readily available in every market they serve - and to implement substitution plans that replace hazardous materials with safer alternatives within three years.

More information on the Compact with America can be found at www.safecosmetics.org.

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