Buying Green
Green purchasing means looking beyond the initial price of a product or service. You should consider impacts on worker health and safety, product operation and use, impacts on surrounding communities, and end-of-life disposition. For example, a product that is recyclable or managed as a solid waste costs an agency less over its life than a product that must be managed as non recyclable or a hazardous waste.
The Federal green purchasing program is the most comprehensive in the world. It consists of component programs created under various statutes and executive orders that are being implemented as one program by federal agencies.
GSA Schedules makes putting all this guidance together simple. Our Environmental Products Overview page contains many Schedules resources that meet will meet these environmental requirements. You can easily search green product categories with the Green Products Compilation tool.
Examples of Designated "Green" Products include:
- Personal and institutional cleaning products;
- Cafeteria-ware, especially biobased content products;
- Paper office products;
- Printing products;
- Office electronics; and,
- Fleet vehicles.
