Recycled Content Products

Recycled content items are items produced with recovered materials. The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Comprehensive Procurement Guideline Program (CPG) defines recycled content preference items and lists items manufactured with recycled material that EPA deems equivalent to virgin material for standard applications.

Under Section 6002 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), EPA is required to designate items that are or can be produced with recovered materials and to recommend practices for buying these items. RCRA Section 6002 also requires purchasing agencies to establish Affirmative Procurement Programs (APP) for EPA designated items.

Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 23 requires agencies to purchase recycled content products.

FAR 23.403 requires competitive cost-effective purchases of products that meet reasonable performance requirements and are composed of the highest percentage of recovered materials practicable.
FAR 23.404 requires agencies to have an APP that provides guidelines for purchasing items with recycled content.
FAR 23.406 requires the insertion of contract clauses regarding Recovered Material Certification (FAR 52.223-4), Estimate of Percentage of Recovered Material Content for EPA-Designated Products (FAR 52.223-9), and affirmative procurement of EPA-Designated Items in Service and Construction Contracts (FAR 52.223-17).
FAR 23.705 requires the insertion of the Waste Reduction Program clause (FAR 52.223-10) in all solicitations and contracts for contractor operation of government-owned or government-leased facilities, and for services at these locations.

Additionally, FAR Parts 4, 10, 12, 13, and 36 also include recycled content item requirements:

FAR Part 4.3 requires contractors to submit acquisition-related paper documents to the government on printed or copied double-sided recycled paper, whenever practicable.
FAR Part 10.001 and 10.002 requires agencies to use the results of market research to ensure the maximum practicable use of recovered materials and promote energy conservation and efficiency.
FAR Part 12.301 allows contracting officers to use provisions and clauses regarding the use of recycled products, when appropriate.
FAR Part 13.201 requires purchases made at or below the micro-purchase threshold to comply with the RCRA and EO 13101 [PDF – 97K].
FAR Part 36.6 requires the statement of work for facility design contracts to use the maximum practicable amount of recycled materials.

Executive Orders (EO): EO 13514 [PDF – 113K] requires federal agencies to:

Ensure that 95 percent of new contract actions, including task and delivery orders for products and services, contain recycled content material, where such products and services meet agency performance requirements; and,
Promote pollution prevention and eliminate waste by reducing printing paper use and acquiring uncoated printing and writing paper containing at least 30 percent post-consumer fiber.

EO 13423 sets standards for sustainable environmental practices, including the acquisition of products and services that have recycled content. The executive order maintains the requirement that agencies use paper containing at least 30 percent post-consumer fiber. Cost-effective waste prevention and recycling programs must be maintained in agency facilities.

Find and Purchase

Currently, EPA has designated more than 60 items in the following eight product categories:

Construction Products
Landscaping Products
Non-Paper Office Products
Paper and Paper Products
Park and Recreation Products
Transportation Products
Vehicular Products
Miscellaneous Products

Recycled products are available for purchase at GSA Advantage!® and GSA Global Supply™. Visit GSA’s Environmental Products Portal to view GSA Advantage! Schedules and Special Item Numbers (SINs) and Global Supply System National Stock Numbers (NSNs).