6 Environmentally Purchasing
program's progress, successes and challenges and work regularly with the Carver
County EPP Coordinator as well.
Implementation of this program would happen no later than June 1, 2002. At that
time all departments would use, and require their contractors and consultants to
use environmentally preferable products and services where practicable.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the attached Environmental
Preferable Purchasing Policy.
SUBJECT
Ci! of Chanhassen Environmentally Preferable Purchhsing Policy
EFFECTIVE DATE: January 28, 2002
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Subject .................................... Section
Purpose .................................... Section
Performance and Availability ..........Section
Definitions ............................... Section
Background .............................. Section
1.0 .............. Page 1
2.0 .............. Page 1
3.0 .............. Page 1
4.0 .............. Page 1
5.0 .............. Page 2
General Policies .......................... Section 6.0 .............. Page 3
Price-Preference ......................... Section 7.0 .............. Page 3
Research, Planning and Education .... Section 8.0 .............. Page 3
Specifications ........................... Section 9.0 .............. Page 4
2.0 PURPOSE
C(
The goal of this policy is to encourage and increase the use of environmentally
products and services in the City of Chanhassen. By including environmental
',iderations in purchasing decisions, the City of Chanhassen can promote practices that
public and worker health, conserve natural resources, and reward
ronmentally conscious manufacturers, while remaining fiscally responsible.
3.0 PERFORMANCE, PRICE, AND AVAILABILITY
exc
Nothing contained in this policy shall be construed as requiring a department or
ractor to procure products that do not perform adequately for their intended use,
adequate competition, or are not available at a reasonable price in a reasonable
of time.
4.0 DEFINITIONS
:he purpose of this policy, the following definitions shall apply:
· 'Available locally" means that one or more businesses within the county or
mmediate surrounding areas are able to provide goods and services in a timely
and in sufficient quantity and quality to meet a specific department/agency
teed.
· 'Biodegradable" means the ability of a substance, material, or product ingredient to
decompose by the action of microbes.
· "Chlorofluorocarbon, (CFC)" refers to the family of compounds of chlorine, fluorine,
[nd carbon. CFC's contribute to the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer, and
~ave been used as an ingredient for refrigerants, solvents, and for blowing plastic-
foam insulation and packaging. The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete
the Ozone Layer calls for complete elimination of CFC production.
· "Environmentally preferable products and services" as defined by Presidential
Executive Order 13101, means products and services that have a lesser or reduced
effect on human health and the environment when compared to competing products
and services that serve the same purpose. This applies to raw material acquisition, as
well as product manufacturing, distribution, use, maintenance, and disposal.
· "Green building practices" means the incorporation of environmental, health, and
waste prevention criteria in building design, site-planning and preparation, materials
acquisition, construction or remodeling, deconstruction, and waste disposal.
· "Integrated pest management" means the use of a combination of pest control
methods including improved sanitation, mechanical, physical, biological, or chemical
means.
· "Post-consumer recycled material" refers to material that has served its intended use
and has been discarded for disposal or recovery, having completed its life as a
consumer item, and is used as a raw material for new products.
· "Practicable" means satisfactory and within reason when considering price,
performance, availability, compatibility with specified operation, and public safety.
· "Price-preference" means a percentage of increase in price that (jurisdiction) will pay
to obtain a designated product or service.
· "Processed-chlorine free paper" refers to paper that is manufactured using a
percentage of post-consumer recycled paper fiber (that may contain residues of
chlorine) and is whitened without adding chlorine or chlorine derivatives.
· "Rainforest hardwood/tropical wood" means wood that originates from trees grown in
a rainforest.
· "Recyclable" refers to a material or product that can be reprocessed, remanufactured,
or reused using cmTent technology.
5.0 BACKGROUND
Local and state government, combined, purchase more than $1 trillion of goods and
services each year. Many of these products contribute to problems in the overall
environment, including contamination of the air and water, and depletion of
environmental resources. In some instances, products require special waste disposal and
reporting procedures that can be cumbersome and expensive. Furthermore, local
government employees using these products may be exposed to compounds that are
potentially harmful to their health.
The City of Chanhassen has an opportunity to serve as a community model for
environmental leadership by incorporating a plan of action that will conserve precious
resources such as water, raw materials, and energy, reduce or eliminate the use of
hazardous substances, and potentially improve the environmental quality of the region.
By incorporating environmental considerations in public purchasing, the City of
Chanhassen can reduce its burden on the local and global environment, remove
unnecessary hazards from its operations, protect public health, reduce costs and
liabilities, and help develop markets for environmentally responsible products.
6.0
to
wh~
POLICIES
City shall designate an Environmental Purchasing Coordinator(s) or Committee
:t as a liaison with the Carver County Environmental Purchasing Coordinator(s),
with individual departments opportunities to increase environmental purchasing
relevant, coordinate outreach/training for staff, report to jurisdiction leadership,
general support to maintain the environmental purchasing program.
departments shall use, and require their contractors and consultants to use
y preferable products where practicable no later than June 1, 2002.
7.0
E-PREFERENCE
City of Chanhassen may purchase environmentally preferable products and services
w the price of these products does not exceed the price of standard products and
.ces by more than ten percent. In order to maximize the quantity and quality of
y preferable products and services purchased, the City of Chanhassen also
m~ use other appropriate procedures to acquire these products and services at the most
eco omical cost to the city.
Wh
proJ
purchasing commodities and services, the City of Chanhassen shall apply and
the preferred waste management practices listed in Minnesota Statue 115A.02,
special emphasis on reduction or elimination of the quantity and toxicity of
in waste:
"A
entity, in developing bid specifications, shall consider the extent to which a commodity or
tct is durable, reusable, or recyclable and marketable through the applicable local or regional recycling
~m and the extent to which the commodity or product contains postconsumer material."
8.0
, PLANNING, AND EDUCATION
Environmental Purchasing Coordinator(s) or Committee shall research
o ~rtunities to (a) expand the purchase of environmentally preferable products; (b)
ideJ 5fy environmentally preferable alternatives; (c) recommend goals, where practicable,
to alternative processes within the City of Chanhassen operations that will reduce
the tse/disposal of hazardous substances and will promote resource conservation; and (d)
coll and maintain up-to-date information regarding manufacturers, vendors, and other
for locating/ordering environmentally preferable products. The Coordinator(s) or
shall provide applicable information to all departments.
Coordinator(s) or Committee shall submit annual reports to the City Council and
Manager by September 1, regarding the status of this policy's implementation. This
re shall include total purchases of environmentally preferable products by each
depl results of designated product evaluations, and the financial status for
ementation of this policy including indirect and direct costs/savings.
Relevant departments, offices, and agencies shall assign staff to: -
that contracting procedures do not discriminate against reusable, recycled, or
y preferable products without justification;
Evaluate environmentally preferable products to determine the extent to which they
may be used by the City of Chanhassen and its contractors;
Review and revise contracting procedures to maximize the specification of designated
environmentally preferable products where practicable;
Facilitate data collection on purchases of designated environmentally preferable
products by the City and its contractors and report the data to the Environmentally
Preferable Purchasing Coordinator(s) by July 31st each year for inclusion in the
annual report to the City Council.
9.0 SPECIFICATIONS
By March 1, 2002, to the extent practicable, the City of Chanhassen will begin to phase
in purchasing specifications that follow U.S. EPA Comprehensive Procurement
Guidelines for products containing recycled content. Recovered Materials Advisory
Notices (RMAN) shall be used as a reference for determining the recycled content
specifications for these products.