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Green Products

Edit page for everyone Last edited by Justin C on 01/18/08. Using version #9. Back in time

More and more green products are coming on the market. There are many different ways to measure what is the best green option for your business. Through out the following quesitons, you will see the products that we recommend. Or goal was to minimize the number of products that we recommend based on feedback from the GBP.com community. If you have a product that you recommend for a specific function, please feel free to let us know. There is a Recommend a Solution link in every question. 

Here are some purchasing practices that you can include in your own business:

1. Create a green purchasing policy or environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) policies.

  • Formal or simiply accepted policy.
  • Check the internet to barrow on what others have done.
  • See Certifications page, but always remember to use your own judgement.
  • Create an "approved list" of products that your employees can buy to ensure they are also chooing green products.

2. Embed sustainability language into your RFP's and contracts.

  • In anything you buy, ask the supplier for the most environmentally friendly options
  • Ask them to minimize the packaging or use re-usuable packaging material that they can pick up during the next delivery
  • Ask them to deliver your product in bulk to save on trips or combine with a nearby business to save truck roles.
  • EPA's environmentally preferable purchasing contracts db at www.epa.gov/oppt/epp/database.htm is a good place to get contracts you can use in your business.
  • EPPNet at www.nerc.org

3. Use service contracts to align the interests of your vendors with your own.

  • Convert products that you buy into services that your vendors can provide for you. This is getting more common with cleaning, you want to purchase clean floors, not chemicals. If you vendor makes money cleaning your floors rather then selling you chemicals, they will be motivated to use as little cleaning chemicals to do the job properly as possible. You get clean floors and use less chemicals at the same time.

4. Create a coalition.

  • If you can create buying leverage, you may be able to get the service you want, and have the environment impact neccessary, without increasing costs. The Chicago Green Restaurant Co-op at www.buygreenchicago.org has done this well.

5. Create a checklist to analyze products for more sustainable choices.

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