Green Purchasing – Recyclability
One of the considerations of Green Procurement is the ability to recycle products or their component parts after use. Buying recycled products, or products containing recycled materials in the first place, can reduce the waste stream, improve sustainability and help support and develop the market for these products.
"Extended Producer Responsibility" is an emerging concept in which manufacturers assume some or all of the burden of recycling their products.
Resources
UPSTREAM, formerly the Product Policy Institute, is a nonprofit research organization developing and supporting "cradle-to-cradle" policies and working to support local municipalities in their efforts to buy responsibly.
The California Product Stewardship Council has some excellent information on their site to help local governments incorporate concepts of Extended Producer Responsibility into their policies, regulations and agreements.
EPEAT is a global registry for greener electronics for purchasers, manufacturers, resellers and others wanting to find or promote environmentally preferable products.
The EPA has developed Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines for recycled materials and products, and the EPA web site has lots of information about specifications, available products and suppliers.
References
[1] Simcoe, T., & Toffel, M. W. (2014). Government green procurement spillovers: Evidence from municipal building policies in California. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 68(3), 411-434.
[2] National Association of State Procurement Officials. (2016). NASPO Green Purchasing Guide. http://www.naspo.org/green/index.html
[3] Atasu, A., & Subramanian, R. (2012). Extended Producer Responsibility for E-Waste: Individual or Collective Responsibility? Production and Operations Management, 21(6), 1042-1059.