Green Procurement

Organizations

Green Products Alliance
http://www.greenproductsalliance.com
Consortium of manufacturers who make and sell natural personal care products. Member companies work together to lower raw material, marketing, advertising, and PR costs through cooperative projects and group buying. Membership is free. All products are subjected to a rigorous set of standards measuring the Alliance's definition of "natural."

Green Seal
http://www.greenseal.org
The "Consumer Reports" for the environment. Researches and recommends environmentally-preferable brands across a wide range of products.

International Federation for Alternative Trade (IFAT)
http://www.ifat.org
Federation of producers and alternative trading organizations (ATOs).

King County's Recycled Procurement Program
http://www.metrokc.gov/procure/green/index.htm

Sustainable Green Printing Partnership
http://www.sgppartnership.org
Due to a growing demand for sustainable printers, the Sustainable Green Printing (SGP) Partnership was formed to establish a source of credible information related to sustainable business practices across all print platforms. Provides benchmarking tools applicable to the printing industry; provides verification of green and sustainable business practices based on a published list of criteria; and publically recognizes facilities that meet established criteria.

Sustainable Hospitals
http://www.sustainablehospitals.org
Helps health-care facility managers select products and establishing work practices that reduce occupational and environmental hazards, while maintaining quality patient care and containing costs. Find environmentally preferable dialysis equipment, laboratory chemicals and equipment, needles, sterilants and disinfectants, thermometers, and more.

Sustainable Products Purchasing Coalition
http://www.sppcoalition.org
Uses aggregate purchasing power to show the marketplace the value of providing verifiable environmental product data.

US EPA Environmentally-Preferable Purchasing Program
http://www.epa.gov/epp/
Helps the federal government "buy green," and in doing so, uses the federal government's enormous buying power to stimulate market demand for green products and services. Use this site to find information about green products and services; identify federal green buying requirements; calculate the costs and benefits of purchasing choices; Manage green purchasing processes.

Database(s)

ResponsibleShopper.org
http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/rs/
In-depth social/ environmental profiles on hundreds of companies. Compare companies and investigate industries.

Listserv(s)

Environmentally Preferable Products Procurement Listserv
http://www.nerc.org/eppnet/index.html
EPPnet, the Environmentally Preferable Products Procurement Listserv, links public and private purchasing officials interested in buying environmental products.