Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Guidelines and Procedures

In cooperation with their internal and external customers, the County of Sacramento (throughout this document the term “County” includes all County of Sacramento agencies, departments, and divisions) shall purchase the following recycled products:

A. Printing and Writing Papers, including all imprinted letterhead paper, envelopes, copy paper and business cards. These shall contain a minimum of 30% postconsumer recycled content. (Refer to Attachment 3 – SB 1383 Recycled-Content Paper Procurement Requirements)

B. Paper Products, including janitorial supplies, shop towels, hand towels, facial tissue, toilet paper, seat covers, corrugated boxes, file boxes, hanging file folders and other products comprised largely of paper. (Refer to Attachment 3 – SB 1383 Recycled-Content Paper Procurement Requirements)

C. Recovered Organic Waste Products, including SB 1383 Eligible Compost, SB 1383 Eligible Mulch, SB 1383 Eligible Renewable Gas, and SB 1383 Eligible Electricity Procured from Biomass Conversion. (Refer to Attachment 4 – SB 1383 Organic Waste Product Procurement Requirements)

A. Product Categories In cooperation with their internal and external customers, the County shall at a minimum, evaluate the following environmentally preferred product categories and purchase them whenever practical:

1. Remanufactured laser printer toner cartridges and remanufactured refillable ink-jet cartridges
2. Janitorial and cleaning products with County recognized Ecolabels
3. Re-refined antifreeze, including on-site antifreeze recycling
4. Re-refined lubricating and hydraulic oils
5. Renewable CNG and diesel fuels in place of traditional CNG and diesel fuels for County vehicles in on- and off-road fleets using these fuels (Final Draft Climate Action Plan Policies GOV-FL-02 and GOV-FL-03).
6. Recycled plastic outdoor-wood substitutes, including plastic lumber, benches, fencing, signs and posts
7. Recycled content construction, building and maintenance products, including plastic lumber, carpet, tiles, and insulation 
8. Re-crushed cement concrete aggregate and asphalt
9. Cement and asphalt concrete containing tire rubber, glass cullet, recycled fiber, plastic, fly ash or other alternative products, or low carbon concrete
10. Re-treaded tires and products made from recycled tire rubber including rubberized asphalt, playground surfaces and fatigue mats
11. Recycled content paint
12. Landscaping that fits the natural ecosystems and fosters soil health,reduces runoff and pollution, prevents and reuses plant waste, and conserves water and other natural resources
13. Energy efficient appliances, lighting, and building materials Water efficient products where available, including for upgrades or refurbishments
14. Furniture made with recycled content to promote waste diversion and furniture that does not include certain chemical additives to improve indoor air quality and employee and resident health
15. EPEAT registered technology and electronic products
16. Other products or services that are available in the marketplace or as designated by General Services 

B. Sustainability Considerations

Sustainability considerations by County employees responsible for purchasing decisions and in furtherance of this policy, include but are not limited to:

1. Third-party environmental certifications as approved by the State of California Third Party Environmental Certifications by Category and/or the Environmental Protection Agency Recommendations of Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing.   
2. Opportunities for product source reduction
3. Product life-cycle impacts and costs
4. Greenhouse gas emissions and compatibility with the carbon neutrality Goals in Climate Emergency Resolution 2020-0856 (this may factor into the location and transportation of products or services)
5. Equity and environmental justice impacts
6. Pollutant releases in manufacturing, transport, and use of products, and related services
7. Toxicity, especially the use of persistent, bio-accumulative and toxic chemicals
8. Energy and water consumption considerations, in product production and life-cycle, and in the delivery of services
9. Impacts on natural resources, biodiversity and habitat
10. Consideration of impacts on County resident and employee health 

C. Fiscal Considerations  

Fiscal considerations by County employees responsible for purchasing decisions and in furtherance of this policy include, but are not limited to: 

1. Availability of environmentally preferable products and services in the marketplace and pricing compared to less desirable alternatives
2. Use reduction opportunities Countywide
3. Life-cycle cost assessment to identify the lowest total life-cycle cost to the County, including: performance, durability, repairability, disposal, and replacement costs
4. Opportunities to leverage buying power for Countywide or cross depart- mental purchases where practical
5. Impacts on County staff time and labor 6. Long-term financial or other market changes

All County employees are encouraged to reduce their consumption of resources by incorporating the following practices into their daily activities and operations. Accomplishment of these activities will be through appropriate staff diligence and resources such as County newsletters and the County Public Information Office (“PIO”). 

A. Consider durability and repairability of products prior to purchase

B. Conduct routine maintenance on products or equipment to increase their useful life

C. Use duplex features on printers and copiers, and specify duplex on print jobs

D. Create electronic letterhead for Countywide use

E. Send and store information electronically when possible

F. Review record retention policies and implement document imaging systems

G. Identify and eliminate single use products where coalternatives are available

H. Use surplus County property in lieu of new purchases when available

I. Use interdepartmental or interagency loans or other pooled resources in lieu of new purchases when practical

J. Other waste prevention practices that further the goals of this policy

A. County Agencies, Departments, and Divisions

All County agencies, departments, and divisions are responsible for the implementation of this policy and shall:

1. Practice waste prevention and reduction whenever possible by reducing the purchase of items that cannot be recycled locally, and by 
2. reusing items as much as possible. 
3. Continue to utilize recycling programs and expand programs where possible. 
4. Procure recycled or environmentally preferable products and services whenever practical. 
5. Develop, evaluate and maintain information about environmentally preferable and/or recycled products containing the maximum practical amount of recycled materials. Cross-share information with other departments when potential shared use of a product exists. 
6. Develop specifications used in public bidding aimed at eliminating barriers to recycled-content or environmentally preferable products, such as outdated or overly stringent product specifications and specifications not related to product performance. 
7. Develop specifications that include environmentally preferable attributes where practical or available and where the requirement does not unduly restrict competition. 
8. Ensure that procurement documents issued by the departments require environmental preferred alternatives whenever practical. 
9. Educate and promote this policy through appropriate staff and the use of department communications, such as PIOs, newsletters, special events, etc. This should include documentation of successes, challenges, changes, and goals, etc. 
10. Provide the Department of General Services, Contracts and Purchasing Services Division (“CAPSD”) as directed by the Recordkeeping Designee with information on recycling activities, recycling programs, recycled-content purchases, and SB 1383 eligible purchases.  
11. Inform employees of their responsibilities under this policy and provide information on recycled products and environmental preferable procurement opportunities. 
12. Submit new ideas or suggestions to CAPSD in furtherance of this policy.

B. Department of General Services

The Department of General Services, CAPSD shall: 

1. Maintain and use information, furnished by its customers, about environmentally preferable and recycled products containing the maximum practical amount of recycled materials and encourage the County to purchase such products whenever possible
2. Provide County purchasers with vendor furnished information about recycled products and environmental procurement opportunities.
3. Inform vendors of the County’s EPP Policy and include contract clauses required for SB 1383 compliance.
4. Structure applicable contracts to offer and/or feature recycled content products and services whenever possible, or as required pursuant to SB 1383.
5. Encourage development of specifications used in public bidding aimed at eliminating barriers to recycled-content products and environmentally preferable products, such as outdated or overly stringent product specifications and specifications not related to product performance.
6. Ensure all requests for proposals encourage vendors to offer recycled, or environmentally preferable products and sustainable business practices whenever practical.
7. Propose inclusion of Eco-labels or other third party certifications in contract specifications wherever practical.
8. Provide information to departments on State of California competitively procured “Buying Green” contracts that are available for County use.
9. Revise this EPP policy as needed to reflect current best practices, changes in the marketplace, innovations, revised legal require- ments, or goals. 

A. The Department of General Services will be the responsible department and will select an employee to act as the Recordkeeping Designee that will be responsible for obtaining records pertaining to Procurement of Recovered Organic Waste Products and Recycled-Content Paper Products and Recycled Content Printing and Writing Paper. 

B. The Recordkeeping Designee will do the following to track Procurement of Recovered Organic Waste Products, Recycled Content Paper Products, and Recycled-Content Printing and Writing Paper:

1. Maintain copies of invoices or receipts or other proof of purchase that describe the procurement of Printing and Writing Paper and Paper Products, including the volume and type of all paper purchases; and, copies of certifications and other required verifications from all departments and/or divisions procuring Paper Products and Printing and Writing Paper (whether or not they contain recycled content) and/or from the vendors providing Printing and Writing Paper and Paper Products. These records must be kept as part of Jurisdiction’s documentation of its compliance with 14 CCR Section 18993.3.
2. Maintain copies of invoices or receipts or documentation evidencing procurement from all departments and divisions procuring Recovered Organic Waste Products and invoices or similar records from vendors/contractors/others procuring Recovered Organic Waste Products on behalf of the County to develop evidence of County meeting its Annual Recovered Organic Waste Product Procurement Target. These records must be kept as part of the County’s documentation of its compliance with 14 CCR Section 18993.1.
3. Maintain documentation submitted by the County, Direct Service Providers, and/or vendors, including the information reported to the Recordkeeping Designee in accordance with Attachments 3 and 4.
4. Compile an annual report on the County’s direct procurement, and vendor/other procurement on behalf of the County, of Recovered Organic Waste Products, Recycled-Content Paper Products, and Recycled-Content Printing and Writing Paper, consistent with the recordkeeping requirements contained in 14 CCR Section 18993.2 for the Annual Recovered Organic Waste Product Procurement Target and 14 CCR Section 18993.4 for Recycled-Content Paper Products and Recycled-Content Printing and Writing Paper procurement. This report shall be made available to the County’s Department of Waste Management and Recycling, the responsible entity for compiling the annual report to be submitted to CalRecycle pursuant to 14 CCR Division 7, Chapter 12, Article 13.