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Green Product Certification, Green Procurement, and Greening the Government. Presentation to CIWMB Arthur Weissman, Ph.D. President and CEO, Green Seal, Inc. June 13, 2006. Overview of Presentation. Green Product Certification: technical, procedural basis value for procurement
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Green Product Certification, Green Procurement, and Greening the Government Presentation to CIWMB Arthur Weissman, Ph.D. President and CEO, Green Seal, Inc. June 13, 2006
Overview of Presentation • Green Product Certification: • technical, procedural basis • value for procurement • Green Procurement: • current and past activities in California • Greening Government • what next? • Information on Green Seal, Inc., and Its Programs (and as examples)
Background on Green Seal, Inc. • Non-profit with environmental mission: Green Seal's mission is to achieve significant environmental improvement by encouraging the purchase and production of products and services that work well and have less impact on the environment.
Background on Green Seal (con’t.) • Science-based • Exclusive focus on products, services, purchasing, operations • Multiple product categories • Multiple criteria (life-cycle approach) • Meets EPA, ISO criteria for 3rd-party certifiers • No financial interest in products, companies
Green Product Certification • Technical Basis: • Use best available science • Base on life-cycle of product • Identify leadership levels to move market • Procedural Basis: • Use open and transparent process • No financial interest or conflict-of-interest
Green Product Certification (continued) • Value for Procurement: • Identify green products/services • Verify legitimate claims • Provide explicit, objective standards • Provide criteria for specifications, bids
Green Product Certification (continued) • Value for Procurement: (continued) • Certification demonstrates compliance • Expert, independent assessment • Considers product performance • Can provide competitive bids if standards set properly
Green Seal’s Certification Program • GS standards in number of categories recognized by market • Over 600 hundred products/services certified • range from windows, electric chillers, and lodging facilities to institutional cleaners, paints, paper products, etc.
Green Seal Meets Applicable Guidelines for Certification • ISO 14020 and 14024 • Principles of Environmental Labeling • Principles and Procedures for Type I EL • EPA Guidelines for 3rd-Party Certifiers • Global Ecolabelling Network membership criteria
Green Seal Meets Applicable Guidelines for Certification (con’t.) • Key attributes: • open, transparent process • based on life-cycle evaluation • impartial; no financial interest/conflict • leadership levels in standards • developed by consensus if possible • monitored and enforced
How Green Seal SetsEnvironmental Standards • Appoint Stakeholder Committee (incl. users, manufacturers, trade groups, government, environmentalists, others)* • Study category • Environmental Evaluation • Draft standard • Public review • Response-to-Comments • Stakeholder ballots* • Publish standard * where resources allow
Manufacturers Seventh Generation Spartan Chemical Clean Environment Co. Church & Dwight 3M Users US Postal Service Aberdeen Proving Ground Int’l Exec Housekeepers Assn American Federation of State, County, & Munic. Employees ServiceMaster Industries Government City of Santa Monica MN Ofc Of Env Assist. MA Exec Ofc of Env Affairs US EPA US GSA Environmental INFORM Global Toxics Campaign, WWF Washington Toxics Coalition Environmental Health Coalition Others UMass Toxics Use Reduction Institute Individual experts Sample Stakeholder Committee
3M PPG Office Depot Ecolab Fuller Brush Bay West Paper EnvirOx Andersen Windows JohnsonDiversey Spartan Hillyard Benjamin Moore Trane Rochester Midland Mohawk Paper Neenah Paper Certified Product Manufacturers (sample)
Sample Uses By Government • U.S. Department of the Interior • adopted GS-37 for its offices & parks • “...managers who follow Green Seal standards will be on the cutting edge of green cleaning…” • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • EPP goals for 2005 & 2010 include “greening” janitorial & maintenance services contracts • “All janitorial services contracts should.... specify use of products which meet the Green Seal Cleaning Products Standard.” • States, cities, and counties (sample) – GS-11, 37 • Mass., Penn., Minn., Ill., King County (Wa.), Santa Monica
Green Procurement • Significance: State/local over $370 billion per year • Huge potential to affect market • Some Current Activities in California: • EPP Task Force • EPP Best Practices Manual • Need for institutionalizing, including training
Green Procurement (continued) • Some Past Activities: • Project to Institutionalize Green Procurement, 2002-3 (DGS/Procurement Division) • Electronics Guidelines (DGS, CalEPA) • Program Evaluation of SABRC • California Green Lodging Program • Sustainable Buildings – products for Capitol East End Complex
Environmentally Preferable Bathroom Tissue and Paper Towel Products for the State of California Project to Green California Procurement Task 5a for the State of California's Procurement Division Department of General Services Earl Santee, State Project Officer by Green Seal, Inc. Washington, D.C. August 12, 2002 Contract No. 3046347
Electronics Guidance for California • Guidelines for the Procurement, Use and End-of-Life Management of Electronic Equipment: • http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/electronics/procurement/pueol/FinalGuide.pdf
Greening Government • Procurement, operations, facilities management, fleets, travel, meetings, construction/renovation, production (e.g., Prison Industries), etc. • Some States have formal policies, orders • State as example, model, leader • also, significant influence on market
Some Other Greening Activities in California • Cal. EPA Environmental Management System • Green buildings • new construction to LEED-NC • existing to LEED-EB • energy-efficient and producing • new schools • Alternative-fueled fleets
Green Seal’s Greening Your Government Program • Assists in purchasing, operations, facilities management • Experience at Federal, State, local levels • Facilitates implementation of sustainability programs
Building Guidance for Pennsylvania • ThePennsylvania Green Building Operations and Maintenance Manual • http://www.dgs.state.pa.us/dgs/lib/dgs/green_bldg/greenbuildingbook.pdf
Green Seal’s Green Lodging Program • Have promoted environmentally responsible lodging since 1996 • Certification, guidance, case studies • Environmental Standard for Lodging Properties: GS-33 • Work with governments: U.S. EPA, Penn., Cal., Md., Ga., Va.
Federal: U.S. Army, Aberdeen Proving Ground U.S. EPA U.S. Dept. of Energy National Park Service U.S. Dept. of Interior Educational, Other: University of Miami, BC World Bank, IADB, NFCU State and Local: California Pennsylvania Massachusetts Maryland Virginia Georgia City of Philadelphia Green Seal’s Institutional Clients
What Still Needs To Be Done In California • Further institutionalization • training on best practices • making green procurement SOP • Additional env’l criteria for priority categories • 2002-3 project only covered 4 of 50 • build on EPP BP Manual to develop specs • Further work in operations: travel (lodging), meetings, building O&M, fleets, etc.
Conclusions • Environmental certification programs support green procurement • Greening government is central goal • Green Seal has years of experience • certification • greening government • California can become world leader