Biden administration proposes sustainable procurement policy

The Biden-Harris administration has proposed a Sustainable Products and Services procurement rule it says will favor recycled-content products in purchases made by all U.S. government departments and agencies.

The proposal is being made through the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council with guidance coming from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“EPA’s federal purchasing recommendations include thousands of American-made products and services that address energy or water efficiency, per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) reduction or elimination, bio-based content, recycled content, ozone-safe substances and more,” the administration states.

If fully implemented, the policy could influence federal government spending of more than $630 billion annually on products and services, the administration says, with more than one-third of existing federal contracts containing a sustainable purchasing requirement.

“President Biden believes that when we spend American taxpayers’ dollars, we should be investing in America, reducing costs and building a more sustainable future,” says Brenda Mallory, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “Combined with President Biden’s Buy American directive, our proposed rule will boost federal agency purchases of EPA-recommended green products and services while creating well-paying jobs and investing in American manufacturing.”

The EPA recommendations refer to several existing certification or labeling systems, including EPA-backed or affiliated Energy Star, Safer Choice and EPEAT programs.

“For over 50 years, the federal government has played a leading role in promoting innovation, creating jobs, reducing emissions and shaping markets through its sustainable purchasing requirements," says Christine Harada, senior adviser at the Office of Federal Procurement Policy. "We look forward to continuing to build on this progress.”

In the electronics and telecom purchasing sector, the federal government’s purchase of more than 43 million EPEAT-registered electronic items in 2021 is estimated to have saved taxpayers around $2 billion in energy costs over the lifetime of those products, the White House says.

The EPEAT certification also has materials selection criteria that can favor a minimum postconsumer recycled plastic, IT-derived postconsumer recycled plastic or bio-based plastic content, according to the Portland, Oregon-based Green Electronics Council.

In one reaction to the announcement, Yong Kwon, a senior policy advisor with the California-based Sierra Club, says, “Not only will these new standards ensure government spending prioritizes and supports domestic manufacturing, they will also help prompt manufacturers to take advantage of the investments and technical assistance for new technologies made available through complementary public initiatives.”