Green purchasing is a way of adding environmental considerations to the price and performance of a product. Richland County teamed up with Office Depot on April 16th 2014 to share these ideas with County employees. Administrative assistants learned about products that can save you money and time, and how to chose the best product to fit your sustainability needs. Special guest Tyler McCart with Office Depot shared tips to help cut down on waste, contribute to resource conservation, and support responsible suppliers just from your everyday purchasing.
Here are some things we learned. If a purchase is necessary, look for a product with some or all of the following characteristics. They may be relevant to your acquisition whenever practical and without compromising safety, quality, or your budget.
Here are some things we learned. If a purchase is necessary, look for a product with some or all of the following characteristics. They may be relevant to your acquisition whenever practical and without compromising safety, quality, or your budget.
- Product is durable and expected to last
- Product is made in whole or in part from recycled material(s) or material derived from a renewable resource
- Product is made from material that can be fully recycled after use or at end of life
- Product failure parts can be replaced and recycled or returned to the manufacturer for reuse or remanufacture
- Product can easily be disassembled for appropriate recycling at end of life
- Product is energy and water efficient
- Printed product uses soy-based inks and the paper has a high recycled material content
- Product has little or no volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, lead or mercury
- Product will biodegrade readily in an industrial composting system
- Product is shipped securely with a minimum of packaging; all packaging is made from recycled materials and is itself 100% recyclable; or, Supplier takes back packaging for reuse