Green Purchasing— Leading By Example

In many ways, the modern green purchasing movement dates its beginning to 1989 when King County, WA, enacted its Recycled Product Procurement Policy. While other governments introduced buy-recycled policies around the same time, King County was one of the only governments to devote a full-time staff person to implement its policy. After several years of increasing success, the county officially expanded its green purchasing efforts beyond recycled-content to incorporate additional human health and environmental considerations when it updated its original policy in 1995.

The program continues to expand in scope and influence while constrained by a tight budget. It now includes two full-time program managers who helped facilitate $17.7 million in green purchasing during the county’s most recent reporting period (July 2003 to December 2004). During that same period, they also identified $950,000 in savings when comparing the cost of selected green products with their traditional counterparts.

This article shares some of the successful strategies King County has implemented and highlights some of the county’s more recent green purchasing successes.

Program Structure

The King County Environmental Purchasing Program has two program managers, Karen Hamilton and Eric Nelson, available to help the county’s 17,000 employees find environmentally preferable alternatives for upcoming purchases. The program is a part of the Procurement and Contract Services Section along with professional staff responsible for goods and services, consulting, and construction procurement.

Program Goals and Practices

The King County green purchasing program is effective because support for the effort exists throughout all levels of the county government. Ron Sims, the King County Executive, frequently references the county’s green purchasing efforts as an important indicator of the county’s progressive, yet fiscally conservative approach to government. “It’s our role to be good stewards of the county’s limited resources,” he explained, “and that means being conservative with how we use the public’s tax money, how we use the public’s trees, and how we use the public’s clean air, water, and other natural resources.”

Sims sees the county’s green purchasing program as a way to “minimize resource use while maximizing the county’s ability to buy smartly.” According to him, green purchasing is “a good investment in the future and a great investment in the present.”

The political endorsements are supported by a strong policy. As established in the original 1989 ordinance, King County employees are required to purchase recycled and other environmentally preferable products “whenever practicable.” As explained by the county’s environmental purchasing program managers, this means the county has established “a goal of buying green products for 100 percent of the cases in which it is realistically possible to do so.” Hamilton and Nelson note, however, that what is possible changes as products improve, prices decline, and markets evolve.

From a practical perspective, the environmental purchasing program managers are never in a position to require end users or buyers to adopt the more environmentally preferable alternative. The final decision always rests with the end users. This, according to the program managers, is as it should be. “It is, after all, the end users who are ultimately responsible for completing the work and they know their needs better than anyone else in the county.”

This approach appears to work well for the county employees who make the county’s program so successful. Bob Toppen, Equipment Manager for the Fleet Administration, for example, has been quite effective introducing environmentally preferable products into his department. “There’s support from above to explore green products,” he explained, “and support on the ground to make it happen.” Describing the value of working with Hamilton and Nelson, he portrayed it as “a wonderful back-and-forth process among the three of us. Some ideas originate with them; several have originated from within my office. We couldn’t do it without them.”

Roles of Environmental Purchasing Managers

Hamilton and Nelson see it as their role, as defined by county policy, to share opportunities for end users to incorporate additional human health or environmental considerations into their purchasing requirements. They share information, ask questions, test products, and occasionally make recommendations. When an end user is interested in establishing a contract for a product or service, they work with the county’s buyers to prepare the necessary purchasing documents, identify potential bidders, and provide expertise during the bid review process. After the initial purchase, the program managers track the effectiveness of the environmentally preferable alternative and share the information with others.

The role of the King County environmental purchasing managers is not to police the purchasing process or enforce the green purchasing policy requirements. Instead, they see themselves as facilitators who help agencies achieve the policy’s environmental purchasing objectives, which include ensuring that products meet price and performance requirements.

As facilitators, they play three key roles: (1) inspiring interest; (2) conducting research; and (3) providing assistance.

• Inspiring Interest - Most end users and buyers do not routinely address the human health and environmental impacts of their purchasing decisions. The King County environmental purchasing managers present opportunities for county employees to think about those impacts for selected purchases. They create such opportunities by sharing a steady stream of information about what other county employees and others around the country are doing to improve their purchasing decisions. The information is presented in a variety of formats from one-on-one conversations to e-mail newsletters and more formal presentations.
The benefits of their strategy are not limited to King County. Given the wide national and international reach of their materials, other jurisdictions have been inspired to tackle specific environmental purchasing opportunities. “Ultimately, the broad dissemination of our message benefits the county,” explained Hamilton. “As more and more entities begin buying environmentally preferable products, they become more widely available and more affordable for all of us; and we all learn from each other how to do it even better next time.”

• Conducting Research - Hamilton and Nelson are constantly seeking new and innovative products with beneficial human health or related environmental features. They identify potential products through their networks of environmental purchasing advocates, green product manufacturers and service providers, green purchasing listservs, and personal contact with end users. When they have a product or service that appears to meet existing standards while providing environmental benefits, they share their findings with the relevant end users to determine if there is any interest in pursuing the idea any further.
Other times, end users or environmental advocates approach them about an idea. They then investigate the idea to determine if the proposed products appear to meet the performance requirements of the customary product.

• Providing Assistance - Making the switch to a more environmentally preferable alternative can mean additional work for both the buyer and the specification writer (usually the end user). It can require writing new specifications, identifying additional suppliers, and developing the appropriate expertise on the bid-evaluation team. The environmental purchasing managers facilitate the process by conducting any additional research, sharing information among the various parties, and documenting the benefits of the resulting effort.

Purchasing Examples

Each year, King County makes dozens of environmentally preferable purchasing decisions. Each purchase is documented to record the resulting benefits and any recommendations for future purchases. Information about each purchase is available on the King County Environmental Purchasing Web site www.govinfo.bz/5196-252. A few sample purchases are highlighted below.

• Asphalt Cold Patch - To repair potholes and cracks in asphalt road surfaces, the county uses a product made from 75 percent post-consumer asphalt that releases significantly fewer volatile organic compounds (VOCs) than traditional patching methods. The highly durable product also saves time when roads need to be repaved because it does not require any additional preparation, unlike other patching methods. In 2004, the county used approximately 46 tons of the product.

• Biobased Lubricants, Fuels - Vegetable based lubricants and hydraulic fluids, unlike their petroleum-based counterparts, are readily biodegradable, low in toxicity, less hazardous to workers, and less expensive to clean in case of a spill. Given King County’s proximity to numerous waterways and the potential threat to wildlife that could result from a spill, the county has been using biobased hydraulic oils in a lot of its outdoor equipment. The county bought more than 1,750 gallons of biobased fluids in 2004. The county also bought almost 60,000 gallons of biodiesel in the first half of 2005 to blend with the Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) it uses to fuel the county’s 1,200 bus fleet. The biodiesel is mixed with the ULSD to produce a blend that is five percent biodiesel (B5). By the end of 2006, all 1,200 buses will run on the B5 blend, which will require a purchase of half a million gallons of biodiesel to mix with ten million gallons of ULSD. The biodiesel purchase is one of the largest in the country and is being partially funded with a grant from Seattle City Light.

• Electronics Recycling - To prevent the heavy metals and other toxins present in most electronic products from entering the environment, King County developed an electronics recycling contract to ensure electronic equipment was properly recycled at the end of its useful life. In 2004, the county recycled more than 350 computer monitors, 173 televisions, 9,800 pounds of other electronic equipment, and more than 3,000 pounds of batteries.

• Hybrid Vehicles - Seeking to reduce fuel use and the associated emissions, King County has built a fleet of 140 fuel-efficient hybrid electric vehicles. Its fleet includes 115 Toyota Prius and 25 Ford Escape hybrid vehicles. According to Win Mitchell, Fleet Management Director, their use is expected to save 14,000 gallons of fuel annually. In addition, the county ordered more than 200 hybrid buses, which are expected to save an additional 350,000 gallons of fuel each year.

• Hydrostripping Services - In an attempt to save money and reduce the environmental impact associated with making new road signs, the county issued a contract to use high pressure water to remove paint and reflective laminates from old road signs so they could be repainted and reused. While the contract was not as successful and widely used as originally hoped, the contract still saved approximately $1,100 during the 18-month reporting period.

• Plastic Lumber - The sideboards of King County dump trucks used to be outfitted with high-quality, old growth Douglas fir. The county is now using recycled-plastic lumber instead. The plastic lumber has a higher initial cost, but it is significantly more durable. The plastic sideboards are replaced at a rate of one sideboard per month compared with the two wooden sideboards per week. As a result, the county saves $10,000 per year in material costs while helping preserve ancient, old growth forests.

• Rumber - High wear areas such as the decks on the county’s equipment trailers are constructed from rumber, a dimensional lumber produced from scrap tires and recycled plastic. Initially, rumber is slightly more expensive than the exotic hardwoods it replaces, but its increased durability produces long term savings. The decking now lasts as long as the trailer rather than having to be replaced three or four times throughout the trailer’s life. It is also a safer product that provides significantly more traction during cold or wet days.

• Toner Cartridges - The county has been buying remanufactured toner cartridges meeting original equipment manufacturer specifications since 1991. In 2004, the county purchased more than 7,500 toner cartridges saving an estimated $450,000 because the cost of remanufactured cartridges is less than half the cost of new cartridges. In addition to the fiscal savings, the county’s remanufactured cartridge purchases also save approximately 5,625 gallons of oil that would have been used as the raw material for new cartridges.

Lessons Learned and Recommendations

Given its status as one of the most highly regarded and well-respected environmental purchasing programs, King County is deluged with questions from throughout the United States and around the world about initiating, expanding, or improving green purchasing programs. When asked about the most frequent advice they share with others, the county’s environmental purchasing managers offered two critical suggestions and recommended a series of implementation steps.

Don’t Promote Products that Don’t Work or Cost Too Much

Both Hamilton and Nelson emphasized the futility of promoting green products that require users to sacrifice product quality or performance or products that cost too much. “By definition,” suggested Hamilton, “an environmentally preferable product or service must work as well or better than the product it replaces.” While it is possible some end users are willing to pay more for a higher quality product that also reduces adverse affects on human health or the environment, there are limits to how much extra, if any, end users are willing to pay. “Don’t waste your time promoting products that are not top notch and affordable,” Nelson recommends.

Listen to the Users

As a corollary to their admonition not to promote products that do not work or cost too much, the county’s environmental purchasing team strongly suggested listening closely to the people using the products. Over the years they have discovered that a reluctance to specify more environmentally preferable products is frequently based on sound reasoning but dated information. Many end users are interested in buying safer products, but they have had a bad experience with earlier versions of such products. They might also have technical needs that they believe prohibit the use of the safer alternatives.

By listening closely to users, Hamilton and Nelson have been able to address their concerns and locate products meeting their needs. “We don’t try and force our ‘good ideas’ upon them,” explained Nelson. “Instead, we listen to their good ideas and look for ways to help. They know a lot better what is needed. At the same time,” he continued, “we have access to information sources for green products they might not have had time to explore.”

“All successful green purchases require the full participation of the users,” according to Nelson. “Once they recognize that high performing, safer products are available, they are typically very motivated to find ways to use them even if there is a small additional cost at first.” It is, after all, the users who typically benefit most directly.

Implementation Steps

The King County environmental purchasing team regularly shares the following recommendations with entities interested in initiating, expanding, or revamping a green purchasing program:

• Make a statement of intent. Summarizing the importance of establishing a clear program direction, Nelson suggested, “You won’t get there if you don’t know where you’re going.” Hamilton explained the value in obtaining support from all segments of an organization about the direction the green purchasing program should take. The more people who are brought into the vision, the greater the likelihood for success. “We are lucky to have a wonderful policy to guide us, but others have succeeded without a formal policy,” Hamilton continued. “Instead, they state their intent as a program goal or within their contract language.”

• Put someone in charge. Many green purchasing initiatives suffer from a lack of accountability. The stated policy objectives are admirable, but they fail to task anyone with ensuring the success of the endeavor. King County has succeeded in part because Hamilton and Nelson are held accountable for facilitating, monitoring, and reporting the success of the program, although they credit the successes to the efforts of those users specifying and using greener products.

• Work with users one on one. The King County program managers have found greater success working closely with individual end users than with attempts to require selected purchases more broadly. When an end user experiments with a new green product or service and finds it useful, his or her experience can be highly valuable in promoting wider adoption. “No one likes to be forced to do anything,” Hamilton stated, “but they are willing to try something new if one of their colleagues has had a good experience.” Nelson added, “It’s a lot easier to convince one person to try something new than to get an entire county to try it all at once.”

• Start easy. Some green commodities, like remanufactured toner cartridges and energy- and water-efficient products, are significantly easier to adopt for use in almost any setting. When initiating or revamping a green purchasing program, start with the easy ones.

• Look for things that save money. For many end users, safer products that protect human health or the surrounding environment are a tough sell because it is difficult to quantify the benefits. It is easy, however, to calculate cost savings. As a result, the King County experts suggest launching efforts with an initial focus on money saving opportunities.

• Reward accomplishments. It is important to celebrate success. People need to feel their efforts are recognized because green purchasing can require additional work and extra initiative. Even something as simple as a congratulatory e-mail can go a long way towards cultivating the kind of innovative culture necessary to keep a green purchasing program growing.

• Collect data and share results. Many green purchasing initiatives would not expand beyond an initial purchase without some effort to track the effectiveness of the product or service. “If a product or service works, people need to know about it,” explained Hamilton. “If it doesn’t work, people also need to know.”

• Network. Green products will become more widely available and more affordable when more and more purchasers begin specifying them. As a result, it is important to network within an organization to learn about the needs of the end users, share information about potential products, and gauge user reaction. It is also important to network throughout the broader green purchasing world for similar reasons. The more purchasers who share information about green purchasing, the greater the interest, and, as a result, more products will become available.

Future of the Green Purchasing Movement

Both Hamilton and Nelson suggest that the future of the green purchasing movement is dependent on the wider development and adoption of national and industry-specific environmental standards such as those developed by Green Seal, the Canadian Environmental Choice program, and others.

The end-users are going to be significantly more comfortable requesting environmentally preferable products and services if organizations they trust are developing green standards or certifying products. Until that time, King County will continue using its purchasing power whenever possible to promote the wider design and use of safer products.

Editor’s Note: Scot Case is the Director of the Faculty Institute at Alvernia College in Reading, PA. The institute provides a wide range of consulting services, including helping purchasers buy more responsible products and services from more responsible companies. He can be reached at scot.case@alvernia.edu.

 

 

About King County

Located on Puget Sound in Washington State and covering 2,134 square miles, King County is nearly twice as large as the average U.S. county. With more than 1.8 million people, it also ranks as the 13th most populous county in the country.
Source: www.govinfo.bz/5196-251

 

 

Awards

King County’s green purchasing efforts have been recognized by numerous organizations, including:
• National Association of Counties
• National Recycling Coalition
• Sustainable Seattle
• U.S. Conference of Mayors
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• White House Office of the Federal Environmental Executive

 

 

World Wide Resource

The King County Environmental Purchasing Program is highly respected around the world for its green purchasing success. In 2004, the county received comments and questions from throughout the United States and international inquires from:
• Argentina
• Iran
• Scotland
• Canada
• Israel
• Spain
• China
• Jordan
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Egypt
• Kenya
• United Arab Emirates
• France
• Mexico
• United Kingdom
• Germany
• Nigeria
• Vietnam
• India
• Puerto Rico

 

Changing Markets

Bob Toppen, Equipment Manager for the King County Fleet Administration, has been involved with several of King County’s innovative green purchases. For him, buying green products "is just the right thing to do especially when there is little or no extra cost."

One of the things that excites him most is the broad impact of the county’s green purchasing work. Many of the county’s purchases of recycled plastic sideboards, rumber products, and biodegradable hydraulic fluid were among the first in the nation. "Now," Toppen reported, "they are increasingly becoming industry standards; we’re thrilled to have played a part in introducing them."
When Toppen first expressed interest in using biodegradable hydraulic fluids in the heavy equipment trucks, tractors, and other vehicles he manages, for example, no one was sure if it could be done. Working closely with Karen Hamilton and Eric Nelson, the county’s environmental purchasing managers, Toppen contacted several of the equipment manufacturers to ensure the biodegradable fluids meet the performance and warrantee requirements for the equipment.

At first, the equipment manufacturers were unsure. "No one had ever asked them these questions before," reported Toppen. After the manufacturers’ research demonstrated the effectiveness of the biodegradable products, he began using them in his equipment. Although the biodegradable fluids are slightly more expensive, they significantly reduce the financial risk of a hydraulic fluid spill.

According to industry data cited by Toppen, spills are a significant risk. Seventy to eighty percent of all hydraulic fluid escapes from equipment at some point due to leaks, spills, or fitting failures nationwide. This represents seven million barrels of wasted oil in addition to the environmental damage and clean up costs.
As word spread about the safety and reduced risks associated with biobased hydraulic fluids, equipment managers in other parts of the country began using the safer products. Due to increased demand, many equipment manufacturers now offer biodegradable hydraulic fluid as a standard option in most new equipment.

Toppen’s next project is transitioning to lead-free wheel weights to balance vehicle tires. He, Hamilton, and Nelson have high hopes their efforts in this arena will make it easier for others to also make the transition.