Green Product Certification, Green Procurement, and

Greening the Government

Presentation to CIWMBArthur 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

Sample Stakeholder Committee

Manufacturers• Seventh Generation• Spartan Chemical• Clean Environment Co.• Church & Dwight• 3MUsers• 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 GSAEnvironmental• INFORM• Global Toxics Campaign,

WWF• Washington Toxics Coalition• Environmental Health

CoalitionOthers• UMass Toxics Use Reduction

Institute• Individual experts

Certified Product Manufacturers (sample)

• 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

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

SABRC Program Evaluation by the Green Seal Organization

Green Seal OrganizationSABRC PROGRAM

EVALUATION REPORT

Good Job!

Environmentally Preferable Bathroom Tissue

and Paper Towel Products for the State of California

Project to Green California ProcurementTask 5a

for the State of California's Procurement Division

Department of General ServicesEarl Santee, State Project Officer

byGreen 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

• The Pennsylvania 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.

Green Seal’s Institutional Clients

• 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

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