Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP): State of Massachusetts
This case study describes how the State of Massachusetts incorporated environmental attributes into its purchasing process and how it spread the word to purchasers about the importance of buying environmental products. It illustrates how collaborating with other agencies and emphasizing education and outreach can result in a successful environmental purchasing program.
In order to eliminate communication problems between different offices, Massachusetts centralized environmental purchasing decisions within its central purchasing agency. This and other proactive decisions have made the Commonwealth a leader among state governments in environmentally preferable purchasing.
Though this case deals with state level government, the lessons and practices can easily be implemented by local governments. Massachusetts was one of the first states to incorporate environmental considerations into purchasing practices. They went beyond simply buying recycled content products to embrace various other innovative environmental practices into its procurements, such as awarding points to bidders and vendors who meet specific environmental criteria. The descriptions of the processes associated with evaluating products, and educating vendors and departmental customers offer useful guides for similar processes at the local level.
