US RECYCLING
Plastics association with guide for environmentally friendly sales to government / Annual volume of USD 10 tr
In an effort to boost the use of plastics recyclate in the US, the Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS, Washington, DC / USA; www.plasticsindustry.org) has compiled an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) Guide, which outlines specifications for recycled content and other environmentally friendly qualities required by institutional purchasers in the US public and private sectors. According to the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council, these represent an annual purchasing volume of USD 10 tr.
Numerous federal agencies and 32 of the 50 US states are said to give preferential purchasing status to products with desired environmental benefits such as recycled content – although the requirements vary wildly. But even if demand for recycled plastics is down generally – due to economic issues tied to the low crude oil price – “there is still unrealised potential,” says Kim Holmes, vice president of sustainability at PLASTICS.
“The EPP Guide is an extension of the recycling committee’s work, as it brings government agencies, municipalities and states together with manufacturers of environmentally preferred products,” says Robert Render, commercial manager of Ravago Recycling Group/Muehlstein (http://muehlstein.com). The committee leads or participates in several industry initiatives aimed at driving recovery and expanding demand for recycled plastics, including Zero Net Waste, End-of-Life Vehicle Project and The Recycling Partnership.
To make members aware of the chances for sales to federal and state institutions, the guide’s authors point to executive orders signed by the last three US presidents that benefit recyclate. In the latest, “Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade,” signed by president Barack Obama in 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA; www.epa.gov) was tasked with defining the approach to sustainable acquisition. One potential strategy called for using private sector product sustainability standards and/or ecolabels to identify environmentally sustainable products to be used by the government.
A pilot assessment launched in 2015, in which the EPA worked towards creating sustainability standards, was due to be completed by early 2017. At present, it is not clear what the outcome was or what role the EPA will be able to play going forward. Under the 2018 federal budget of new president Donald Trump, which still has to be approved by Congress, the agency’s funding is set to be slashed by a third. On the other hand, the Department of Defense is the federal government’s largest purchaser, as the booklet points out. Its budget is due to be augmented to the tune of USD 54 bn.
In any case, the PLASTICS guide highlights a variety of opportunities for selling recyclate to state governments. California’s Department of General Services, for example, stipulates that at least 50% of the state’s reportable purchases must be recycled products, and the state of South Carolina requires that 25% of all products its government purchases must have recycled content.
e-Service:
EPP guide (2017) as a PDF file
Numerous federal agencies and 32 of the 50 US states are said to give preferential purchasing status to products with desired environmental benefits such as recycled content – although the requirements vary wildly. But even if demand for recycled plastics is down generally – due to economic issues tied to the low crude oil price – “there is still unrealised potential,” says Kim Holmes, vice president of sustainability at PLASTICS.
“The EPP Guide is an extension of the recycling committee’s work, as it brings government agencies, municipalities and states together with manufacturers of environmentally preferred products,” says Robert Render, commercial manager of Ravago Recycling Group/Muehlstein (http://muehlstein.com). The committee leads or participates in several industry initiatives aimed at driving recovery and expanding demand for recycled plastics, including Zero Net Waste, End-of-Life Vehicle Project and The Recycling Partnership.
To make members aware of the chances for sales to federal and state institutions, the guide’s authors point to executive orders signed by the last three US presidents that benefit recyclate. In the latest, “Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade,” signed by president Barack Obama in 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA; www.epa.gov) was tasked with defining the approach to sustainable acquisition. One potential strategy called for using private sector product sustainability standards and/or ecolabels to identify environmentally sustainable products to be used by the government.
A pilot assessment launched in 2015, in which the EPA worked towards creating sustainability standards, was due to be completed by early 2017. At present, it is not clear what the outcome was or what role the EPA will be able to play going forward. Under the 2018 federal budget of new president Donald Trump, which still has to be approved by Congress, the agency’s funding is set to be slashed by a third. On the other hand, the Department of Defense is the federal government’s largest purchaser, as the booklet points out. Its budget is due to be augmented to the tune of USD 54 bn.
In any case, the PLASTICS guide highlights a variety of opportunities for selling recyclate to state governments. California’s Department of General Services, for example, stipulates that at least 50% of the state’s reportable purchases must be recycled products, and the state of South Carolina requires that 25% of all products its government purchases must have recycled content.
e-Service:
EPP guide (2017) as a PDF file
22.03.2017 Plasteurope.com [236471-0]
Published on 22.03.2017