Climate-Friendly Purchasing

The Meat of the Matter: Climate-Friendly Food Purchasing - December 2017

This report, developed by Friends of the Earth and RPN, presents a menu of tools, approaches, and examples, including a model climate-friendly food purchasing policy and standards, acknowledging the many ways that cities and counties can advance climate-friendly and healthy food procurement.

The report includes:

• Compelling environmental, health, and financial benefits of transitioning institutional purchasing towards more plant-based foods;
  
  
• How to develop a climate-friendly food procurement policy and standards; and
  
  
• How to design an implementation plan, conduct staff training, update bid solicitation language, and track progress.
  

Download the report

RPN/ACCO Webinar: Climate-Friendly Purchasing - Nov 29, 2016

This webinar, hosted by the Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO), highlighted strategies and tools to reduce the carbon footprint associated with purchasing products and services by government agencies, institutions, and businesses. The discussion focused on highly carbon-intensive goods such as asphalt, electronics, and diesel-powered vehicles, as well as professional and facility maintenance services.

It also provided guidance for purchasers and sustainability professionals by drawing on research and recommendations from two new resources:

• Climate-Friendly Purchasing Toolkit, created by the West Coast Climate and Materials Management Forum - an EPA-convened collaboration of federal, state, local, and tribal governments
  
  
• Sustainable Purchasing Playbook for Cities, created by RPN for a group of 20 U.S. and Canadian cities on behalf of the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN).
  

This webinar featured:

• Alicia Culver, Executive Director, RPN
  
• Karen Cook, Sustainability Project Manager, Alameda County, CA
  
• Shannon Davis, Co-Lead, West Coast Climate & Materials Management Forum/U.S. EPA Region 9
  
• Daniel Kreeger, Executive Director, Association of Climate Change Officers (moderator)

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Climate-Friendly Purchasing Toolkit
West Coast Climate & Materials Management Forum

The Climate-Friendly Purchasing Toolkit is designed for environmental and purchasing leaders at all levels of government who are looking to reduce their organization’s carbon footprint. It was developed by members of the West Coast Climate and Materials Management Forum, a U.S. EPA-convened group of sustainability and environmental experts from all levels of government.

The toolkit covers how to complete a supply chain GHG inventory, how to use the data from trends analysis to target GHG reductions, purchasing resources (including model and sample specifications, evaluation criteria, contract language, and vendor qualifications), case studies, and measurement tools.

The toolkit also provides specific guidance on the following sectors: flooring, diesel fuels, information and communication technology, construction, food, and professional services.

View the toolkit here.