California Environmental Protection Agency
As part of the California Environmental Protection Agency's (Cal/EPA) Environmental Management System (EMS) initiative, all Boards, Departments, and Offices of the Cal/EPA agreed to participate in coordinated purchases at the headquarters building of 100 percent postconsumer recycled content processed chlorine free copier and printer paper. Two coordinated purchases with Disabled Veteran or Small Business Enterprises have occurred this year (As of July 22, 2005). The EMS team found a reduction in unit cost for orders of a half to a full truckload.
City of Santa Monica
In 1991, the City of Santa Monica introduced a Recycled Products Procurement Policy to complement the City's recycling program. City staff were instructed to purchase products with the highest percentage of preconsumer and postconsumer recovered material available in the marketplace, including for copy paper. The city has been using 30 - 50 percent postconsumer recycled content copy paper since then, and in 2003 began purchasing 100 percent postconsumer recycled content copy paper that is processed chlorine free. The city was reluctant at first to move to 100 percent postconsumer recycled content paper due to potential cost and performance concerns. However, these concerns never came to fruition, and the city has since successfully purchased and used 100 percent postconsumer recycled content paper for the majority of its printing and copying needs, including at City Hall and for its printing services. (September 2005)
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The United States Environmental Protection Agency uses high postconsumer recycled content processed chlorine-free copier paper, [17] based upon the following objective:
All printing paper products used by EPA are to meet the standards of the "New Environmental Standards for EPA Paper and Publications" set forth by memorandum of January 2001. This standard sets the standard for paper and publications as 100% recycled, minimum 50% postconsumer content paper. Whenever possible, this paper should also be "Process Chlorine Free." Some paper stocks, especially color paper stocks, may not be readily available with this content standard. When this situation arises, a minimum 30% postconsumer content is required. (Products mentioned in this section include but are not limited to the following applications: Copy Paper, Printing Paper, Letterhead, Envelopes, and Color Paper.) [18]
State of Vermont
The State of Vermont has used the same of brand of paper for copier/printer paper (as well as for much of its stationery) since 1997. It is 100 percent postconsumer recycled content, processed chlorine free, and has a recyclable ream wrapper (Few brands offer this feature.). It is the policy of the State for all agencies to use this type of paper because of its environmentally preferable characteristics. See the Vermont contract with a local distributor for three sizes of this paper.
State of Washington
Washington's Department of General Administration has been offering 100 percent postconsumer recycled content processed chlorine-free copier paper for over a year-and-a-half with excellent results. At least five state agencies are using this paper as their primary copier paper and about 30 other agencies are using it for some percentage of their copier paper use. It is being used successfully on a wide variety of equipment, including high speed copiers, desktop printers and multifunction devices. [19] (August 2005)
|
