LibGuides: Green Libraries: Purchasing

Introduction

Green purchasing adds environmental considerations to the price and performance criteria that organizations use to make purchasing decisions. Green purchasing considers supply chain management and is also known as environmentally preferred purchasing (EPP), green procurement, affirmative procurement, eco-procurement, and environmentally responsible purchasing. Green purchasing attempts to identify and reduce environmental impact and to maximize resource efficiency.

Five Guiding Principles

Consider environmental factors in addition to price and performance.
Emphasize pollution prevention early in the purchasing process. Consider packaging and whether the product contains or produces toxics.
Examine multiple environmental attributes throughout a product's or service's life cycle. Look at the whole life of the product, from manufacture through use and disposal.
Compare relative environmental impacts when selecting products and services.
Collect and base purchasing decisions on accurate and meaningful information about environmental performance.

This page contains general information relating to green purchasing. For information on greenwashing and purchasing of specific products with significant environmental impact, see the topical pages in this section.

Watch The Story of Stuff

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

Learn more about sustainable consumption

The books below include tips for making better environmental decisons. For information on deceiptive eco-marketing practices, see the Greenwashing page of this guide.

Barnes, Laura L. (2019). "Four Steps to Greener Purchasing." Illinois Library Association Connector, Oct. 14, 2019
Blog post for Illinois Library Association Connector outlining four steps to greener purchasing for libraries. Also addresses how libraries can educate their communities about the environmental impact of consumption.
Good Stuff? A Behind-the-Scenes Guide to the Things We Buy
Have you ever wondered where chocolate comes from, if antibacterial soap is good for your family, or how to recycle an old computer? If you've had these or other questions about the environmental and social impacts of the products you buy and use, Good Stuff is for you. It contains many of the tips, facts, and links you'll need to start making more informed purchases that benefit your health and the environment. Guide to purchasing everything from appliances to chocolate.

Green's Not Black and White by Dominic Muren
ISBN: 9780764142482

Publication Date: 2009-06-01

Is it good to be green? The answer, of course, is yes -- but solving the world's ecological problems is more complicated than many people think. This thought-provoking book explodes some of the myths about easy planet-saving measures. It was written for worriers who want to save our planet but are confused by extremist propaganda from both sides.
Shift Your Habit by Elizabeth Rogers; Colleen Howell
ISBN: 9780307465306

Publication Date: 2010-03-09

Going green doesn't mean spending big bucks on organic food, solar panels, and hybrid cars. At its core, green living is simply about moderation, efficiency, and living less expensively. Included are hundreds of habit-shifting suggestions to leave you with thousands of dollars you would otherwise never see again. These are tiny modifications that any family can make.
Stuff : The Secret Lives of Everyday Things by Ryan, John C.; Durning, Alan Thein
ISBN: 1886093040

Publication Date: 1997
The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices by Michael Brower; Warren Leon; Union of Concerned Scientists Staff
ISBN: 060980281X

Publication Date: 1999-03-30

Looks at the relationship between American consumers and the environment, identifying the most significant consumer-related environmental problems, as well as the most damaging spending categories; discusses priority actions people should take to protect the environment; and includes rules for responsible consumption.
The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Schwartz, Barry
ISBN: 0060005688

Publication Date: 2004
The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard
ISBN: 9781439125663

Publication Date: 2010-03-09

Tracks the life of the Stuff we use every day--where our cotton T-shirts, laptop computers, and aluminum cans come from, how they are produced, distributed, and consumed, and where they go when we throw them out.

Sustainable Swag Self-Evaluation for Library Workers
Have you thought about the environmental impact of the swag items that you provide at library programs and other events? From the raw materials used to create the items, to the way that they are used, to their ultimate disposal, promotional items have an effect on people and the planet. Libraries that purchase sustainable swag consider the social, environmental, and economic impacts of the materials that they buy. The rubric below can help you evaluate the sustainability of the promotional materials your library purchases.
Sustainable Swag Self-Evaluation for Vendors
Vendors that purchase sustainable swag consider the social, environmental, and economic impacts of the materials that
they buy. The rubric below can help you evaluate the sustainability of the promotional materials your organization purchases.
U.S. EPA Identify Greener Products and Services
To help you buy "greener," EPA has summarized information about several categories of products and services, including: Environmental attributes to consider; How to buy; Useful resources.