The federal government purchases more than $60 billion worth of electronic equipment and services annually. Purchasing green electronics can increase demand for more energy-efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable electronic equipment.

What Is Required?

• Executive Order 13423 (7 pp, 110KB About PDF) requires 95 percent of electronic products purchased annually by federal agencies to meet Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool standards where applicable. It also makes mandatory the elements of the 2004 Federal Electronics Stewardship Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) (10 pp, 132KB About PDF) signed by 12 agencies and the Executive Office of the President to reduce the environmental impact of their electronics purchase, use and disposal.

• Executive Order 13221 (3 pp, 85KB About PDF) directs agencies to purchase electronic equipment with energy-efficient standby settings.

• The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) may incorporate electronics into the OMB Environmental Stewardship Scorecard.

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What Actions Can I Take?

As a purchaser, specific actions you can take include:

• Buy or lease computers, computer peripherals, laptop computers, televisions, printers, fax and copy machines, and cellular phones with environmental attributes.
  
  
• Know what attributes to look for when purchasing electronics. Use the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), which helps purchasers rank electronic products based on their environmental attributes.
  
  
• Incorporate EPEAT language (6 pp, 72KB About PDF) into contracts for buying or leasing electronic equipment.
  
  
• Join the Federal Electronics Challenge, which encourages agencies to purchase greener electronics.
  
  
• Purchase ENERGY STAR-qualified electronics and other office equipment.
  
  
• Help your agency achieve a four-year electronics replacement cycle by keeping equipment in use for four years before donating or recycling.
  
  

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Which Resources Can I Use?

Federal Electronics Challenge Purchasing Resources

The Federal Electronics Challenge (FEC) is a voluntary partnership program that helps federal facilities buy more environmentally friendly electronic equipment, reduce impacts of electronic products during uses and manage obsolete electronics in an environmentally safe way.

• Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), (6 pp, 72KB About PDF) a resource for evaluating the environmental performance of electronic products throughout their life cycle.
  
  
• Model contract language (2 pp, 40KB About PDF) to specify EPEAT-registered products in acquisition contracts.
  
  
• A product environmental information sheet (5 pp, 90KB About PDF) that agencies can use to solicit environmental product information from manufacturers for products not currently included in EPEAT.
  
  
• Guidance (3 pp, 72KB About PDF) on integrating environmental objectives into information technology (IT) leases.
  
  
• How to Purchase Environmentally Preferable Electronic Products and Services (47 pp, 4,400KB About PDF) Federal Electronics Challenge.
  
  
• The Responsible Purchasing Network has created a guide for purchasing computers.
  
  
• Electronics Environmental Benefits Calculator helps agencies quantify the benefits of environmentally sound management of electronics.
  
  
• For the full range of FEC purchasing resources, check out the Acquisition and Procurement section of the FEC Web site.
  

EPA Resources

• EPA’s Electronics Page
  
  
• Greening EPA: Green Electronics
  
  
• EPA’s Product Stewardship, Electronics Web Page
  
  
• The EPA Acquisition Regulation is EPA’s acquisition regulation that specifies which environmental products and services purchases contract managers must make. This regulation includes purchasing products with health, safety and environmental attributes.

Other Government Resources

• Department of Energy’s Federal Electronics Purchasing Guidelines
  
  
• Office of the Federal Environmental Executive's Web Site on Electronics Stewardship
  
  
• FedCenter.gov’s Electronics Stewardship Page
  

Non-Government Resources

• GreenerComputing is a resource center for environmentally responsible computing developed by Greener World Media, Inc.
  
  
• New American Dream, Responsible Purchasing Network provides information about environmentally preferable computers and how institutional purchasers can buy better computers.
  
  
• Northwest Product Stewardship Council's Guide to Environmentally Preferable Computer Purchasing discusses environmentally preferable computer purchasing and highlights products features, alternatives, and manufacturer activities.
  
  
• The Product Stewardship Institute's (PSI) Electronics Web page provides information about electronics stewardship and the PSI Electronics Project.
  
  

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How Is EPA Making Strides In Green Electronics Purchasing?

• The Office of Acquisition Management (OAM) is currently developing a green Blanket Purchase Agreement for desktop and laptop computers, which will make procuring green electronics easier.

• For new contracts, OAM and the Office of Environmental Information are working to use the environmentally preferable purchasing criteria outlined in the Electronics Product Environmental Assessment Tool for the purchase and lease of desktops and laptops, as well as contracts for IT support services.

• Executive Order 13423 goals include considering environmental aspects in the decision-making process for all electronics.

Once you have purchased electronic equipment that satisfies the environmental requirements, it is essential to manage it according to environmental requirements during its use and through its end-of-life disposition.

Please read through the Electronics Management section to complete your knowledge of electronics management.

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