EPA launched enhancements to an online search tool for its Recommendations of Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing. The search tool makes it easier to view and sort standards and ecolabels that EPA recommends U.S. federal government purchasers use to meet sustainable acquisition goals and mandates. It allows users to identify the types of products or services covered by an ecolabel or standard, provides information on product and supplier availability, and links to product registries. The tool also includes a new feature to highlight how the standards and ecolabels address per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and plastics reduction. Consistent with the federal government's goal to avoid procurement of products containing any type of PFAS, EPA will no longer highlight ecolabels or standards that only address individual chemicals like PFOA and/or PFOS. These enhancements are an important step in the federal government's ongoing efforts to address PFAS in products and procurement and underscores the accelerated priority to combat PFAS.
EPA's Recommendations for federal purchasing are an important resource for implementing the Biden-Harris Administration's Federal Sustainability Plan, which directs federal agencies to maximize the procurement of sustainable products and services and follow EPA's Recommendations.