In  May 2018, President Trump signed Executive Order 13834, Regarding Efficient Federal Operations , which directs federal agencies to "manage their [350,000] buildings, [600,000] vehicles and overall operations to optimize energy and environmental performance, reduce waste, and cut costs". The EO "emphasizes meeting statutory requirements and gives greater flexibility and discretion to agencies to decide how to best improve operations and meet goals." Consequently, the federal government will focus largely on legally-mandated energy-efficiency, building performance and recycled-content requirements. Many of these laws are decades old and include targets only for prior years. Moreover, there is no mention in the EO of broader sustainability goals such as protecting worker health and safety.

EO 13834 replaces former President  Obama's EO: Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade, which set much more aggressive sustainability goals (e.g., a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and 25% renewable energy use by 2025) and included specific actions federal agencies could take to achieve those goals.

While Obama's sustainable procurement EO also directed federal agencies to follow statutory mandates that give preference for products that are energy-efficient or made of recycled or biobased content, it also encouraged them to "lead by example" and foster innovation in the marketplace by purchasing sustainable products and services that are certified by EPA Programs (e.g., Safer Choice, WaterSense, SNAP and Smartway Transport) or that have earned credible third-party ecolabels recommended by EPA (e.g., Green Seal, UL EcoLogo or EPEAT).

Trump's EO 13834 and related implementing guidance documents are maintained by the Office of Federal Sustainability at  www.sustainability.gov/resources-eo-efo.html. 

Coincidentally, at its May 2018 Annual Summit, the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC) gave its Individual Leadership Award to two Senior Advisors to the US EPA's Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program: Alison Kinn Bennett and Holly Elwood.  Both have been strong internal champions for -- and architects of -- the federal government's maturing sustainable purchasing program, which has become more effective and far-reaching over the past several years.

For example, they effectively managed a challenging three-year multi-stakeholder process involving over 100 organizations to develop a recommended list of credible standards, ecolabels, and certifications for federal employees. They also worked to integrate these recommendations into several federal procurement systems, including, notably, GSA Advantage!

During 2018, New York State approved "green" specifications for several commodity and service categories. One much-awaited set of specifications that were finalized last year, with technical support from RPN, is for  Food Service Containers and Wrappers. This guidance document e ncourages the purchase of reusable food service containers and establishes minimum specifications for single-use food service containers and wrappers.

According to NYS Office of General Services (OGS),  "The specification establishes a hierarchy of environmentally desirable attributes as follows: reusable; compostable in a commercial or municipal facility; easily recyclable; and made with a minimum percentage of post-consumer recycled content or sustainably harvested content. In addition, all covered products purchased by affected entities, offered by preferred sources, or on State contract shall not contain perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) ... or polystyrene."

Furthermore, under a Sustainable Procurement Technical Assistance Grant from the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO), RPN helped NYS OGS develop new tentative specifications for adhesives, janitorial paper, lubricants, paint, trash bags, and deicing products that the State is expecting to finalize in the coming year.

Two other states, Oregon and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, inserted environmental specifications and other related contract requirements into their Participating Agreements (PAs) with multiple facility maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) suppliers, including Grainger, Fastenal and MSC. The Master Agreement for this multi-state, cooperative Facility MRO contract was negotiated for the NASPO ValuePoint Cooperative Purchasing Organization, with Oregon as the "lead state".

Both States' Participating Agreements (PAs) went beyond the Master Agreement's "green" product labeling and reporting requirements by establishing category-specific environmental and health specifications. For example, motors and HVAC equipment offered to both Massachusetts and Oregon contract users must be certified as "Premium Efficiency" products; paints and coatings must have an acceptable low-toxicity certification; and toilets and faucets must be meet water efficiency standards.

The Model Facility MRO PA, which RPN helped to draft, also set standards for LED and fluorescent lamps and fixtures while restricting less-efficient types of lighting equipment. 

In addition,  Oregon's  Participating Agreement (PA)  
restricted the sale of paint removers containing methylene chloride (which has been linked to  dozens of deaths)  or n-methyl pyrrolidone (a reproductive toxin). Massachusetts' Toxics Use Reduction Committee is considering similar restrictions on these chemicals of concern.

Both states' Participating Agreements call on Facility MRO vendors to provide a robust offering of items with important environmental attributes. This includes products that are free of PVC (vinyl), compliant with the EU's Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive, solar-powered, certified low-emitting, and more.