Sustainable Purchasing

Sustainable Purchasing (or Sustainable Procurement) is the practice of making purchasing decisions that intentionally strengthen our environment, society, and economy.  It is a purchasing approach that aligns an agency’s values with its market influence.  When looking through an environment-only lens, sustainable purchasing can also be referred to as environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) or green purchasing.  Sustainable purchasing can support a variety of sustainability-related agency values, from reducing greenhouse gas emissions and waste generation, to supporting ethical working conditions and thriving communities.  To support public agencies within Alameda County with implementing sustainable purchasing practices, StopWaste hosts informational workshops and maintains the following suite of online resources:

• Sustainable Purchasing Implementation Resources
• Sustainable Purchasing Benefits
• Sustainable Purchasing Collaboration

StopWaste also partners with the County of Alameda General Service Agency (GSA) in providing sustainable purchasing assistance to public agencies within Alameda County.  More about their program can be found at AC Sustain.