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This prerequisite requires you to write a sustainable purchasing policy to establish guiding principles for the purchase of environmentally preferable products and materials when economically feasible.  Switching to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) may ultimately add costs for some purchases, but project teams can determine on a product-by-product basis whether the environmentally-preferable option is cost-effective. This EPP policy can be created by in-house staff without any capital investment.

To meet the prerequisite, your EPP policy must adhere to the specifications of the USGBC’s Policy Model for LEED-EBOM. You can download these guidelines from the Resources tab. The EPP policy must cover the products and materials addressed in MRc1: Sustainable Purchasing—Ongoing Consumables, and at least one of the other purchasing credits: MRc2: Sustainable Purchasing—Durable Goods,  MRc3: Sustainable Purchasing—Facility Alterations and Additions, or MRc4: Sustainable Purchasing—Reduced Mercury in Lamps.

The most common mistake with this prerequisite is to write a policy that does not adhere to all of the criteria in the Policy Model. Non-compliant EPP policies often fail to indicate the policy’s time period, establish a quantifiable performance metric, or assign key tasks to the responsible parties.

You don't have to attempt or earn any credits

However, you do not have to document compliance with the policy established for any of those credits. Additionally, in multi-tenant buildings, project teams are not expected to address purchases that are outside of the building and site management’s direct control, although they must identify those areas of the building that are outside the scope of the EPP.

Enviromentally preferable purchasing includes products like these

  • Contains at least 10% post-consumer and/or 20% post-industrial material
  • Contains at least 50% rapidly renewable material (e.g., bamboo, cotton, cork, wool)
  • Contains at least 50% materials harvested and extracted and processed within 500 miles of the facility
  • Consists of at least 50% Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified paper products
  • Rechargeable batteries

These questions will help orient your team to this prerequisite

  • What types of purchases are within the building and site management’s control?
  • Which of these purchases will your team address in the EPP policy?
  • Who will be responsible for managing and enforcing the EPP policy?
  • What actions are necessary for the EPP policy to take effect prior to the start of the performance period?
  • How will the responsible parties track, measure and evaluate sustainable purchasing?
  • What are the goals for sustainable purchasing in the project building? How will targets be assessed?
  • What procedures and strategies will your team implement to meet the goals and intent of the policy?
  • How can you involve your vendors in supporting your sustainable purchasing goals?
Credits
MRp1