Attention federal supply managers who want to save the earth: Your mission just got easier. Thanks to a new coding system developed by the Defense Department, green managers can more easily order environmentally-friendly products.
Military supply managers and the Defense Logistics Agency started the coding system project in February 1998 to encourage feds to make better use of eco-friendly products. A committee made up of members from all of the military services and the Department of Energy, the General Services Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency identified green products on the Federal Logistics Information System, the government's computerized list of more than 7 million office supply and military hardware items available for order.
Under the new system, products that are energy efficient, recyclable, bio-based, water conserving, lead-free, mercury-free or that meet other enviro-friendly criteria will be marked with a special alpha-numeric code.
In order to make the list, products must also result in cost savings over their life cycles. This requirement was included to meet administration directives that require agencies to consider life-cycle costs in acquisition planning. Some eco-friendly products can result in cost savings from reduced storage and handling requirements, energy and water use, and liability from work-related injuries and environmental contamination, DoD officials said.
According to Sherri Goodman, deputy undersecretary of Defense for environmental security, the coding system could save taxpayers millions of dollars if energy-efficient products are purchased. Goodman said that DoD alone could have a big impact. "With our large purchasing power, we can play an important role in helping create a bigger market for environmentally-oriented products," she said.
More information on the initiative is available at the Web site of DLA's Joint Group for Enviornmental Attributes.
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