The Postal Service first developed a “buy green” policy more than a dozen years ago. The more comprehensive green purchasing plan was introduced in 2008, which outlines a long-term, proactive approach to preventing pollution, minimizing waste, and promoting best practices.
The Postal Service buys sustainable materials, and wherever possible, reduces consumables it purchases — office, custodial and maintenance supplies — to lessen its overall footprint. Consumable spending has decreased each year since 2008, with a 13 percent reduction in 2010. The goal is to lower spending on consumables 30 percent by 2020, using a 2008 baseline. The Postal Service also will work to increase the percentage of environmentally preferable products (EPP) available from its national catalogs by 50 percent by 2015, using a 2010 baseline.
Environmentally preferable products (EPP) are identified by whether they are chemical free, bio-based, recycled content, eco-labeled, renewable resource, energy efficient, or water efficient. Employees responsible for purchases are encouraged to buy EPP products when price and quality are the same as a comparable non-EPP product.
