Sustainable Hospitals - 10 Actions to Promote Environmentally Preferable Purchasing

10 Actions to Promote
Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP)

What is Environmentally Preferable Purchasing? EPP is the act of purchasing products and services whose environmental impacts have been considered and found to be less damaging to the environment and human health when compared to competing products and services(Ref 1). EPP is a culture that must be fostered at all levels, including development of government and healthcare industry policies, however there are many everyday actions that can promote and reinforce EPP. Here are ten:

1. Print a copy of the Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) "EPP How To Guide", read it and pass it on or post it. Make it required reading for people in your department. This guide was written by the EPP Work Group of Hospitals for a Healthy Environment and is available online at: www.geocities.com/EPP_How_To_Guide

2. Understand why the purchasing stage is important. (see Reference 1)

Procurement of most products and services go through the Purchasing Department
Money changes hands here, offering the greatest leverage on vendors
The closer to the source a problem is corrected, the less costly it is (dollars, adverse publicity, technical complexity)

3. Incorporate environmental language in your requests for proposals (RFPs) and purchasing contracts.

4. Continually ask your vendors and Group Purchasing Organizations for products that are environmentally preferable.

5. Implement modest, measurable goals for EPP, then monitor progress. For example, buy only non-mercury thermometers, sphygmomanometers, and esophageal dilators.

6. Visit the Sustainable Hospitals Website, http://www.sustainablehospitals.org, for a list of alternative healthcare products and practices. Contact the SHP Clearinghouse for additional information and printed resources. SHP Clearinghouse phone: 978-934-3386 and email: shp@uml.edu

7. Visit the Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) Website, http://www.h2e-online.org, and check out the Tools and Resources section "Green Purchasing". The H2E effort is to educate health care professionals about pollution prevention opportunities.

8. Build a network of resources that provide good ideas and allow you to identify best practices. Visit the website www.ciwmb.ca.gov/BizWaste/Factsheets/Hospital.htm for starters.

9. Ask hospital personnel how everyday activities can be tuned to be more environmentally sound. Work with vendors to incorporate employees' suggestions. With a little prompting, an abundance of good ideas will come forth. For example, when evaluating copy machines, place a premium on ones that are strong on 2-sided copying.

10. Broadcast your successes. For example, use the hospital newsletter to promote EPP achievements.

Reference:
(1) "Environmentally Preferable Purchasing How To Guide", Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (an AHA/EPA Partnership), online at www.geocities.com/EPP_How_To_Guide)

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