Sustainable Procurement
Overview
On November 7, 2011, the City Council adopted its first Sustainable Procurement Policy (formerly named the Piedmont Environmentally Preferable
Purchasing [EPP] Policy). The intent of the policy is to encourage and increase the use of
environmentally preferable products and services, whenever practical. This means buying and
using products and services that reduce negative environmental impacts in the way they are
made, used, transported, packaged, and disposed of, including their potential for reuse or ability
to be recycled.
On December 20, 2021, the City Council
adopted an update to the Sustainable Procurement Policy to assist the City in making all
purchasing decisions. In addition to achieving
SB 1383 compliance, additional updates were
incorporated into the Policy to address Climate Action Plan waste prevention goals, to better reflect products
and services that may not have been widely available since the adoption of the policy in 2011,
and to align with international best practices in the area of sustainable procurement. The policy update
promotes environmentally and sustainable preferable purchasing in all City departments, thus
improving the health and safety of employees, conserving resources, preventing environmental degradation, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to meet the City's
Climate Action Plan.
View the Sustainable Procurement Policy here
View the Piedmont Green Event Guide here
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sustainable Procurement?
As defined by UNDP, "sustainable procurement means making sure that the products and services we buy are as sustainable as possible, with the lowest environmental impact and most positive social results." In Piedmont, this means instituting practices that reduce waste by increasing product efficiency and effectiveness and minimizing the contribution to climate change, pollution, and solid waste disposal.
What is the purpose of Piedmont's Sustainable Procurement Policy?
The purpose of this Policy is to provide the City of Piedmont a means of assuring continuity,
uniformity, and environmental, social, and fiscal responsibility in its purchasing operation, and to
define the responsibilities for purchasing supplies, equipment, and services.
What are the key strategies for implementation?
The City of Piedmont shall seek out and implement sustainable procurement best practices to
foster and support continuous improvement in meeting City sustainability goals and policies.
Best practices include, but are not limited to, the following: source reduction, recycled content products, energy efficient and water saving products, green building products and practices, landscaping products and practices, toxics and pollution prevention products and practices, bio-based products, forest conservation products, compost and mulch standards, and renewable energy. This Policy's requirements are
dynamic and will be updated and expanded to other product and service categories as best
practices and markets evolve.
Resources
Alameda County Sustainability Purchasing
CalRecycle Buy Recycled
San Francisco Department of the Environment's List of Compostable Food Service and Kitchen Products
StopWaste Green Purchasing
StopWaste's Guidelines for Buying Environmentally Preferable Products
United States Environmental Protection Agency Sustainable Marketplace