From 2015 - 2016, RESOLVE facilitated a pilot process to test EPA's draft guidelines for Environmental Performance Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Procurement. To test the draft guidelines, RESOLVE convened an expert and balanced group of stakeholders who piloted the guidelines in three product categories in the building sector (paints/coatings removers, flooring and furniture). EPA also coordinated a group of experts to explore potential future application in the services sector.
EPA's overall objective in developing the guidelines was to create a transparent, fair, and consistent approach to selecting environmental performance standards and ecolabels that support the Agency's mission and federal environmentally preferable purchasing mandates. The fundamental aim of the guidelines was to establish a cross-sector framework to be used in recognizing non-governmental environmental standards and ecolabels for use in federal procurement. By designating individual guidelines as baseline or leadership, EPA believes the Guidelines encourage continuous improvement of both standards and ecolabels and the products and services those standards and ecolabels address, while providing flexibility to accommodate the variety of approaches to and types of standards and ecolabels that exist in the marketplace today.
The pilot aimed to address remaining questions regarding both the finalization of the guidelines and the proposed approach to assessing standards and ecolabels.
More specifically the primary goals of the pilot were to:
RESOLVE was the primary contractor for the Pilot – joined by a team that includes Industrial Economics, Inc. (IEc) and SEM Advisors – tasked by EPA to facilitate and administer the Pilot.
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