EPA Enhances Online Resource for Ecolabel Recommendations in Federal Purchasing
Released January 30, 2024
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched enhancements to an online search tool for its Recommendations of Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing. The search tool makes it easier to view and sort standards and ecolabels that EPA recommends U.S. federal government purchasers use to meet sustainable acquisition goals and mandates. It allows users to identify the types of products or services covered by an ecolabel or standard, provides information on product and supplier availability, and links to product registries. The tool also includes a new feature to highlight how the standards and ecolabels address per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and plastics reduction. Consistent with the federal government's goal to avoid procurement of products containing any type of PFAS, EPA will no longer highlight ecolabels or standards that only address individual chemicals like PFOA and/or PFOS. These enhancements are an important step in the federal government's ongoing efforts to address PFAS in products and procurement and underscores the accelerated priority to combat PFAS.
EPA’s Recommendations for federal purchasing are an important resource for implementing the Biden-Harris Administration’s Federal Sustainability Plan, which directs federal agencies to maximize the procurement of sustainable products and services and follow EPA’s Recommendations. Spanning 34 purchase categories, EPA’s Recommendations include thousands of products and services that address environmental and human health attributes such as energy or water efficiency, recycled content, and plastics and PFAS reduction or elimination. Overburdened and disadvantaged communities face particular environmental and public health burdens from both PFAS pollution and across the lifecycle of plastic products. EPA’s Recommendations support the Biden-Harris Administration’s priority to achieve environmental justice for all.
In the coming months, EPA will issue a Federal Register notice to take public comment on additional planned updates to the Recommendations. These updates are the result of the implementation of new eligibility criteria announced in April 2022 and the assessment of standards/ecolabels in the first five product and service categories announced in August 2023. Standard and ecolabel organizations applied to be assessed against EPA’s Framework for the Assessment of Environmental Performance Standards and Ecolabels in these categories and will be proposed to be added to the Recommendations if they are determined to meet all applicable criteria within the Framework.
Learn more about the Recommendations of Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing.