DATE: September 14, 2026
TO: Council Sustainability Committee
FROM: Director of Public Works
SUBJECT Environmentally Preferred Purchasing Policy - Proposed Amendments – Discussion and Recommendation to Staff
RECOMMENDATION
That the Council Sustainability Committee (CSC) reviews and comments on this report and provides direction to staff.
SUMMARY
Environmentally Preferable purchasing means the purchasing of products and services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products that serve the same purpose. Identifying an environmentally preferred option can include consideration of raw materials acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse, operation, maintenance, or disposal of the product.
The City’s current Environmentally Preferred Purchasing Policy (EPPP) was approved by the City Manager as Administrative Rule 3.9 in 2010 and updated in 2011. Staff will be updating the EPPP to ensure the City remains in compliance with the procurement requirements of SB 1383, which requires minimum recycled content for various paper products. In addition, an updated EPPP provides the opportunity to incorporate StopWaste’s Sustainable Purchasing Guides. Staff is seeking comments from the CSC before the policy is finalized and approved by the City Manager.
FISCAL IMPACT
This agenda item has no impact on the General Fund or Measure C.
The draft policy would “not require the City to exclude competition, or to purchase products or services that do not perform adequately or are not available at a Reasonable Price in a reasonable period of time.” To ensure the policy does not result in spending increases, “Reasonable Price” is defined to mean environmentally preferred or recycled products that are available at the same or a lesser total cost compared to the non-preferred or non-recycled product, if fitness and quality are equal.
BACKGROUND
Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383), also known as the Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy, includes recycled-content paper procurement requirements for copy paper and for janitorial paper products. A few examples from the regulations include:
Printing and writing paper shall consist of at least 30 percent postconsumer recycled content.
Toilet paper shall consist of at least 45 percent postconsumer recycled content.
Facial tissue shall consist of at least 10 percent postconsumer recycled content.
The regulations also require that the City keep records of its implementation of SB 1383, including records of paper procurement. The City’s General Plan includes the following goals in the Public Facilities and Services Element that are related to sustainable purchasing:
PFS-2.3: Sustainable Practices – The City shall serve as a role model to businesses and institutions regarding purchasing decisions that minimize the generation of waste, recycling programs that reduce waste, energy efficiency and conservation practices that reduce water, electricity and natural gas use, and fleet operations that reduce gasoline consumption.
PFS-7.9 City Contracts – The City shall continue to implement the Environmentally Friendly Preferred Purchasing Program by requiring City contractors to use best management practices (e.g., waste prevention, salvage and reuse, recycling and reusing) to maximize diversion of waste from landfills.
The City’s current EPPP was approved by the City Manager as Administrative Rule 3.9 in 2010 and updated in 2011 (see Attachment II).
DISCUSSION
The draft EPPP incorporates recent guidance from StopWaste and includes their Sustainable Purchasing Guides. The guides provide minimum requirements and leadership opportunities for a variety of goods and services including copy paper, computers, furniture, janitorial paper products, disinfectants and print services. For example, the guide for copy paper includes:
Minimum Requirements:
30% post-consumer recycled content, AND
Product has at least one of the following fiber content certifications:
Green Seal
FSC certified “Recycled” or “Mix”
Leadership Opportunities:
Minimum Requirements plus one or more of the following:
50-100% post-consumer recycled content
Any non-post-consumer recycled content fiber is agricultural residue fiber Bleaching process is Processed Chlorine Free (PCF)
Made with Green-e certified renewable energy
As noted above, the Minimum Requirements would only be required if the environmentally preferred product is available at the same or a lesser total cost compared to the non-preferred or non-recycled product, if fitness and quality are equal. The Leadership Opportunities would not be required, but would be encouraged if the item can be found at a competitive price. The draft EPPP also requires that “evaluation of prices for goods and services shall factor in life-cycle costs, total product cost over the lifetime of the product use (use, maintenance, and disposal), risk management, regulatory requirements, and penalties for non-compliance.” The draft policy was circulated to all City departments to solicit feedback. The comments received for specific purchasing categories are reflected below.
Recycled Paper – Copy paper prices fluctuate, and sometimes non-recycled paper is purchased because it is cheaper than recycled paper. Currently, 30% recycled paper is cheaper than both regular paper and 100% recycled paper from the City’s vendor.
Computers – The Sustainable Purchasing Guide for computers, laptops and monitors includes a minimum requirement of EPEAT Silver or TCO Certified. The Lenovo laptop used by many City staff is certified as EPEAT Gold, which is the highest rating in the EPEAT program. Today’s computers generally consume less power than older devices as the City has moved away from bulky desktop computers. The City now deploys small form factor systems and laptops at nearly every workstation. The City also repurposes equipment like laptops, monitors, keyboards during employee turnover.
Vehicles – The draft policy references the State of California’s Advanced Clean Fleets Regulations, which requires local government agencies to purchase zero emission vehicles. The regulations apply to non-emergency vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 8,500 pounds. As of January 1, 2024, 50 percent of the annual vehicle purchases per calendar year must be zero-emissions, and beginning January 1, 2027, 100 percent of vehicle purchases must be zero-emissions. Staff anticipates significant challenges with meeting the requirements. One particular challenge is that Ford has ended production of the Lightning F150, however, we are seeing new, lower cost EVs coming onto the market. Securing funds for installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure also remains a significant hurdle. Staff is hoping that hydrogen fueling infrastructure will be expanded, which would allow for more purchasing options.
Janitorial Paper – Staff is working closely with the City’s new janitorial contractor to ensure compliance all state regulations and City polices with respect to janitorial paper products.
Bottled Water – The draft policy calls for avoiding the purchase of bottled water “where feasible”. Staff acknowledges it will be necessary to continue to purchase bottled water for certain events and functions, including emergency operations.
STRATEGIC ROADMAP
This agenda item supports the Strategic Priority to Champion Climate Resilience & Environmental Justice.
SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES
Environmentally preferred purchasing helps to reduce negative impacts on human health and the environment and supports the goals in the City’s Climate Action Plan.
NEXT STEPS
Upon direction from the CSC, staff will take appropriate next steps to finalize and adopt the EPPP.
Prepared by: Erik Pearson, Environmental Services Manager Recommended by: Alex Ameri, Director of Public Works
Approved by:
_____________________________
Jennifer Ott, City Manager
Section 22150 of the Public Contract Code requires local governments to purchase recycled products instead of non-recycled products whenever recycled products are available at the same or a lesser total cost than non-recycled items, if fitness and quality are equal. https://www.stopwaste.org/reducing-waste/protecting-our-environment/sustainable-purchasing/purchasing-guides Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool https://globalelectronicscouncil.org/epeat-registry/ https://tcocertified.com/