Guide for Large Organizations

This page provides green purchasing information to large businesses and institutional purchasers on. Green purchasing, also known as environmentally preferable purchasing, aims to identify products with lesser impact on human health and the environment compared to conventional products.

Find tools below to help your organization manage procurement of green products, services and purchasing processes.

  1. Choose SF Approved green products for your organization
    SF Environment reviewed and tested SF Approved products and services for their impact, performance and cost. Choosing Required products listed on this website minimizes your organization’s impact on employee health and the environment.
  2. Adopt SF Approved green specifications
    Consider adopting SF Approved criteria (policies, specifications and contract language) in your bids or RFPs.
  3. Use credible eco labels to identify green products
    Ecolabels are voluntary seals of approval often issued by a third party certified labeling program. Some examples of ecolabels include Energy Star, LEED, Green Business and Green Seal.
  4. Ask your vendors to take back used or unwanted products
    Large organizations purchase products that can contain toxic chemicals, such as batteries, light bulbs and electronics. By including language within your contracts that requires vendors to take back products at the end of their useful life, your organization can encourage recycling and green design. As governments and large institutions require vendor and/or manufacturer take back, businesses are encouraged to build products that are easier to recycle and reuse.
  5. Track green product purchases
    Track and report green products your organization has purchased by using tools from Responsible Purchasing Network.