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Federal Agencies in the
Western United States

         Leading by Example

Initiatives


(click on the links below to see the progress of each initiative)
Greening Federal Copier Paper




(Take Action) (Background) (Objectives/Goals) (Activities) (Success Stories) (Resources/Tools) (Contacts)

In 1997, the Federal government purchased 3.2 million boxes of copy paper through GSA, and another .42 million through GPO. At 5,000 sheets per box, this translates to roughly 18.1 billion sheets. The current requirement under Executive Order 13101 is the use of 30% recycled content; however, even greener alternatives exist, such as paper made with higher post-consumer recycled content which is totally or processed chlorine free (TCF or PCF) paper. Many FNS member agencies are working to reduce the impacts of paper purchase, use and disposal while at the same time helping to increase the availability of greener copier papers at a cost competitive price.


Take Action

Learn what you need to know about greener paper with the Green Paper Wizard Learn how to use, or increase your use, of "greener" paper with the FNS Green Paper Wizard. (The Wizard is optimized for use with Internet Explorer. If your web browser does not support JavaScript, please continue viewing this page, and be sure to also check out the Frequently Asked Questions about greener paper.)

Get a "snapshot" of the impacts of your agency's paper use: estimate the quantity of paper used, then input that information into the Paper Calculator to compare your current paper with a greener paper.

If you work with a federal agency that is currently using greener copy paper, contact us and tell us about your experience so that we may provide this information to others.


Background

Executive Order 13101 requires that all government agencies purchase office paper with a minimum post-consumer recycled content of 30%. The FNS has identified additional environmental characteristics that exceed the Presidential directive. These characteristics achieve greener characteristics through higher recycled paper content, chlorine elimination, and a reduction of old growth wood fiber.

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act requires Federal agencies to purchase paper and paper products containing the highest level of postconsumer fiber practicable.

In addition, there is a huge potential for savings in reducing the amount of paper used. Maximizing the use of double sided copies/prints could significantly reduce our paper purchases and reduce the need for recycling/disposal/storage of the documents generated. In most cases, when hardcopies of presentations are necessary, they can be easily read when printed at least two per page and often do not need to be in color.

Legal Requirements and EO’s
  • Executive Order 13101 “Greening the Government Through Recycling and Waste Prevention” requires federal agencies to use copy paper with at least 30% post consumer recycled content.
  • Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Section 6002 applies to Federal agencies, state and local agencies using Federal funds to purchase the product, and government contractors purchasing the product for work performed under a government contract. If an entity spends more than $10,000 annually on a particular product, such as copy paper, it is required to purchase the recycled content version of that product provided it has been "designated" under EPA's Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines. (Exceptions include when the cost is unreasonable; inadequate competition exists; items are not available within a reasonable period of time; or items do not meet the agency's reasonable performance specifications.)
  • Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 23.4 describes federal purchasing requirements, as they apply to recovered materials. Also, see FAR section 11.303 and the related clause, 52.204-4 (scroll down). Environmental considerations, and others resulting from related environmentally-preferable purchasing (EPP) mandates, are incorporated in the Federal Acquisition Regulation which is the uniform policies and procedures manual for federal procurement. As a result, the FAR can help to ensure federal government purchases are based in part on environmental considerations. This section, and others, are relevant to purchasing recycled content copy paper.
  • Regulation Requiring Duplex Copying for Contractors. An excerpt from this text: "...a contractor should submit paper documents to the Government relating to an acquisition printed or copied double-sided on recycled paper whenever practicable. If the contractor cannot print or copy double-sided, it should print or copy single-sided on recycled paper."
  • EPA's E.O. 13101 Goals: Green Copy Paper/Publication. EPA has set its new standard for paper and publications as 100% recycled, minimum 50% postconsumer content paper. Whenever possible, this paper should also be "Process Chlorine Free." Some paper stocks, especially color paper stocks, may not be readily available with this content standard. When this situation arises, a minimum 30% postconsumer content is required.
  • In addition, all 50 states have some type of legislation or executive order encouraging the purchase of recycled paper and/or products. Many state and local governments also require contractors to use recycled paper for government work.

Objectives/Goals

paper destined for recyclingThe goal of this initiative is to encourage Federal agencies to adopt sustainable paper strategies including:


Activities

The FNS has actively worked to educate federal agencies and promote greater use of environmental papers for several years.

Presentations

Events

FNS was a supporter of the NW Paper Forum held in March 2005 to encourage government agencies to promote the purchase and use of greener copier paper.

FNS 2002 Paper Campaign

In 2002, the FNS conducted a campaign to educate FNS members about the topic of greener paper, and to help them reduce their paper use and buy greener paper at their agencies. Sixteen FNS member organizations, representing over 160,000 people participated. Surveying determined that together these agencies purchased over 67,000 cartons of paper (equalling 340 million sheets of paper, or a paper trail over over 60,000 miles). This paper use translates into large environmental impacts: energy usage of 56 billion BTUs, greenhouse gas equivalents of 8.4 million pounds, solid wastes of 3.2 million pounds, effluent flow of 29 million gallons, wood consumption of 8 million pounds. These figures demonstrate how paper use can have enormous impacts. Various materials were prepared for participating agencies. These are now archived, and include: Survey (for FNS Members Only), Survey (for non-FNS Members), Protocol for Testing Paper and Log Sheet for Testing Paper and Progress towards Participation Goals.


Success Stories

Many federal agencies are using environmental papers with success, including:


Resources & Tools

Federal Agency Policy, Programs & Resources

Environmental Protection Agency

Department of Defense

Department of the Interior

Office of the Federal Environmental Executive

FedCenter.gov

State & Local Agency Policy, Programs & Resources

Washington State Executive Order 05-01 (includes section on paper)
State of Oregon, Sustainable Supplier Council Report (includes section on paper)
City of Seattle: Paper Cuts (includes Executive Order specifying use of 100% recycled paper, as well as paper use reduction)
City of Portland, Sustainable Paper Use Policy
State of Minnesota: Reducing Your Use of Office Paper

Nonprofit Programs & Resources

Conservatree
New American Dream
Environmental Paper Network
Recycled Products Purchasing Cooperative

Tools Compiled by FNS to Help Other Agencies

Reducing Paper Use

Buying "Greener" Paper

Recycling Used Office Paper

Disclaimer - Information to consider while researching greener copy paper


Contacts

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