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5/27/2016 12:57:46 PM
State purchasing initiatives reduce costs and waste
St. Paul, MN — The Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC) honored the State of Minnesota for national leadership in sustainable purchasing. The State of Minnesota received the SPLC’s 2016 Sustainable Purchasing Award.
The work that earned the State of Minnesota the award is a result of Governor Mark Dayton’s Executive Order 11-13, directing state agencies to implement new practices and policies that save money and reduce the environmental impact of state government operations. The Minnesota Department of Administration (Admin) and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (PCA) have partnered to develop solutions for all agencies to practice sustainable operations.
PCA and Admin developed an interagency team to highlight green purchasing and educate state personnel on sustainable practices. An initial change was office supply contracting that featured greater usage of remanufactured and recycled products. Through vendor contract negotiations and user education, state agencies saved $58,000 by switching to remanufactured toner cartridges for copiers and printers and prevented over 940 metric tons of waste by increasing the recycled content in the paper purchased.
“State agencies are committed to operations that are both financially and environmentally sound,” said Admin Commissioner Matt Massman. “Governor Dayton’s leadership provided the strategic direction and our state employees answered the call. I commend state employees for rising to the challenge.”
“Minnesota has led the way in sustainable purchasing for many years, and it’s exciting to see our partnership recognized as a national example of driving growth and demand for sustainable products that protect the environment and human health,” said PCA Commissioner John Linc Stine.
The SPLC convenes buyers, suppliers, and public interest advocates to develop programs that simplify and standardize sustainable purchasing efforts by large organizations. The Council creates guidance, resources, and an online community of practice to create strategic sustainable purchasing programs, or enhance existing ones.
