Environmental Stewardship

What is EPP?

Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) is the act of purchasing products/services whose environmental impacts have been considered and found to be less damaging to the environment and human health when compared to competing products/services. A successful EPP effort may start with a few carefully targeted purchasing changes, but EPP programs should also establish procedures and methods that support continually expanding the scope of environmental purchasing to select as many environmentally sound, healthy and safe products and services as a facility can use.

Why should you bother with EPP? With a new focus on environmental compliance requirements, health care facilities are collaborating on better ways to get this work done. The products we purchase may be hazardous to work with and if disposed of improperly, may negatively impact the health of your local and global community. While medical waste treatment and waste disposal in general is a multi-billion dollar industry, most hospitals are not aware of the amounts of waste they generate, or even how much they spend annually on disposal, not to mention the environmental impacts created in the process. There are practical, cost effective solutions, beginning with the source of the products we purchase.

GPO EPP

Product sourcing and purchasing are effective areas in which a hospital can begin improving its environmental impact. GPOs typically contract for about 60% of a hospital’s products. As a Champion for Change, Consorta is well positioned to address environmental impacts of products during the sourcing and procurement processes. At our members’ request, Consorta has implemented a comprehensive program to identify environmentally preferable products and evaluate their quality, functionality and price. Whenever possible, we contract for products that:

• Are of high quality
• Offer the same or better functionality
• Do not contribute to other health issues
• Are manufactured by companies that are committed to reducing the waste streams throughout a product’s life-cycle
• Combine environmentally preferable features with economy
• Are readily and reliably available at reasonable prices

Consorta has a large number of environmentally preferable products under contract. Members with a security login to Wings – our catalog of products – will find specific EPP product information. The categories of Consorta’s environmentally preferable contracts include:

• Mercury-free medical devices and supplies
• PVC/DEHP-free medical devices and supplies
• Organic Food (including antibiotic-free poultry and fair trade coffee)
• Electronics Recycling and Asset Management
• Waste Management
• Building and Facilities Supplies
• Cleaning and Janitorial Supplies
• Office Supplies

Additional EPP resources for Consorta hospitals:

10-Step Guide to Green Purchasing

How to Implement Green Purchasing

For information about green cleaning products on contract with Consorta, contact: Laura Wenger at lwenger@consorta.com