Environmental procurement checklist

All Council staff consider the following points before purchasing goods, works and services:

Works and services

When procuring works and services, refer to our Environmental Management Policy as a checklist against which to minimise potential environmental impacts.

Goods

Using these following criteria, you should decide what the environmental impact of the goods or services will be over their lifespan (in other words, from the time goods are made, to the time they are disposed of by us).

• Do you need to buy the goods?
• Are they fit for purpose?
• Are they durable and which will last the longest?
• Are they made of recycled materials?
• Can they be easily upgraded, instead of having to be replaced completely?
• Can they be repaired easily, instead of having to be replaced completely?
• Are they re-usable or recyclable when finished with?
• What are the running costs? (in other words, which uses the least amount of energy or which requires the greater amount of maintenance or cleaning?)
• Do they produce minimal pollution, or is there an alternative that is less environmentally harmful?
• What are the disposal costs? (in other words, do they contain chemicals that require special disposal arrangements?)