Principles and practices

Principles are good ideas or good values stated in a context-independent manner. Practices are applications of these principles stated in a context-dependent way.

Principles

Buy only what is needed

• Minimize consumption by critically assessing the need for the good or service and ensuring the order is correctly sized to avoid waste.

Consider alternatives

• Consider if the need could be met in another way (e.g. borrowed, leased, shared, etc.) and explore alternatives with a lower life cycle environmental impact, such as reused or recycled products that can easily be repaired for longer use.

Identify key environmental impacts, risks, and opportunities

• Identify the most likely environmental impacts of the good or service over its life cycle, including raw materials sourcing, manufacturing, shipping, operations, maintenance, and disposal.
• Consider the potential impacts of future climate conditions (e.g. heat waves, floods, ice storms, etc.) on the good or service, including the proposed site(s), activities, users/partners, as well as supply chain vulnerabilities. If applicable, also consider how the good or service may be used or repurposed in the event of severe weather events.
• Consider opportunities to address the identified impacts and risks, for example, through reduced packaging, flexible and resilient supply chains, and existing environmental specifications such as eco label certifications, which provide a measure of quality assurance on things like raw materials sourcing (e.g. FSC for paper) and energy efficiency (e.g. Energy Star and EnerGuide in Canada).

Give preference to environmentally responsible goods and services

• Where feasible and cost effective, and following individual ministry requirements, preference should be given to purchasing environmentally responsible goods and services.
• This includes goods and services that encourage environmentally responsible behaviour by the end user(s). For example, those that discourage unnecessary consumption (e.g. printers that use ink efficiently) and services that make it easy for the intended user(s) to make environmentally responsible choices.

Practices

Evaluation criteria specified in an RFx (procurement tool, such as RFP/RFQ) process should demonstrate value for money and consider:

• The environmental impact over the life cycle of each good or service.
• Where technical requirements and product specifications exist, an RFx should include criteria that measure and ensure the most cost-effective result.

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Next: Life cycle and examples