Recommendations of Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2018)
The Recommendations of Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels ("Recommendations") help federal purchasers identify and procure environmentally preferable products and services which in turn, helps to meet their sustainability goals and requirements. The U.S. federal government is the single largest purchaser in the world spending more than $650 billion on products and services each year and, in leading by example, has the power to catalyze a more sustainable marketplace for all - reducing climate impacts, improving the health of frontline communities, preventing pollution, and increasing U.S. industry competitiveness.
The Recommendations leverage private sector approaches to defining and measuring sustainability by including over 40 private sector standards/ecolabels in 25 purchase categories. The Recommendations give preference to multi-attribute/life-cycle based standards/ecolabels that address key impact areas (aka hotspots) and where product conformance is determined by a competent third-party certification body.
