Buy Sustainable - Quick Wins
These 'Quick Wins' are specifically designed for procurers. They are a set of sustainable specifications for a range of commonly-purchased products, such as IT equipment, white goods, paper (including tissue), etc. The products assessed were chosen for their environmental / financial impact, scope for environmental improvement and political or example-setting function.
'Buy Sustainable - Quick Wins' are comprised of both a set of mandatory minimum standards at the market average level and best practice specifications. These best practice specifications are more stretching than the mandatory minimum. They are voluntary for those procurers that wish to purchase the “best in class” products in certain areas. These are likely to become the minimum over different time periods depending on the product or product group.
All central government departments and their executive agencies have sustainable operations targets to meet, covering areas such as energy efficiency, water consumption, waste, etc. 'Buy Sustainable - Quick Wins' can assist in meeting these targets for the following groups:
3. Office Machinery
Workstations | Desktop Computers | Computer Monitors | Laptop Computers | Inkjet MFDs | Laser MFDs | Inkjet Printers | Scanners | External Power Supplies
4. Construction
Curtains, Blinds, Sliding Doors & Covers | Motors & Drives | Commercial Service Cabinets | Air Conditioning Units | Cellar Cooling Equipment | Condensing Units | Gas Boilers | Central Heating Systems | CHP & Large Boiler Equipment | Glazing | Lighting Systems | Energy Control Gear | Light-Bulbs | Low-Flush Toilets | Sprays & Automatic Taps | Urinal Controls | Rainwater Harvesting Equipment | Vehicle Wash Water Reclaim Units | Water Efficient Industrial Cleaning Equipment | Efficient Showers | Wood Products | Paints & Varnishes
5. Transport
6. Furniture
7. Electrical Goods
Televisions | Video Players | Video Recorders | Set-Top Boxes | Fridges & Freezers | Washing Machines | Dishwashers | Tumble Dryers | Washer Dryers | Electric Ovens
8. Textiles
9. Gardening Services
Soil Products | Hydraulic Fluids & Chainsaw Lubricants
10. Glossary
What’s New
The Buying Solutions Greenticks initiative. A Greentick next to a product is the supplier’s declaration that their product meets the specification set out in Buy Sustainable – Quick Wins. A list of Greentick products can be found on the Buying Solutions website. Buying Solutions provide this function for suppliers to assist customers' buying decisions, and does not verify the correctness of Greenticks. Purchasers may wish to seek further evidence that the listed product complies with the relevant specification. More information on different types of environmental claims and labels can be found on Defra’s website.
The EU Green Public Procurement Training Toolkit for procurers consists of three modules: strategic, legal and operational. The operational module provides useful practical advice and case studies on how to include sustainable criteria into tender documents.
The Save Battery Waste website shows an interactive UK map of battery collection points (please note this website is operated by a limited company).
Updated: 30 June 2009