ART - Federal Procurement: Better Guidance and Monitoring Needed to Assess Purchases of Environmentally Friendly Products 2003

The document discusses the federal government's efforts to promote the procurement of products with recycled content. It highlights the lack of data systems and monitoring by federal agencies, which makes it difficult to determine the extent to which these products are being purchased. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated various products with recycled content and issued guidance for their procurement. However, the major federal procuring agencies do not have reliable data on their purchases of these products. The agencies provide estimates, but even these are not considered reliable. The document also mentions the limited success of agencies' efforts to promote awareness of purchase requirements for recycled-content products. The EPA has identified eight categories of recycled-content products, such as construction products, landscaping products, and paper and paper products. The agency plans to designate more products in the future. However, it is important to note that the availability of these individual products may vary across different regions of the country. The document suggests that instead of adding more products to the designated list, the EPA should work with agencies to assist them in buying the products already identified. Overall, the document highlights the challenges and limitations in tracking and promoting the procurement of products with recycled content by federal agencies, including the availability of these products in different regions.