Supporting healthy, local communities
Multnomah County’s Sophia Cavalli (from left), Jeff Cogen, and Kat West kick off a Sustainable Purchasing Policy celebration.
Less than a month into the implementation of its new Sustainable Purchasing Policy, Multnomah County reports favorable responses from the local business community.
For purchases ranging from health services to computers, county buyers are raising the bar on requirements that are good for the environment and support healthy, local communities.
A simple way to buy green products is to purchase those that have been certified environmentally friendly.
Today when county needs to make a buy decision on short notice, they can choose from nearly 100 eco-labeled products the county already buys in bulk.
Sustainable public purchasing means not only taking into consideration the environmental impact of the purchase, but the community impact as well.
Sophia Cavilli, Multnomah County’s procurement supervisor, brings social equity to the table when she utilizes minority, women, and emerging small businesses.
“This is one of the factors that sets our policy apart regionally and nationally,” she said. “That means equal access for citizens to goods and services that are healthier, as well as equal opportunity for smaller firms and MWESB suppliers to compete for county business.”
By launching a sustainable purchasing policy, Multnomah County helps stimulate the demand for environmentally friendly goods.
“Ten years ago, you had a hard time finding eco-friendly packaging,” says Nancy Gruse of Service Paper, a Northwest distributor of packaging and paper products. “Today we have an environmental specialist on our staff to help field questions on our earth-friendly product.”
Multnomah County reports favorable responses on the new policy from the local business community.
For purchases ranging from health services to computers, county buyers are raising the bar on requirements that are good for the environment and support healthy, local communities.
