Sustainable Purchasing Guide

Product Assessment Inventory

Choose a product:

Antifreeze

Choose	Avoid
Eco-Logo Certified Products
Recycled Antifreeze	Virgin Antifreeze
Extended-Life Antifreeze	Conventional Antifreeze
Propylene Glycol	Ethylene Glycol

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Batteries

Choose	Avoid
Eco-Logo Certified Products
Reduced Use Of Batteries	Single-Use Or Shorter Life Batteries
Rechargeable Or Longer Life	Non-Recyclable Batteries (Local Systems Not In Place
Recyclable Batteries	Batteries Using Metals Relatively Scarce in the Biosphere (eg. NiCad, Lead, Etc…)

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Caulking Compounds & Sealants

Choose	Avoid
Eco-Logo Certified Products
Use Appropriate Amount Of Sealant
No Or Low VOC Compounds (Less Than 5% VOCs By Weight)	High VOC Compounds (More Than 5% VOCs By Weight)
No Heavy Metals	Heavy Metals
Durable And Long-Lasting Choices For The Application	Short-Lasting Alternatives For The Application
Water-Based Clean-Up	Chemical Based Clean-Up

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Cleaners

Choose	Avoid
Eco-Logo Certified Products
Biocompatible	Not Biocompatible
No EDTA/NTA Phosphate As Builders
Linear Alcohol Ethoxylates (LAE’s)	Nonyl-Phenol Ethoxylates (Or Other APEs)
No Chlorine
Citrus-Based Or Pine Oil Based Solvents	Petrochemical-Based Solvents
Low Concentration Or No VOCs	High Concentrations Of VOCs

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De-Icers

Choose	Avoid
Eco-Logo Certified Products
Reducing Or Eliminating The Amount Of De-Icer Used
CaCl 2 (Less Is Required)	NaCl And MgCl
De-Icers That Contain Acetate Instead Of Chloride. (e.g. CMA)	De-Icers Composed Of Urea Or That Contain A Chloride Component (e.g. MgCl, NaCl)
Acetate-Based De-Icers (E.G. CMA) Made From Acetic Acid Derived From Sustainably Harvested Corn	Acetate-Based De-Icers Made From Acetic Acid Derived From Petrochemicals
	Phosphates As A Corrosion Inhibitor

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Electronic Equipment

Choose	Avoid
Eco-Logo Certified Products
Energy Star® Labeled
Remanufactured
Taken Back By The Manufacturer Or Distributor
Leased
Multifunctional
Automatic Duplexing And Multi-Page Functions
Remanufactured Printer Cartridges	Virgin Printer Cartridges

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Fertilizer

Choose	Avoid
Landscape With Native Species To Eliminate Need For Fertilizers
Eco-Logo Certified Organic Compost	Chemical Fertilizers
	Sewer Sludge Fertilizers
Cadmium-Free Fertilizer (If Fertilizer Is Necessary)	Cadmium

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Fuel

Choose	Avoid
Low in sulfur and/or additives	High in sulfur and additives (gasoline or diesel)
Low in carbon content (such as natural gas or propane)	High in carbon content (such as gasoline or diesel)
Mixtures of renewable products (biodiesel or ethanol)

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Garbage Bags

Choose	Avoid
Reduce Amount Of Garbage Produced
Eco-Logo Certified Products
Bioplastics	Petroleum Derived Plastics
High Post-Consumer Or Post-Industrial Recycled Plastic Content	Virgin Plastic Or Low Post-Consumer Or Post-Industrial Plastic Content

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Light Bulbs

Choose	Avoid
Eco-Logo Certified
Reduced Use Of Light Bulbs (Daylighting, Lighting Design)
Controlled By Occupancy/Lighting Sensors
Energy Efficient
Long Lasting	Short Life
Taken Back’ Or Recycled
Packaged In Cardboard (Preferably Recycled)	Packaged In Plastic
Used To Help Control Light Pollution

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Oils & Lubricants

Choose	Avoid
Eco-logo certified synthetic
Re-refined motor oils	Virgin motor (synthetic or crude) oils
Vegetable-based

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Paint

Choose	Avoid
Eco-Logo Certified Paint
Reduced Amounts Of Paint
Recycled Paints	Non-Recycled Paints
Water-Based Solvents (“Latex”)	Petrochemical-Based Solvents
No Or Low VOC Paints	High VOC Paints (Often “Quick Drying”)
Nature-Like Components	Petrochemical-Based Components

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Paper Products

Choose	Avoid
Eco-logo Certified Products
High Post-Consumer Recycled Fibre Content	Virgin Or Low Post-Consumer Recycled Fibre Content
Non-Wood (Tree-Free)
Sustainably Harvested Wood Resources	Unsustainably Harvested Wood Resources
Chlorine-Free	Chlorine
Produced Locally	Produced At A Great Distance From Use
Lowest Basis Weight	Highest Basis Weight

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Piping (water & wastewater)

Choose	Avoid
Reduced Need For Piping
Recycled PVC Material	Entirely Virgin PVC Material
No Chlorine Compounds (E.G. HDPE)	Chlorine Compounds (e.g. PVC)

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Printing Inks

Choose	Avoid
Eco-Logo Certified Products
Soy-Based Or Vegetable-Based Ink	Petroleum-Based Ink
Waterless Printing
Low VOC Inks
No Heavy Metals (e.g. Cadmium, Etc)	Heavy Metals (e.g. Cadmium, Mercury, Etc)

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Road Surfacing Material

Choose	Avoid
Reduce Road-Building
Recycled Material Content	100% Virgin Material Content
Supplementary Cementing Materials (SCM)
Permeable Pavement
Made And Installed With Sustainable Energy

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Tires

Choose	Avoid
Reduce Need For Tires
Eco-Logo Certified Products
Use Retread Tires
Low Resistance	High Resistance
Long Life And Wear Performance

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Vehicles

Choose	Avoid
High Fuel Efficiency	Low Fuel Efficiency
Designed For Easy Dismantling, Reuse Or Recycling	Not Designed For Easy Dismantling, Reuse Or Recycling
Mercury Free Headlights And Switches	Use Of Mercury In Headlights And Switches
Painted Without Solvents	Painted With Solvents

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Wood Products

Choose	Avoid
Reused and recycled lumber	Virgin lumber
FSC certified virgin wood
	Formaldehyde and VOCs
	CCA pressure treated wood
Fast growing renewable materials
Recycled plastic wood

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Writing Instruments

Choose	Avoid
Refillable Pens And Pencils	Single Use Pens And Pencils
Recycled Materials	Virgin Materials
Bio-Based, Sustainably Harvested Materials	Petrochemical-Based And/Or Bio-Based Materials That Are Not Sustainably Harvested
Soy-Based Or Vegetable Inks	Inks Containing Heavy Metals
Water-Based Markers And Highlighters	Solvent-Based Markers And Highlighters
Fine Point	Wide-Point
Alcohol-Based Dry-Erase Markers	Ketone-Based Dry-Erase Markers

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