What We Do

Purchasing Resources

How to Buy Better Computers

Click here to download this document which provides background information about the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), a new institutional procurement tool for selecting environmentally preferable computers. It accompanies the "Purchasing Guidelines for Environmentally Preferable Computers (Beyond EPEAT)" and explains why your institution should be specifying EPEAT-registered computers and how your institution can go "beyond EPEAT" to promote greater overall environmental and social responsibility.

Purchasing Guidelines for Environmentally Preferable Computers (Beyond EPEAT)

Click here (<--PDF or Word) to download the Health Care Without Harm, Hospitals for a Healthy Environment and Computer TakeBack Campaign guidelines that go "beyond EPEAT" to promote higher environmental and labor standards, providing supplemental criteria to address occupational health and safety, labor standards, end-of-life management, packaging and hazardous materials.

Equipment End-of-Life Management Program Summary Form

Click here (<--PDF or Word) to download this supplemental form to help your institution collect important information about your vendors' equipment end-of-life management programs. This allows you to compare services and determine whether to include them in your contract.

Packaging Takeback Program Summary Form

Click here (<--PDF or Word) to download this supplemental form to help your institution collect important information about your vendors' packaging takeback programs. This allows you to compare services and determine whether to include them in your contract.

Suggested Environmental Preferences and Disclosures for Non-Computer Electronic Devices

Click here to download this document which provides a set of questions about environmental attributes of electronic equipment that your institution can ask to help you prefer companies that are taking the lead in reducing the environmental impact of their products.


Did you know... that over 1,000 materials, many known or believed to be carcinogenic or reproductive toxins are used to make electronic products? And did you know we are only recycling about 12% of all electronics? See what CEH is doing to help.

2002-2003

Helping San Francisco Lead the Way in Preventing Pollution

In a first for an American city, San Francisco implemented legislation drafted by Center for Environmental Health that called for greener purchasing--making the city's mammoth $600 million purchasing budget a force for safer, healthier products. See what else we’ve accomplished in our first 10 years.