Envelopes

Green purchasing guidance for envelopes, including: kraft, manila, and wove paper.

Required specifications

The following have been identified as green specifications relevant to the good/services as minimum mandatory requirements. These would not be part of a scored exhibit. If you are using the Washington state procurement manual templates, the following should be inserted in the relevant document that describes the product or performance requirements.

  • All envelopes must meet or exceed the applicable U.S. EPA Comprehensive Procurement Guideline (CPG) for envelopes:
    • Minimum 30% post-consumer recycled content for wove envelopes.
    • Minimum 10% post-consumer recycled content for kraft and manila envelopes.

Preferred specifications

The following have been identified as green specifications relevant to the goods/services as preferred specifications to be scored. These would be part of your evaluation. If you are using the Washington state procurement manual templates, the following should be inserted in the relevant document that is used for evaluation.

  • State purchasing of recycled-content product Recycled Content Purchasing Preference Policy (POL-DES-255-00) states, "In establishing environmental requirements and preferences for products that contain recycled materials, agencies shall reference the current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines (EPA CPGs) as the minimum standards for the state of Washington."
    Statutory Preference for Recycled Content Purchasing. Pursuant to RCW 39.26.255, Enterprise Services is providing a bid preference in the amount of ten percent (10%) per product line item tested to any bidder that provides products that have exceeded one of the recommended content level percentages or the minimum product specification, as designated by the current EPA’s CPG standard. Bidders who seek to obtain the 10 percent (10%) bid preference in Exhibit C-Bid Price must identify the recycled content level of the product or indicate the product meets product specifications in Exhibit C – Bid Price.
  • Avoidance of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). DES Recycled Content Purchasing Preference Policy (POL-DES-255-00)
    Statutory Preference for PCB-Free Products & Products-In-Packaging. Pursuant to RCW 39.26.280, Enterprise Services is providing a bid preference in the amount of five percent (5%) per product line item tested to any bidder that provides products or products-in-packaging that do not contain Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)[; Provided, however, that there will be a maximum preference of five percent (5%) across all items submitted for this preference]. Accordingly, all bidders must certify whether they are seeking the Statutory Preference for PCB-Free Products & Products-In-Packaging for [insert applicable goods] in this Competitive Solicitation. Bidders must make the certification on the certification form attached as Exhibit [] – Statutory Preference for PCB-Free Products & Products-In-Packaging. Bidders who seek to obtain the five percent (5%) bid preference for PCB-Free Products & Products-In-Packaging must, in regard to the products and products-in-packaging pertaining to this procurement, certify either that (a) all of their products & products-in packaging; or (b) specific products & products-in-packaging are PCB-free. To be deemed to be 'PCB-free,' the applicable product(s) must be tested, within the previous 365 days, by an independent, third-party laboratory using Environmental Protection Agency Analytical Method 1668c, and have been found NOT to contain PCBs above the practical quantification limit. Such test for the applicable products must be attached to the certification. The cost for conducting any such testing is at the bidder’s expense.
  • 100% recycled content in various sizes. Some of these are certified (or labeled) process chlorine-free (PCF), which prevents water pollution. (Elemental chlorine-free (ECF) is a weaker standard that allows for the use of chlorine compounds).
  • Certified by Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) (FSC Recycled or FSC Mixed Sources).

Laws, rules, and executive orders

These laws, rules, and executive orders must be included in the contract language: