Affirmative procurement consists of purchasing and using materials containing recycled or recovered content in the greatest amounts practical, within resource and performance constraints. Most facilities do not track the purchase of recycled content materials and thus the status of the affirmative procurement activities cannot be gauged. However, there is substantial opportunity for using materials with recycled content, particularly packaging related items.

Purchasing products with recycled content "closes the recycling loop" by stimulating demand for recovered materials. This helps to ensure that there will be a viable market for recyclables collected by your facility. Purchasing recycled content materials, tracking affirmative procurement accomplishments, and sharing success story information will also increase worker interest and help present a good corporate image to the public. Establishing an affirmative procurement program is usually well worth the initial investment in identifying these products and incoporating them into your purchasing activities. This fact sheet includes a list of vendors of different types of recycled-content products to help you get started or expand your existing program.

Recommendations:

Develop a facility affirmative procurement program to increase purchase of recycled-content products. Steps to enact an affirmative procurement program include:

• Distribute a list to purchasing staff which describes possible items that could be purchased with recycled or recovered content.

• Train purchasing staff on affirmative procurement. Some recycled content products are more expensive than virgin materials, but purchasing recycled content products helps to create and maintain markets for recyclable materials generated on site.

• Identify facility-specific items to be procured with various levels of recycled content.

• Develop and implement a tracking system to monitor progress. A suggestion is to implement the facility's procurement program in stages; perhaps beginning with the use of high post-consumer recycled content paper.

To establish an affirmative procurement program, the contracting office staff must require suppliers to:

• Certify that the percentage of recovered materials to be used in the performance of the contract will be at least the amount required by applicable specifications or other contractual requirements, and

• Estimate the percentage of the total material to be utilized in the performance of a contract which is to be constructed of recovered materials.

Vendor Information:

The vendor information in the following table is presented as a starting point for contacting potential equipment manufacturers. No endorsement of any products manufactured by the listed vendors is intended or implied.

Alsupe, ILL 60803 Ph. (708)389-8520, Fax (708)3389-8237

Vendor Information for Products Containing Recycled Content
Manufacturer	Recycled Content (Total recycled content includes post-consumer and industrial scraps)
Corrugated Boxes
Associated Box Company 1431-1/2 Verd Oaks Drive Glendale, CA 91205 (212)663-1100	Total recycled content: 54% Post-consumer content: 34%
Green Bay Pack aging PO Box 711 Morriton, AR 72110 1-800-552-0552	Total recycled content: 50% Post-consumer content: 12.5% to 52.5% (Products: Arkbrite®, Eco-White®, Kraft-Linerboard®, White-Top®)
M.T.I. 6190 Yarrow Dr. Carlsbad, CA 92009 (760)603-9600	Total recycled content: up to 100% Post-consumer content: 35-50%
Tharco 2222 Grant Ave. San Lorenzo, CA 94580 800-772-2332 or 510-276-8600	Total recycled content: 100% Post-consumer content: 83% Custom or Stock Boxes
Turn-around Products of Martinez P.O. Box 463 Martinez, CA 94553 510-372-6974	Total recycled content: 83% Post-consumer content: 83%
Plastic Bags
Poly Pak America, Inc. 2939 E. Washington Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90023-4277 800-826-4000 or 213-264-2400	Total recycled content: 25% Post-consumer content: 25%
Paperboard Boxes
Associated Box Company 2736 East Walnut A-2 Passadena, CA 91107 Ph. (626)796-6300, Fax (626)796-3131	Total recycled content: 100% Post-consumer content: 20%
Pallets
California Recycling Co. 3360 E. Pico Los Angeles, CA 90023	Total recycled content: 100% Post-consumer content: 100%
Obex, Inc. P.O. Box 1253 Stamford, CT 06904 203-975-9094	Total recycled content: 100% Post-consumer content: 50-100%
Plastic Strapping
Signode Corporation Glenview, Illinois 60025 Ph. (847)657-4423, Fax (847)657-4675 Contact: Tom Summers	N/A
Cyklop Strapping Corp. Boot Road Downington, PA 19335	Total recycled content: 50% Post-consumer content: 40%
Office Paper (Copy and Laser Compatible)
Badger Paper Mills PO Box 149 Peshtigo, WI 54157 Ph. 1-800-826-0494, Fax (715)582-4853, http://www.badgerpaper.com	Total recycled content: 50% Post-consumer content: 20%
Boise Cascade Corp. (208)384-6555, Fax (208)384-4841 Contact: Diane Greauve Aspen Xerographic, Cascade MP Granites, Cascade MP Brites	Total Post-consumer content: 20%
Fraser Paper 1-800-543-3297 Worx Multipurpose	Total recycled content: 50% Post-consumer content: 20%
Hammermills Papers (212)771-1500 Brite-Hue	Total recycled content: 50% Post-consumer content: 20%
Weyerhauser Corp. Recycled Laser Copy	Total recycled content: 50% Post-consumer content: 20%
Union Camp Corp. Great White Recycled Content	Total recycled content: 25% Post-consumer content: 25%
James River Corp. Premium, Reclaim 20/20	Total recycled content: 20-100% Post-consumer content: 20-70%
Computer Paper
F.S.C. Paper Co. 13101 S. Pulaski Rd.	Total recycled content: 100% Post-consumer content: 100%
Bowater Communication Papers, Inc.( CST - Star Form) 540 West Elendel Dr. Wheeling, ILL 60090 800-553-1865, Fax 800-278-3294	Total recycled content: 20% Post-consumer content: 20%
Sources: The Business & Government Buyer's Guide to Recycled Products, Californians Against Waste. California Market Watch Resource Exchange, Department of Conservation, January 1996. Guide to Recycled Office and Business Paper Containing 20% Post Consumer Fiber, National Office Paper Recycling Project, May 1995.