(a) Findings. The City Council hereby finds and declares as follows:
(1) The City of Los Angeles recognizes that, as a city government, it is a large consumer of goods and services. The City’s purchases have an environmental impact resulting from the combined impacts of a product’s manufacture, use and disposition. As a result, the purchasing decisions of the City and its contractors can positively or negatively affect the environment.
(2) Since the 1990’s, the City of Los Angeles has had in effect a Recycled Products Purchasing Program to protect the environment by helping to create a market for recycled-content products, thus creating related jobs, stabilizing the markets for recycled materials from curb-side recycling programs, protecting natural resources and extending the life expectancy of local landfills.
(3) As a natural progression to such environmental policies, the City recognizes that a more comprehensive Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy is needed to ensure that its purchasing decisions are based on environmental factors, including, but not limited to, recycled content.
(b) Purpose. This Article is adopted to accomplish the following purposes:
(1) The City of Los Angeles seeks to conserve and enhance our local and global natural resources; promote and support a vibrant, diverse, and equitable economy; safeguard human health and the environment; and improve the livability of the City’s neighborhoods without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same.
(2) The City shall promote the use of environmentally preferable products in its acquisition of goods and services. Environmental factors to be considered in selecting products include pollutant releases, waste generation, recyclability, recycled content, energy consumption, depletion of natural resources and potential impact on human health and the environment.
(3) Recognizing its role as a major purchaser of goods and services, the City shall seek opportunities to enhance markets for environmentally preferable products through employee education; encourage pilot testing of potential new products; adopt innovative product standards, specifications and contracts; and embark on cooperative ventures with other jurisdictions. Environmental factors to be considered in selecting products include pollutant releases, waste generation, recyclability, recycled content, energy consumption, depletion of natural resources and potential adverse impact on human health and the environment.
(4) The Council adopts this Article to reduce the environmental impact of the City’s purchasing decisions by buying goods and services from manufacturers and distributors who share the City’s commitment to the environment. By including environmental considerations in the City’s purchasing decisions, along with traditional criteria of price, performance and availability, the City will remain fiscally responsible, while promoting practices that improve public health and safety, reduce pollution, conserve natural resources, lessen the need for landfills, and utilize suppliers that reduce the adverse environmental impact of their production and distribution systems.
SECTION HISTORY
Added by Ord. No. 180,751, Eff. 8-4-09, Oper. 11-4-09.