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ARCHIVED - Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency - Supplementary Tables


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Green Procurement

Meeting Policy Requirements

Has the department incorporated environmental performance considerations in its procurement decision-making processes?

Yes

Summary of initiatives to incorporate environmental performance considerations in procurement decision-making processes:

ACOA has established green procurement targets, which have been included in the Agency’s 2007-2010 Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS). The Agency’s internal procurement policy is being updated to reflect the green procurement requirements; staff occupying procurement positions have the necessary training to support the objectives of the strategy; and benchmarks will be established to monitor progress.

Results achieved:

Internal procurement policies were revised and updated to reflect green procurement components.

A training package was developed to include ACOA’s revised policies, and training sessions were delivered to employees involved in procurement. Increased awareness and understanding of these new policies by all employees helps those in procurement service delivery introduce new products or new services and contribute to the overall government-wide implementation of green procurement. Six training sessions were delivered at head office and regional offices, and more are planned.

ACOA participated in an information session on ways to recycle the Agency’s surplus electronic and electrical equipment, to ensure all e-waste is disposed of in an environmentally sound, secure and cost-effective manner complying with the Federal Electronic Waste Strategy.

New financial coding was created to increase reporting capabilities and establish benchmarks.

Contributions to facilitate government-wide implementation of green procurement:

Updated policies have been posted on ACOA’s intranet site for easy access by all employees.

The use of Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) standing offers for green products is always considered in the Agency’s daily procurement activities.

Green Procurement Targets

Has the department established green procurement targets?

Yes  

Summary of green procurement targets:

The Agency has increased its use of remanufactured toner cartridges. This will reduce energy consumption in manufacturing and reduce wastage of cartridge shells.

The Agency has increased its volume of existing supplies being substituted by green products in the workplace. The increased use of recycled products will help reduce pollution, and using environmentally-friendly products reduces the impact on the environment.

The purchase of energy-efficient replacement equipment will help reduce energy consumption. Buying hybrid vehicles for fleet replacement will help reduce the Agency’s ecological footprint.

Results achieved:

ACOA continues the use of remanufactured toner cartridges through the use of standing offers in place. PWGSC has issued standing offers for original equipment manufacturer (OEM), which are cartridges with new elements or materials that may have been reformed from previous use. The use of PWGSC standing offers for toner cartridges results in cost savings. Empty toner cartridges are returned to suppliers at no cost, to be recycled in an environmentally-responsible manner.

The new PWGSC standing offer includes a list of green products, thereby increasing the number of products available at reduced prices. The use of financial coding created to track the procurement of green products provides a baseline for comparison, showing 61 per cent of goods procurements (excluding vehicles) identified as green products.

The purchase of energy efficient replacement equipment will result in a reduction of energy consumption; 82 per cent of equipment purchased was considered green product using the PWGSC standing offer in place.

With the use of multifunctional faxing/printing/copying units, ACOA was able to eliminate ten printers, and as a result will reduce the need to replace older units. This will result in increased efficiency of resources and cost savings.