Procurement

Environmentally preferred purchasing

Minimizing toxic chemicals in products leads to healthier workspaces for more productive employees. Business and government purchase furniture, building materials, cleaning supplies, and other products. While function and cost are important criteria, buyers are also increasingly considering chemical toxicity in their purchasing decisions.

Material Buyers Club

Our Institute convenes a Material Buyers Club whose members are large institutional purchasers striving to create healthier workplaces. During monthly meetings, members share how to limit the use of the Six Classes of harmful chemicals in their purchasing.

The group’s mission is to bring together a unified multi-sector community of purchasers to collaborate with designers, specifiers, manufacturers, and academics to shift the market toward healthier materials. The members have contributed to substantial changes in how products are manufactured. For example, the group’s efforts have helped reduce the use of flame retardants in furniture and PFAS in carpets.

2022 members include:

• Genentech
• Google
• Harvard University
• Housing Partnership Network
• Kaiser Permanente
• Meta 
• Salesforce 
• San Francisco Department of the Environment
• Troon Pacific

"The Six Classes have provided an invaluable framework for San Francisco's toxics reduction work. With thousands upon thousands of chemicals in commerce, the Six Classes help us organize, prioritize, and avoid regrettable substitutes."

– Jen Jackson, San Francisco Department of the Environment