| CUTTING PAPER - OTHER TOOLS - U.S. Federal Government Interest |
The government of the U.S. has a variety of reasons to be interested in reducing paper use, as well as a variety of programs to address it. For the most part, cutting paper fits within the mandate of a broader effort, but there are a few examples of specific efforts to reduce paper use. Most federal efforts don't require paper efficiency measures, but for those who want to do them, they provide a solid rationale for pursuing them. The federal government has been considerably more active on the related topic of buying recycled content office paper.
E.O. 13101 reaffirms and expands the federal commitment to be a leader in these areas, by bringing federal purchasing and other actions in line with environmental policy goals. Announced on September 14, 1998, it replaces E.O. 12873. A consistent theme in the E.O. is cost-effectiveness; this is good news for cutting paper as it is almost always results in net cost savings in addition to the environmental benefits. The E.O. also establishes more institutional presence for these actions in the form of "Agency Environmental Executives" (AEE) that can focus their attention on them. If you work for a federal agency, seek out your AEE for help and advice.
The E.O. has some important provisions for cutting paper. "Acquisition" is explicitly defined to include purchasing and leasing, important as many office copiers are leased. It also makes it clear that "Life Cycle Cost" is the relevant criteria, not just the initial purchase price, so it can account for reduced paper use costs. Agencies are asked to undertake 'pilot projects' aimed at procuring "Environmentally Preferable Products and Services" that focus on widespread federal activities, such as printing. Paper efficiency efforts are a natural for this directive.
As feasible, the E.O. requirements are extended to government facilities operated by contractors, such as many Departmant of Energy National Laboratories.
For the text of the Executive Order, see the specific Federal Register and search for "Presidential Documents" or "13101".
The U.S. EPA's Energy Star program has taken on cutting paper more directly than any other effort. The copier part of the program initially required that compliant machines that can make over 45 copies/minute be shipped default duplex. While the requirement was later made only a recommendation, it did assure that many new copier models could be set to default duplex and sets the stage for these models to be converted to default duplex later. Saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from paper production remain goals for future Energy Star efforts.
The Energy Star program also is leading an international effort to develop a "Copier of the Future" that will not only save considerable electricity, but also will incorporate excellent paper-efficiency features.
The U.S. EPA's Office of Solid Waste is the lead organization on better managing our municipal waste streams, including copy paper. The WasteWi$e program helps partner companies implement strategies to reduce the amount of waste they produce and recycle more of what they do. Unlike Energy Star, which influences products sold, WasteWi$e concentrates on an organizations's internal operations.
The U.S. Office of the Federal Environmental Executive is the lead organization implementing Executive Order 13101 (and its predecessor, 12873). To date the OFEE has focused primarily on specific requirements of the E.O. 12873, and has lacked the resources to address the more general intentions such as cutting paper use. With the expanded mandate of E.O. 13101, the OFEE may be able to take a stronger hand in reducing paper use.
Many federal agencies have taken specific actions in their own operations to reduce paper use. Some examples of these follow.
Many Department of Energy National Labs have goals to reduce waste generation overall, including non-hazardous solid waste. For example, DOE labs managed by the University of California have a goal to reduce solid waste generation by 10% each year for the coming several years. Department of Energy facilities disposed of over 100,000 tons of ordinary solid waste from ‘routine operations’ in 1993 (this excludes waste from environmental cleanup). By 1995, this figure had dropped below 100,000 tons, though this does not count waste that gets recycled.
For an example of what one National Laboratory does about solid waste, see Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Recycling page.
The new Executive Order justifies innovative efforts to reduce office paper use, and only requires a motivated agency or organization to pursue them. The E.O. specifies that desired products need not yet be available on the market, which allows 'thinner' paper to be included. Environmentally Preferable Products could include imaging equipment with efficient paper features, to provide direction for federal purchasing beyond Energy Star compliance.
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