Nonprofit Awards EM Sites, Contractors for Purchases of Sustainable Goods

A nonprofit that advocates for purchasing practices that improve the environment recently honored several EM sites and contractors for buying green products that are more energy efficient, less toxic, longer lasting, and easier to recycle.

The Global Electronics Council manages the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) ecolabel for the IT sector, helping purchasers, manufacturers, resellers, and others buy and sell environmentally preferable electronic products.

The EPEAT Purchaser Awards recognize excellence in sustainable procurement of IT products and services. The council named award winners representing EM’s Hanford, Oak Ridge, Portsmouth, Moab, and West Valley sites. According to the council, the sites have contributed to 1.3 billion sustainable products purchased through the council’s ecolabels since 2006, totaling a reduction of 184 million metric tons of greenhouse gases and an energy savings of 283 million megawatt hours.

Hanford Site

The Hanford Site in Washington state received its fifth consecutive purchaser award from the council for prioritizing the purchase of products featuring high environmental standards. The site’s 2021 EPEAT award reflects cost savings and sustainability of more than $60,000 for products purchased during fiscal 2020.

Hanford’s award recognizes purchases of more than 2,500 products meeting strict sustainability criteria across five categories: computers and displays, imaging equipment, mobile phones, TVs, and servers.

During fiscal 2020, environmental effects from Hanford’s purchases were equal to taking 63 cars off the road for a year and saving enough electricity to power 116 U.S. households. The purchases also helped conserve about 800,000 gallons of water — more than enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

“The purchase of sustainable technology products for the Hanford Site supports our commitment to taking a proactive role in environmental management, limiting our contribution to the growing stream of e-waste,” said Stephen Desnoyers of Hanford’s information management team. “We prioritize the acquisition of EPEAT-registered products to reduce greenhouse gases and mitigate climate change.”

E-waste, or electronic waste, increases as the volume of existing and new types of technology grows every year, according to the council. About 50 million tons of e-waste are generated annually, weighing more than all the commercial airliners ever made, and 80% of e-waste is not collected for recycling, with 76% not documented and 4% thrown into household waste. It is estimated there are more than 100 million old devices in homes.

EM and contractor employees from across Hanford provided a video acceptance of the award for a virtual ceremony. The acceptance video can be viewed here.

Oak Ridge

The council honored EM’s East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee with the EPEAT Purchaser Award for the seventh consecutive year.

During fiscal 2020, environmental effects from purchases at ETTP were equal to taking 24 cars off the road for one year and saving enough electricity to power 44 U.S. households. The 735 purchases at ETTP also helped conserve about 325,0000 gallons of water.

UCOR, EM’s prime cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge, uses EPEAT in purchasing contracts to require vendors provide electronics that meet the council’s strict sustainability criteria and adhere to labor and human rights along the supply chain. Buying the EPEAT-registered products aligns with EM’s mission to protect communities and the environment, while eliminating hazards and reducing risks.

“Purchasing EPEAT products is a priority for UCOR,” said David Buhl, UCOR’s pollution prevention and waste minimization coordinator. “As with everything we do, our goal is to make environmentally responsible decisions, and purchasing energy efficient and easily recycled products helps us achieve that goal. We are honored to have received this award for the seventh consecutive year.”

Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project

The council awarded the Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project in Utah with the EPEAT Purchaser Award for the second year in a row. Purchases that qualified for the award added up to nearly $40,000, including 50 computers and displays, four printers, and two cell phones.

The Moab Project continuously finds ways to reduce its environmental impact. Green electronic purchases not only result in cost savings, but they also reduce greenhouse gas emissions and solid and hazardous waste generation, and lower the amount of electricity needed.

“These purchases help the Moab Project to continuously strive towards fulfilling environmental management system goals and reduce environmental impacts,” says Stephanie Lein, the environmental air quality monitoring technician with S&K Logistics Services, the technical assistance contractor for the Moab Project.

West Valley Demonstration Project

The West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) in New York received the council’s award for purchasing computers and equipment that comply with EPEAT’s standards.

Bryan Bower, EM’s WVDP director, noted that the site’s continued commitment to purchase sustainable products helps reduce environmental impacts through eco-friendly products and environmentally-sound practices.

"Receiving the EPEAT award speaks volumes for the West Valley Demonstration Project team members, who strive for sustainable procurement by purchasing goods and services that reduce our impact on the environment," Bower said. “I am truly proud of this team’s accomplishment, and sincerely thank everyone for putting the environment first.”

Portsmouth Site

The council also honored the Portsmouth Site with an EPEAT Purchaser Award.

“The Portsmouth Site is proud to continue DOE’s leadership in growing a long-term sustainability with electronic stewardship,” said Jeff Bettinger, Portsmouth Site lead with the Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office.