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Sustainable business resources

3pillars-sustainability

King County is committed to procuring goods and services which balance fiscal responsibility, social equity, and environmental stewardship. When available, we specify products designated with an "ecolabel" that meet environmental standards and certifications. Beyond purchasing established products, we seek out innovative products and services which help lessen our environmental impacts.

Tips for Success

Understand what sustainable attributes we look for when purchasing goods and services in our Sustainable Purchasing Guide.

Find out which products and services we have green contracts for in our Awarded Contracts List, which denotes contracts with sustainable attributes.

See King County's Sustainable Policies here.

These policies include the county's Strategic Climate Action Plan, Green Building Ordinance, and Equity and Social Justice Strategic Plan.

When purchasing goods and services, we prioritize ecolabels recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and those accredited by third-party organizations. Find the standards and certifications we look to on our Ecolabels page.
King County encourages its purchasers to look for these sustainable business certifications when deciding which supplier to select.

Submit your sustainable product or service to one of King County's open solicitations.

These solicitations include contracting opportunties for providing sustainable goods and services, as well as green building design and construction opportunities.

Do you have an innovative sustainable good or service you want to share with us? Contact our Sustainable Purchasing Program Manager, Karen Hamilton, at: EPP@kingcounty.gov

King County looks for products and services that save the County money and reduce its impact on the environment.

Resource-Efficient Purchases

  • LED lighting
  • Efficient Appliances, equipment and fixtures
  • Alternative fuels
  • Alternative fuel vehicles
  • FSC-certified wood
  • Remanufactured and refurbished products

Recycled-Content Purchases

  • Recycled-content paper
  • Re-refined and bio-based lubricants and motor oil
  • Compost
  • Recycled asphalt and concrete
  • Recycled-content janitorial paper products

Reduced-Toxicity Purchases

  • Green cleaners
  • EPEAT-certified electronics
  • Low VOC flooring, paint and furniture
  • Low GHG cement alternatives
  • Integrated pest management services

Other Resources

ISO 20400:2017 Sustainable procurement — Guidance: ISO 20400:2017 provides guidance to organizations, independent of their activity or size, on integrating sustainability within procurement, as described in ISO 26000.

Ecovadis: EcoVadis was founded to help procurement teams and their supply and service partners find a common ground to solve sustainability challenges. It offers Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting, which has been adapted to 190 categories.

Carbon Disclosure Project: Disclosure tool to report your companies’ greenhouse gas emissions reductions to manage environmental risks and opportunities. CDP is a non-profit that operates the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts.

GRI Reporting: Global standards for sustainability reporting. GRI helps businesses and governments worldwide understand and communicate their impact on critical sustainability issues such as climate change, human rights, governance and social well-being.

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