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 Section 504 requires Executive agency heads to purchase uncoated printing and
writing paper with a minimum of 20 percent postconsumer content beginning December 31,
1994, and 30 percent postconsumer content beginning December 31, 1998. In lieu of these
postconsumer content levels for paper, Section 504(c) of the Order allows Executive
agencies, under specific circumstances, to purchase printing and writing paper that contains
50 percent recovered materials. The levels contained in the Executive Order replace the
corresponding standards contained in EPA's 1988 paper guideline. On March 15, 1995,
EPA issued a draft RMAN for paper products (see 60 FR 14182) which contains draft
revisions to EPA's recommended recovered materials content levels for paper and paper
products.. The draft RMAN incorporates the recovered materials content levels required in
the Executive Order. Executive agencies should note, however, that, beginning December
31, 1994, the standards in the Executive Order are applicable to their paper purchases even if
EPA does not incorporate them into the paper guideline.
Section 505 further requires the General Services Administration and other Federal
agencies to revise their paper specifications to eliminate barriers, unrelated to performance,
to purchasing paper or paper products made by production processes that minimize emissions
of harmful by-products.
Section 506 reinforces the procurement guidelines for m-refined oil and retread tires
by requiring commodity managers to finalize specification revisions for the products and to
develop and issue specifications for tire retreading services. Once these specifications are
finalized, commodity and fleet managers are required to take affirmative steps to procure
retread tires and m-refined oil.
Section 602 of the Executive Order directs Executive agencies to set goals for
purchasing recycled and other environmentally-preferable products and to maximize the
number of recycled content products purchased, relative to non-recycled alternatives.
Finally, section 301 requires the Federal Environmental Executive to submit an
annual report to the Office of Management and Budget on the actions taken by agencies to
comply with the requirements of the Executive Order, including the affirmative procurement
program requirements set forth in RCRA section 6002. To enable the Federal Environmental
Executive to develop this report, Executive agencies are required to provide information on
their implementation actions.
3. Other Requirements and Policies
There are several other policies and procedures that may affect the procurement of
products containing recovered materials by Federal and other government agencies. For the
convenience of the reader, EPA has briefly summarized requirements and Policies set forth in
the Federal Acquisition Regulation, OFPP Policy Letter 92-4, and OMB Circulars A-102, A-
119, and A-131.
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