Smarter Purchasing
Why is purchasing important?
America is a nation of “stuff.” We make a lot of it, we buy a lot of it, and we throw away a lot of it.
Unfortunately for us, every product we buy has an environmental impact that reaches far beyond
our own time spent with it. Most products undergo a journey that starts long before they reach
our hands, and continues on long after we dispose of them as waste.
Each phase of this journey contributes its own health and environmental impacts. Most of these
are related to the use of fossil fuels for key activities throughout the product’s life, including
materials procurement and processing, the manufacture and assembly of parts, product disposal,
and the transport of the product from place to place. The burning of these fossil fuels contributes
to reduced air quality and climate change. Additionally, many products require the addition of
toxic chemicals which humans can be exposed to through use. The manufacture and disposal can
also yield toxic byproducts such as dioxins, mercury and lead.
Transportation
Transportation
Materials
processing
Raw materials
extraction
Manufacturing &
assembly
Transportation
End of life
disposal
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Use
Recommended JustOne Actions
Reuse or Repurpose Before Buying New
Buy Recycled-Content Products ◊ Buy In Bulk
Buy BPA-Free ◊ Buy Low-VOC ◊ Buy Mercury-Free
Buy Reusable, Recyclable & Biodegradable Products
“Smarter Purchasing”
Resources
Photos
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http://grmsolutions.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/ConsumerProducts.jpg
http://vivo.ufl.edu/file/n40454/School+of+Natural+Resources+and+
Environment.jpg
http://media.smithsonianmag.com/images/EcoCenter-Air-SmokingSmokestack-631.jpg
http://www.discoverycorpsinc.com/storage/articles-files-beginning2011/Grab_bag_pic2%20%20row%20of%20factory%20machines.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACH
EVERSION=1304990106430
http://image.made-in-china.com/6f3j00QvOTuFqtaErm/FinishedProduct-Warehouse.jpg
Questions? Comments? Email gogreen@inova.org.