Products
What are sustainable products?
Although a formal definition for “sustainable products” currently does not exist, sustainable products are considered items that are environmentally preferable. The DoDInstruction 4105.72 (Procurement of Sustainable Goods and Services) defines “environmentally preferable” as…
“Products or services having a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or services serving the same purpose. This comparison may consider raw materials acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse, operation, maintenance, or product or service disposal.”
Why should I use sustainable products?
DoD’s sustainability vision is “the ability to operate into the future without decline – either in the mission or in the natural and man-made systems that support it.” A such, it is a means of improving mission accomplishment. Using sustainable products not only contributes to fulfilling DoD’s sustainable procurement goals, but also supports and enhances the mission by using resources wisely. Procuring energy efficient products lessens DoD’s reliance on fossil fuels and reduces energy costs. Procuring non-toxic or less-toxic alternatives protects the health of DoD personnel, the warfighter, and the surrounding community. The DoD Sustainable Technology Evaluation and Demonstration (STED) Program also works diligently to ensure that sustainable products perform as well or better than traditional non-sustainable products. Enhanced product performance supports the DoD’s mission, reduces total life cycle costs, and improves the workplace environment.
How do I know that sustainable products will meet my commercial and/or military technical requirements?
The DoD STED Program evaluates the performance of sustainable products in operational environments at DoD installations. Prior to conducting sustainable product demonstrations, the DoD STED Program identifies applicable Government/Military/Commercial technical requirements and verifies that the demonstration products meet these requirements. This is achieved by working closely with manufacturers and owners of technical requirements.
How do I know if sustainable products perform well?
The DoD STED Program demonstrates the performance of sustainable products. The purpose of sustainable product demonstrations is to ensure that sustainable products perform well and meet end users’ needs before being included in federal procurement systems. During the sustainable product demonstrations, the project team closely monitors product performance by soliciting user feedback. The project team uses this information to select the top performing products for inclusion in Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and other federal procurement systems. During some demonstrations, the project team worked with manufacturers to redesign products for enhanced performance.
How do I find and purchase sustainable products?
Consult the Buyer Resources page on the General Services Administration’s Sustainable Facility Tool website by Clicking Here
If the SPC website does not address your sustainable technology need, please use the contact feature on this site to communicate with the DoD STED Program. The product you are looking for may not yet be included in DoD procurement systems and could be eligible for a product demonstration.
SPC Website
What is the Sustainable Products Center (SPC)?
The SPC serves as an online resource for information regarding ongoing, planned, and completed DoD STED Program demonstrations of sustainable commercial off-the-shelf products and technologies. As such, it reports on the performance of sustainable products and technologies in the DoD operational environment to better inform DoD end users of the feasibility and benefits of incorporating such items into their operations. End users can visit the SPC to find sustainable products to suit their needs; learn about the performance of sustainable products; submit any questions, reviews, and/or challenges in regard to procuring sustainable products; and initiate a sustainable product demonstration at their installation by using the site’s contact feature.
Sustainable Product Demonstrations
How are sustainable product demonstrations executed?
A sustainable product demonstration is a coordinated effort between sustainable product manufacturers, installation personnel, and a project team that operates as the third party expert to evaluate the sustainable products. When a product ‘need area’ is identified, the project team works with installation personnel to gather all technical requirements for a particular product. The project team will then identify all sustainable product alternatives and evaluate the sustainable products against technical requirements. This process can involve outreach to standardization preparing activities, engineering authorities, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Once sustainable products that meet the technical requirements are identified, the project team works with sustainable product manufactures to acquire items for demonstration. During the demonstration, installation personnel get to use the products and evaluate their performance. The project team collects feedback from end-users and will, on occasion, work with manufactures to redesign products so that they meet the military’s needs. If a sustainable product meets all performance and technical requirements, the project team works with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to incorporate the product into the DoD supply and procurement systems or with the General Services Administration (GSA) to incorporate the product into federal agency supply and procurement systems. This enables future procurement of the sustainable product.
What is the value of a sustainable product demonstration?
A sustainable product demonstration allows installation personnel to try sustainable products without having to identify products that meet technical requirements. All of the upfront research, evaluation, and coordination are conducted by the project team. Installation personnel are freed up to simply try the products and provide feedback regarding performance to the project team. When a sustainable product performs well, the project team works with DLA or GSA to incorporate the sustainable product in the supply systems so that installation personnel can order the sustainable product in the future. Sustainable product demonstrations are design to alleviate the burden of sustainable procurement from installation personnel.
Who funds sustainable product demonstrations?
Product demonstrations are typically a joint effort between the DoD STED Program, the participating installations: Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine headquarters; and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense -Energy, Installations and Environment (OASD(EI&E)), as well as industry stakeholders. Use the contact feature on this site to communicate with the DoD STED Program if you would like to pursue a product demonstration. The DoD STED Program has extensive experience planning sustainable product demonstrations, which includes identifying and including the appropriate stakeholders.
What kind of sustainable products are eligible for demonstration?
Any sustainable commercial off-the-shelf product or technology is eligible for demonstration. Consult the demonstration pages on this website for ongoing, planned, and completed demonstrations to find out what categories have been included to date. Use the contact feature on this website to inform the DoD STED Program of any sustainable product that you would like to demonstrate.
If you do not see your question answered here, please Contact Us directly in regard to your inquiry.
