Environmentally Preferable Procurement
Each year, Xanterra purchases a vast number of goods. The manufacture, distribution, use, and disposal of these products can have a profound impact on the environment.
Xanterra’s Environmentally Preferable Procurement (EPP) program guides staff members in making purchases that are better for the environment without sacrificing quality. These products may: contain recycled materials, be more recyclable, be less toxic or more biodegradable, have less packaging, cost less to transport, perform better, be more durable, use less energy, or consume fewer natural resources over their useful life.
| Xanterra's EPP Program Includes: |
- An EPP policy with quantifiable goals and targets
- A formal assessment protocol to determine if a product or service is environmentally preferable
- An inventory of environmentally preferable products
- An environmentally preferable capital expenditures protocol to assist in weighing the attributes and impacts of capital items prior to purchase
- A letter to contractors explaining environmental goals and contractor responsibilities
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- A letter to vendors and a policy on product packaging that explains environmental goals and vendor responsibilities
- A guide for properties on how to purchase fuel-efficient vehicles
- A sustainable cuisine program to purchase more organic, local, sustainable food products
- A formal companywide policy banning certain species of fish from menus and recommending others
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Each year the company adds new environmentally preferable products. Our most visible and meaningful new environmentally preferable products include our Green Seal certified cleaners used internally; countless new energy efficiency technologies (see Energy and Renewable Energy sections); our line of Seventh Generation paper and cleaning products and Kiss My Face beauty products sold in retail stores; and our additional sustainable cuisine products (see Sustainable Cuisine section).
This past year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) presented Xanterra South Rim with a Green Purchasing Gold Achievement Award for purchasing numerous items with recycled content. Xanterra was one of only 11 organizations out of 1,900 to receive a Gold Achievement Award. Examples of products include chlorine-free, 100 percent post-consumer recycled content copy paper, as well as selling blankets, T-shirts, and sweatshirts that contain between 60 to 100 percent recycled-content materials. In addition, we close the loop by buying back the equivalent of more than 10 percent of the paper and 25 percent of the plastic we recycle. In 2005, Xanterra avoided $55,000 in disposal costs through its recycling and waste prevention program.
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