• Flip chart
• Highlighters
• Non-permanent
• Permanent
• Whiteboard

Required specifications

Purchasers must include these specifications, unless not possible:

• Markers must be free of Prop 65 chemicals (e.g., toluene, ethyl benzene, and phthalates), which are known to the state of California to cause cancer, birth defects or reproductive harm.
• Must have at least one of the following third-party certifications:
  • Art and Creative Materials Institute (ACMI) as an Approved Product (ACMI AP).
  • Cradle to Cradle Certificate or Material Health Certificate: v3.1 at the Gold level or higher OR v4.0 at the Silver level or higher.
  • UL ECOLOGO

Preferred specifications

Purchasers should include these specifications, unless not possible:

• Additional environmental and health attributes of markers include:
  • Labeled low odor
  • Refillable
• Products and packaging that have been tested and confirmed to have a relatively low concentration of PCBs compared to those offered by other bidders are eligible for a bid preference of at least 5%.

Things to avoid

Purchasers should avoid these specifications whenever possible:

• Bidders must avoid offering PCB-containing products and packaging unless there is no cost-effective or technically feasible alternative.
  • In such cases, they must identify all products and packaging in their offering that contain PCBs.

Laws, rules, and executive orders

These laws, rules, and executive orders must be included in the contract language:

• EO 20-01: State Efficiency and Environmental Performance (SEEP)
  • States, “When making purchasing, construction, leasing, and other decisions that affect state government’s emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) or other toxic substances, agencies shall explicitly consider the benefits and costs (including the social costs of carbon) of available options to avoid those emissions. Where cost-effective and workable solutions are available that will reduce or eliminate emissions, decision makers shall select the lower-emissions options.” It further states that “reducing…the use of dangerous toxics in the products state agencies purchase will all have a direct positive effect on human health, particularly for vulnerable children.”
• RCW 39.26.280: Preference—Products and Products in Packaging That Do Not Contain Polychlorinated Biphenyls
  • prohibits state agencies from knowingly purchasing “products or products in packaging containing polychlorinated biphenyls above the practical quantification limit except when it is not cost-effective or technically feasible to do so.” It also authorizes state agencies to develop policies that offer a bid preference for PCB-free products and packaging.
• DES’ Procurement Preference for Products and Product Packaging that Do Not Contain Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) (POL-DES-280-00)
  • establishes a minimum 5% bid preference authorized in RCW 39.26.280 for bidders that offer products and packaging contain the lowest concentration of PCBs, when tested. The intent of this policy is to incentivize the state’s contract suppliers to provide products and packaging that do not contain PCBs.

Find these products on statewide contracts

Find products that meet Washington’s green purchasing specifications:

• Contract 06019: Office Supplies

End of life

Surplus goods that still can be used

• Use surplus disposal to get rid of items you no longer need. Keep materials out of landfills and make funds for your agency.

Recycling and disposal

Hazardous waste disposal guidelines and options:

• Department of Ecology: Dispose, recycle, or treat dangerous waste
• Washington Recycles