Safety and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Green purchasing guidance for firefighting agents and personal protective equipment, including:
  • Body protections like kevlar
  • Coveralls/turnout gear
  • Ear plugs
  • Flares
  • Fire extinguishers/foam
  • First-aid supplies
  • Gloves
  • Helmets/hard hats
  • Holsters
  • Respirators/masks
  • Safety tape/flagging tape
  • Safety vests/clothing/safety suits/footwear

Required specifications

Purchasers must include these specifications, unless not possible:

  • EO 20-01: State Efficiency and Environmental Performance (SEEP) 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.”

    It further 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.”
  • RCW 70.75A: Firefighting Agents And Equipment—Toxic Chemical Use prohibits the sale and use of Class B firefighting foam (for flammable liquid fires) containing intentionally added Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class of organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom that are sometimes called “forever chemicals” because of their persistence in the environment. This law also requires suppliers of firefighting personal protective equipment to notify purchasers if it contains PFAS.
  • Therefore, no Class B firefighting foam offered on this contract may contain PFAS.
  • Suppliers must notify DES and other contract users of any PPE on this contract that contains PFAS.
    • Purchasers should give preference to PPE free of PFAS.
    • State agencies should specify and purchase firefighting foam that is free of fluorinated chemicals, with priority given to those products that have been approved using the GreenScreen Certified® firefighting foam.
  • Meet requirements for first-aid supplies in WAC 296-304-06015

Preferred specifications

Purchasers should include these specifications, unless not possible:

  • RCW 70A.350: the Pollution Prevention for Health People and Puget Sound Act directs Ecology to cyclically identify priority chemicals, priority products and then implement restrictions or reporting through rulemaking or take no action. At this point in time, PFAS in Firefighting PPE have been identified as a priority chemical-product combination the regulatory action has not been determined.
  • RCW 39.26.310 and DES’ Purchasing Preference for Products that Do Not Contain Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) (DES- 310-00) direct state agencies to offer a preference of at least 5% to vendors that bid products that contain either (1) no HFCs or (2) HFCs with a relatively low global warming potential (GWP) if HFC-free products are unavailable. It also directs state agencies to purchase products that have been awarded a preference under this law. Accordingly, bidders are strongly encouraged to offer firefighting agents and personal protective equipment that do not contain HFCs. If products that contain or use HFCs are unavailable, bidder should offer products that contain HFCs with a low global warming potential. Products that contain or use HFC-free or low-GWP HFCs may be eligible for a price preference of at least 5%.
  • Look for certifications like Forest Stewardship Council or Global Organic Textile Standard.
  • For PPE, look for items made from: natural fibers, recycled aluminum, recycled plastic, biodegradable acetate, and renewable materials.
    • Alternatives to Tyvek include cotton/linen dust sheets.
    • Consider clothing/suits/footwear that can be recycled, washed, biodegradable.
    • For kevlar: consider recycling for end of life. Alternatives to consider include composite biomaterial, thermoplastic, natural fibers like bamboo and hemp that are biodegradable.
    • For equipment (including holsters): consider plant-based leather alternatives, fungi-based leather alternatives, recycled materials, and biodegradable materials.
    • Replace gloves with more sustainable alternatives that meet labor standards without compromising patient safety or care.
      • Phthalate-free gloves
      • PVC-free gloves
      • Latex-free gloves
  • For safety items, consider:
    • LED road flares
    • Paper based, compostable safety tape
    • Biodegradable, recycled, cloth or fabric flagging tape
    • Reusable, natural, or recycled material earplugs
    • Bio foam, water mist, environmentally clean gaseous agents, posing zero ozone depletion potential, low global warming potential, non-toxic, biodegradable, non-conductive, fire extinguishers
    • Sustainable/reusable over disposable respirators/masks
  • For items in a first aid kit, consider:
    • Biodegradable or reusable items
    • Biodegradable or compostable bandages made from bamboo
    • Reusable items, such as metal tweezers

Things to avoid

Purchasers should avoid these specifications whenever possible:

  • Class B firefighting foam containing PFAS
  • Fire extinguishers with fluorine
  • Gloves containing polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and powdered latex
  • Improper disposal of signal flares and pyrotechnics

Laws, rules, and executive orders

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

Find these products on statewide contracts

Find products that meet Washington’s green purchasing specifications:

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:

Contact us

Leatta Dahlhoff

Environmental Technical Analyst

Phone 360-407-8108

Email leatta.dahlhoff@des.wa.gov