Private Sector Pioneers

Private-sector procurement of environmentally preferable products is growing and becoming more sophisticated, according to a report published in 1999 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program. Its 40-page booklet profiles 18 company environmental purchasing initiatives. Featured companies include a familiar list of eco-conscious companies — Anheuser-Busch, Ben & Jerry’s, Herman Miller, Patagonia, Volvo — as well as some less familiar ones, including Perrigo, the leading U.S. manufacturer of generic and “store brand” pharmaceutical, personal care, and nutritional products.