7-16.6 Sustainability Reporting

7-16.6.1 Clause 7-15, Supplier Sustainability Data Reporting

Clause 7-15, Supplier Sustainability Data Reporting, which must be included in all contracts valued at $500,000 or more for suppliers who sell the Postal Service EPP goods,* requires suppliers to submit calendar-quarter reports containing specific estimates of the quantity (number), weight (in pounds), and dollars ($) associated with EPP goods provided or sold to the Postal Service in the performance of the contract. Upon the award of a contract containing Clause 7-15, the CO must provide the supplier with a Sustainability Reporting Worksheet. The supplier completes the format on a quarterly basis, and forwards it to the contracting officer. The worksheet is available at http://about.usps.com/suppliers/forms-publications.htm. Reports should be submitted within 30 days of the end of each calendar quarter, and cover the following EPP categories:

Note: * EPP excludes services.

1. Recycled Content: Product (not packaging) contains any percentage of pre-consumer or post-consumer recycled content materials.
2. Bio-Based Content: Product (not packaging) contains bio-based content sufficient to earn at least one of the following:
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) BioPreferred Federal Procurement Preference (FPP Designation); and/or
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Biobased Product Certification/Labeling.
3. Energy-efficient: Product contains energy-efficient attributes and has earned one or more of the following Postal Service accepted certifications/designations:
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star Certification;
• U.S. Department of Energy Federal Energy Management Program designation (FEMP Designation) for being in the upper 25 percent of their class in energy efficiency; and/or
• National Electric Manufacturers Association (NEMA) Premium program certification.
4. Water-efficient: Product contains water-efficient attributes and has earned U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense Certification.
5. Certified to a Postal Service accepted product sustainability/eco-label standard: Product is certified to one or more of the Postal Service accepted product sustainability/eco-label standards listed at http://blue.usps.gov/sustainability/green_purchasing.htm.*

Note: The Postal Service Office of Sustainability maintains this list.

7-16.6.2 Waivers

Contracting officers may waive inclusion of Clause 7-15 in contracts when faced with compelling business reasons. All such waivers must be approved by the relevant Portfolio manager, and the rationale for the waiver must be documented and kept in the contract file.