For government purchasers, Office Supply Connection is an online one-stop shopping service offering over 23,000 office products to all state and local governments, federal agencies, the University of Minnesota, and public schools. The State of Minnesota also maintains a contractA solemn agreement between parties, usually written, with binding legal and moral force, usually exchanging goods or services for money or other consideration. with S & T Office Products, Inc., offering purchasers access to wholesale inventory.
What environmentally preferable productsGoods and services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with other goods and services that serve the same purpose. are available through Office Supply Connection?
The Office Supply Connection web site provides a downloadable product catalog for in-stock items and an associated price list. (News and catalog changes are noted in a downloadable newsletter.) Use the catalog's recycling symbol to identify 325 products made from recycled materials, including:
- Copy paper - 30% and 100% post-consumer recycled contentThe portion of a product that is made from materials diverted from the waste stream, usually stated as a percentage by weight. (processed chlorine free)
- Envelopes and mailers - ranges from 30% to 100% post-consumer recycled content
- Hanging and other folders - 10% to 40% post-consumer recycled content
- Overhead transparencies - minimum 50% recycled content
- Note pads - ranges from 10% to 100% post-consumer recycled content
- Pencils - 60% post-consumer recycled content
- Post-it Notes - 30% post-consumer recycled content
- Storage boxes - ranges from 35 to 50% post-consumer recycled content
- Toner cartridges - remanufactured for printers, fax machines, and multi-function units
- Wastebaskets - minimum 25% recycled steel
Additionally, over 2,800 recycled-content products are available through the complete catalog, which is sent upon registration.
What are the benefits of purchasingThe act and the function of responsibility for the acquisition of equipment, materials, supplies, and services. In a narrow sense, the term describes the process of buying. In a broader sense, the term describes determining the need, selecting the supplier, arriving at a fair and reasonable price and terms, preparing the contract or purchase order, and following up to ensure timely delivery. from Office Supply Connection?
- Orders can be placed online at Office Supply Connection.
- No minimum order requirements for the main catalog; a $25 minimum order applies to purchases through S&T Office Products, Inc.
- No freight costs.
- Items are shipped within 24 to 48 hours of order placement.
- 22,000 wholesale catalog items.
- 1,000 warehouse-stocked items.
- Significant discounts on many items compared to other sources.
- Over 3,000 items with recycled content.
- Sales return policy is explained in the downloadable catalog.
How can I buy products from Office Supply Connection?
Office Supply Connection exclusively serves government purchasers. However, you do not have to be a member of the state's Cooperative Purchasing Venture program to buy products. Just follow these simple steps:
- Visit the Office Supply Connection web site and select the "Contact Us" button at the top of the site. Once registration is complete, your user name and password will be e-mailed to you. For registration questions, call Office Supply Connection at 651/201-2578.
- Call 651/296-2111 or fax 651/296-5839 to obtain instructions on getting a customer number.
- Once you have been assigned a customer number, Office Supply Connection will send a full catalog, price list, and an order form.
- Use the downloadable supply requisition form; you may also use your own pre-approved form.
- Order products by fax, Minnesota Accounting and ProcurementThe combined functions of purchasing, inventory control, traffic and transportation, receiving, receiving inspection, storekeeping, and salvage and disposal operations. system (MAPS), mail, or walk-in.
For more information, contact Office Supply Connection at 651/296-2111 or 800/568-7114, or visit the Office Supply Connection web site.
Products containing hazardous chemicals can pose health risks to employees and the public, as well as threaten the environment. In addition, hazardous products often require special and costly waste disposal methods. Buy products that are labeled with none of the following signal words or those with the lowest level of hazard possible (but that still get the job done).
- Caution: mild to moderate hazard
- Warning: moderate hazard
- Danger: corrosive, extremely flammable, or highly toxic
- Poison: highly toxic
If less-hazardous alternatives are not readily available, use the least amount of a hazardous product needed to accomplish a task. Use up all of the product before throwing the container or packaging away.
Reducing energy use is important because most energy production contributes to problems such as carbon dioxide emissions (tied to global warming), mercury releases, acid rain, volatile organic compounds, and nuclear waste. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy developed the Energy Star label to help purchasers identify energy-efficient products. These products reduce utility bills and help the environment.
Recycled-content products save energy and resources, while also keeping waste out of landfills and incinerators. Recycled-content products can be made with post-consumer content, pre-consumer content, or a mix of both. Products made with post-consumer recycled content support our recycling programs at home and at work. If people do not buy products with post-consumer recycled content, manufacturers will no longer want the paper, cans, glass, or plastic we separate from trash. Pre-consumer content comes primarily from manufacturer scrap, and as such does not directly support such recycling efforts.
Minnesota generates over 5 million tons of municipal solid waste annually, and this amount is increasing every year. Much of this waste comes from disposable and over-packaged products. Preventing waste can conserve natural resources and avoid the need to build new, expensive waste disposal facilities. You prevent waste when:
- Reducing the amount of material you buy to accomplish any task;
- Reusing a product in its original form; or
- Using repairable, refillable, or durable products.
VOCs evaporate ("volatilize") easily at room temperature and often have a sharp smell. They are contained in many products, such as office equipment, adhesives, carpeting, upholstery, manufactured wood products, paints, solvents, pesticides, and cleaning products. Some VOCs can cause cancer in certain situations, especially when they are concentrated indoors. When VOCs hit sunlight, they create ozone, an air pollutant harmful to both people and plants. Many low-VOC versions of products reduce risks to human health and the environment.
Less than 1% of the Earth's water is available for human consumption. There is no "new" water on Earth. Dry spells have reminded us that our water supply can be threatened - even in the Land of 10,000 Lakes - resulting in watering bans in some municipalities. Choosing products and services that conserve water, such as automatic flushers and low-flow faucets and toilets, can conserve this vital resource while reducing water and sewer bills.
What happens to a product after we use it? Some materials cannot go in the trash because they are hazardous in some way and therefore need separate - and sometimes expensive - special management. Some products are more easily recycled than others that do the same job. Making wiser buying choices can prevent a disposal concern at the end of a product's useful life, keep hazardous materials out of the environment, and expand options for recycling and reuse.
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Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Guide published by the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board, 4/00. The SWMCB includes members from the Minnesota metropolitan counties of Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, and Washington, with ex-officio members from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
Last Revised October 22, 2008 - 12:12pm