President Joe Biden today signed an executive order issuing a Federal Sustainability Plan that includes Buy Clean policy for the first time in federal procurement. Buy Clean promotes spending taxpayer dollars on materials that are manufactured in a cleaner, more efficient, environmentally-friendly manner—reducing industrial pollution and health impacts, supporting good-paying jobs, and building globally-competitive domestic manufacturing.

The BlueGreen Alliance and its partners played a pivotal role in the adoption of Buy Clean in California in 2017 and has worked with other states–including Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Minnesota–to adopt similar policies. The executive order includes a number of provisions that the BlueGreen Alliance has been advocating for at the federal level, including the creation of a working group and Buy Clean Task Force.

In response to today’s executive order, the BlueGreen Alliance released the following statement from Executive Director Jason Walsh:

“The BlueGreen Alliance is thrilled to see a Buy Clean initiative established at the federal level. Buy Clean will support American manufacturing and our manufacturing workers while leveling the playing field for companies that are doing what’s right to reduce our nation’s contribution to climate change. By focusing on the environmental impact of the materials procured by the federal government, this policy can help ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly, on materials that are manufactured in a cleaner, more efficient, environmentally-friendly manner—reducing pollution and the negative health impacts that go along with it.

“We thank President Biden for this effort to Buy Clean and look forward to continuing to work with the administration—and in the states—to implement this important policy.”