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ARTICLE · 13 MAY 2024

Federal Contractors Now Required To Use Sustainable Products & Services

Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.
Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.
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On April 22, 2024, the federal government issued a rule "amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)" to "implement a requirement for agencies to procure sustainable products and services to the maximum extent practicable."

United StatesEnvironment
Jacob Hupart
Jacob Hupart
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On April 22, 2024, the federal government issued a rule "amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)" to "implement a requirement for agencies to procure sustainable products and services to the maximum extent practicable." In other words, federal contractors now have enhanced obligations to provide sustainable products and services as part of their contractual duties owed to the government.

This action is simply one of a broader range of initiatives to implement the Biden Administration's environmental agenda. Even though the passage of major domestic legislation has effectively been stymied by a divided Congress, the Biden Administration has employed administrative or agency action--whether through enhanced requirements for government contractors, as here, or through the SEC's proposed rules on climate disclosure--to guide economic activity in the United States into a more sustainable framework. While the impact of each of these individual actions may not

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