Under CMC Title 61, Cincinnati directs city departments to weight environmental and social factors when buying goods and services, prioritizing recycled-content paper, ENERGY STAR equipment, and lower-emission fleets.
CMC Title 61 establishes sustainability authority for the Office of Environment and Sustainability and codifies sustainable procurement principles for municipal contracting. The administrative purchasing manual directs Finance to specify recycled-content paper, ENERGY STAR-rated office equipment, low-VOC paints, and EPEAT-certified electronics whenever cost-competitive. Fleet purchases must consider fuel economy and electric or hybrid alternatives consistent with Green Cincinnati Plan targets. The rules apply to city operations, not to private businesses or residents. Annual reports compare actual purchases against benchmarks and feed into the climate dashboard maintained by OES under Title 61 reporting requirements.
Compliance is administrative. Departments missing sustainability targets face internal review and budget feedback rather than fines, with corrective action plans negotiated through the City Manager.
See how Cincinnati's sustainable procurement rules stack up against other locations.
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