In its formal announcement, GSA said some groups urged it to ban federal purchasing of polystyrene and plastic film packaging, but the agency said that was beyond the scope of the regulation governing the Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) and procurement.
"The rule is not intended to 'ban' or regulate any particular item," GSA said. "The anticipated benefit of the rule is the coordination of industry and FSS ordering officials to reduce the single-use plastics waste stream."
The agency said it would follow up with implementation rules, and said it was not requiring federal contractors to offer alternatives to single-use plastics, nor was it requiring their purchase.
GSA said putting icons next to products in the procurement catalog that designate that they are single-use-plastics-free will raise the visibility of those options and make it easier for supply officers in agencies to figure out the costs of being SUP-free.
The agency also said it rejected a broad ban because plastic packaging can be beneficial for some items, like health care products.
GSA said FSS is the premier federal contracting platform, with 14,500 vendors filling $45 billion worth of contracts a year. Overall, the federal government buys about $700 billion a year in goods and services.
In a statement, Jeffrey Koses, GSA senior procurement executive, said the rule balances operational and environmental needs within the government.
He called it the "first broad federal acquisition rule specifically addressing the challenge of plastic waste."
"It emphasizes GSA's commitment to work closely with industry to address environmental stewardship in federal acquisition," he said.
"We received feedback from large and small businesses, trade groups, and the public. This collaborative approach was important in refining the rule to ensure it successfully balances operational needs with environmental responsibilities," Koses said.
When it first proposed its plan in late December, GSA noted low recycling rates for plastics and that packaging makes up 36 percent of plastics used.
It said it wanted to establish new procurement norms for federal buying of plastic packaging that is difficult or impossible to recycle or that is frequently littered.
Some in the procurement community appeared to want more from GSA.
A GSA advisory committee on procurement policy last year urged the agency to take an "aggressive leadership role" in moving away from buying single-use plastics, noting that a majority of the 60,000 comments that GSA received on a 2022 version of the proposal favored having federal plastics purchasing rules.
That advisory committee said GSA should limit buying of single-use plastic water bottles, bags and foodservice items in government buildings; push for recycled content in purchasing; and seek to eliminate materials like PS foam.
GSA said in the June 6 notice that it would continue evaluating that committee's recommendations.
A coalition of 180 environmental groups had petitioned GSA in 2022 for new regulations to reduce and eventually eliminate buying of single-use plastic bags, foodware, beverage bottles and other packaging. They argued that recycling cannot adequately address plastic waste.
The Center for Biological Diversity, which led that coalition, said the GSA plan would have a limited impact.
"This rule recognizes that the federal government is responsible for wasteful single-use plastic consumption, but it's an underwhelming response to say the least and won't make a dent in the plastic crisis," said Julie Teel Simmonds, a senior attorney with CBD.
In its June 6 statement, Oceana repeated its call for the federal government to use its purchasing power to cut plastics pollution.
"Moving forward, the Biden administration must set strong policies to reduce plastic pollution at the source and support reuse and refill," Leavitt said.