More than 25 Eco-Action members met with representatives of the Office of Physical Plant Friday and reached an agreement to work together to find a sustainable toiletry provider for the university.
Eco-Action urged Penn State to terminate its contract with Kimberly-Clark, the university's current tissue paper supplier.
It also presented several demands, including the environmental certifications of toiletries Penn State buys and minimums on the percentages of "recovered" content used in those products.
The group believes Kimberly-Clark's practices to be environmentally unsound.
"We would like to see the university use either Green Seal-certified toiletry products or a company with products that meet the same standards but have not yet been certified," said Tina Robinson, public relations representative for Eco-Action. "Green Seal would be the ideal for product certification. It would cover all the bases."
Green Seal is an independent non-profit organization devoted to protecting the environment and overhauling the marketplace by promoting the use of environmentally friendly products and services, according to its Web site.
It tackles all stages of the production process, from the manufacture and purchase of products to delivery and use, Robinson (junior-community, environment and development and environmental economic policy) said.
Eco-Action also urged the university to purchase products made from 100-percent-recovered material.
"We are going to hone in on what processes are environmentally responsible," said Steve Maruszewski, director of special projects for OPP. "If we have something that is really environmentally responsible, and your finger doesn't poke through it every time you use it ... that is where we will start."
Maruszewski added he thought the university's goal was to have a new contract by this coming June.
Eco-Action and OPP officials also reached an agreement on club members working in connection with the university to find the best product for students.
"Students are about 90 percent of the university's population, so of course we would want to have student involvement and representation," said OPP spokesman Paul Ruskin. "[Students] are our most important customers."
Maruszewski agreed with Ruskin regarding the incorporation of Eco-Action members into the tissue paper procurement process.
"I don't see why we can't immediately integrate you into the process," he told Eco-Action members. " I think we are pretty much on the same page. Our numbers and approach might be slightly different, but they will align through the process."
Robinson and Eco-Action President Carlo Sica will be the student representatives and they, with OPP officials, will work to draft a contract.
