DoD Sustainable Products Demonstration, Evaluation & Implementation Program and the Sustainable Products Center

The Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) first introduced biobased penetrating lubricants and sorbents into the federal buying system in 2011. From 2009 to 2011, the biobased products were demonstrated at eighteen tri-service (Army, Navy Air Force) DoD installations and were found to be as or more effective than the petroleum based equivalents. The demonstration program was launched and coordinated by the DLA, the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Installations and Environment (DUSD (I&E)) and the National Defense Center for Energy and the Environment (NDCEE). Since its inception, biobased cutlery, sorbents, penetrating lubricants, hydraulic fluid, two-cycle engine oil, and road marking paint demonstrations have been completed or are underway. The expansion of the program led to the development of the DoD Sustainable Products Center (SPC), a website launched in March 2014.  

Hosted on the Defense Environmental Information Exchange (DENIX), the SPC team envisioned the center as “a living repository of pertinent information all DoD installations will use to better implement sustainable products in their operations,” according to its 2014 GreenGov nomination. When asked how the SPC evolved from the initial demonstration program, David Asiello, now of the OASD (E,I&E) put it very simply, “We needed somewhere to put all the information to make it easier on both the buyer and the supplier.” The site includes demonstration results, success stories, technical data, and lessons learned. The SPC team maintains the demonstration program as they continue to seek out sustainable alternatives that meet both Federal requirements and, the often more onerous, Military Specifications.  

To begin a demonstration, the SPC team first consults with installation managers to determine their needs before working with product manufacturers. According to Asiello, certain product categories were initially pushed due to “very proactive suppliers” and to funding constraints. Eventually, however, they developed a survey, asking questions such as: What are your need areas? Where are there potential health issues? What could work better?  George Handy, SPC program manager, also noted that as “hazardous material is more costly to maintain and dispose of, etc., we talk with [hazardous material managers] frequently to look for alternatives in those product areas.” Once the team determines a need area, if there is equipment involved, they work with the original equipment manufacturer to identify, more sustainable alternatives that will meet installation performance requirements and Federal sustainability directives. This is a necessary step the SPC team takes to ensure that they do not void any equipment warranties. If a non-specified biobased or other sustainable product were to be used in certain machinery without the manufacturers consent, the manufacturer could refuse to honor the warranty, a potentially costly risk the team is not willing to take. The team must also choose more than one alternative both for testing purposes and because they cannot promote a single vendor. Finally, the products are brought to the installations and evaluated in the field for a period deemed appropriate by the installation and end users. The demonstration participants then provide feedback and, as Asiello pointed out, “It’s a good sign when [the installations] don’t want to give [the products] back.”

Unfortunately, sometimes they do want to give them back citing some shortcoming or another. However, this does not necessarily signify a failed demonstration. There have been cases where manufacturers have actually reformulated their product based on the feedback from field testing. Handy recounted an example of this occurrence at Fort Jackson’s Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic School (WVMS) where they demonstrated five biobased sorbents, “fluids leak as they change out engines and work on the vehicles. They did find some sorbents to be more successful than others, provided feedback on how to improve the product, and the manufacturer actually went back and fixed it.” In this case, the manufacturer adjusted the sorbent’s consistency to address the issue of it going airborne in a cross-breeze: a “win-win” in Asiello’s view. The service members have access to safer, more effective products and the manufacturers acquire DoD as a customer.

Strategies for Success

The sorbent demonstration at WVMS also highlights a tactic the program uses to expand its impact: using training commands. After basic training, service members generally attend training commands where a technical school will teach them the skills necessary for their desired military careers. The 2012 GreenGov nomination of the demonstration program states, “Training commands…will also be included [in the program] to facilitate the training of young warfighters as they are trained for their future career in the military, taking the knowledge of sustainable products with them and sharing with others throughout their career.” Essentially the program aims to create awareness at training commands to ensure the eventual dissemination of knowledge to other installations. By demonstrating products that are related to the trainees’ career choices, the team guarantees that the products remain relevant to the demonstration participants.   

The added benefit of using training commands is that the young service members generally lack the same preconceived notions of biobased and other sustainable products.  When new products are brought to an installation, the SPC team often faces opposition based on old perceptions of the products. Asiello verified that there are always some naysayers and reactions such as, “These products don’t work; I tried this fifteen years ago.” While biobased products have greatly improved over the last five to ten years, Handy reckoned that people often recall negative experiences with biodiesel from a time when “specifications didn’t even exist.” To combat this residual association, both Asiello and Handy stressed the critical importance of getting products that actually work into the hands of the naysayers and on the radar of those people who make the purchasing decisions.

Unfortunately, persuading those with purchasing power to choose the biobased or other sustainable products is not always as straightforward as proving performance. Asiello assessed that, “the single biggest challenge is convincing a commanding officer or procuring official that even though the price may be a little more now, there are significant savings over the lifetime of the products.”  These cost savings can come in many forms such as time saved, more efficient operations, reduced storage, less exposure to the user, less disposal and remediation costs.  Biobased hydraulic fluid, for instance, lasts longer than the lifespan of the equipment, approximately 10,000 hours, meaning no oil changing, no oil disposal, and decreased remediation efforts if there is a spill. The SPC team works hard to conduct cost-benefit analyses, proving the cost effectiveness of the products they demonstrate in order to ease procurement decisions.

Handy went on to share a story about the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center (MCMWTC) and their cost saving use of biobased. MCMWTC is a high altitude, cold weather survival training facility in the Sierra Mountains located on 46,000 acres of Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. The center is watched closely by the California Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Forest Service due both to its location and its use of heavy equipme

nt to maintain trails and operations. In 2013, a Sno-Cat using biobased hydraulic fluid overturned on a trail. The state and federal authorities were notified, but because the fluid was biobased and biodegradable, MCMWTC did not have to shut down operations or remediate the site. This saved time, manpower, and money with the added bonus of creating goodwill with the regulators.

Sno-Cat fleet at the MCMWTC in Bridgeport, CA.

Helping the Federal Family

Sharing success stories on the SPC site has proven to be useful in promoting the use of biobased and sustainable products in operational circumstances. Since the SPC launch in 2014, Handy confirmed that there has been an increase in the number of inquiries and they are working toward additional updates on their ongoing and upcoming projects.  He also stressed DoD’s willingness share their information, “Some federal agencies don’t have funding for this and they look to DoD. That is the holy grail of what we are trying to do, getting people to understand that ‘if it works for DoD, it is going to work for us.’” Asiello plans to increase outreach and to participate in more sustainability and biobased expos in the coming year, stating, “now that we have successes, we need to make sure people know about them.”

In addition to just knowing about them, the SPC team also wants other agencies to participate in their successes. Asiello and Handy both related plans to engage other agencies, particularly when missions align. A partnership is in the works with the Department of Homeland Security and its Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to demonstrate biobased four-cycle engine oil on non-tactical vehicles during fiscal year 2016.  The SPC is also working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to acquire enough feedback to leverage a demonstration of biobased two-cycle marine outboard engine oil at Marine Corps Base Quantico. NOAA is currently using former Marine Corps engines and biobased oil on their boats at their Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, creating an ideal initial testing ground (or lake) for the SPC.

Ultimately, the SPC and its working team are a best-in-class resource for meeting federal biobased and other sustainable procurement mandates. According to SPC’s 2014 GreenGov Nomination, the goal of the center is to “reduce the burden on the user, provide them the tools they need to buy and use sustainable products in their operations, break down barriers to implementation, and then document their successes to widely implement across DoD.” While the team has made significant progress toward reaching its goal, widespread implementation has not yet been achieved. The team will continue to push forward, expanding the demonstration program, working with other agencies, and maintaining a repository of information. As Asiello concluded, “Sustainability and sustainable products are mission imperatives. Yes, we want to be stewards of the environment, but it also saves us money and is better for our mission and our national security.”