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Green public procurement

Policy learning

Public procurement can serve as a powerful tool to address the three pillars of Sustainable Development: the social, economic and the environmental. It can help to speed up market uptake of innovative and more sustainable products and services.

What is Green Public Procurement?

Public procurement refers to the process by which public authorities, such as government departments or local authorities, purchase goods, services, or work from companies.

Green Public Procurement (GPP) extends this process towards the procurement of goods, services and works with a reduced environmental impact throughout their life cycle when compared to goods, services and works with the same primary function that would otherwise be procured.

Public institutes and municipalities have major purchasing powers and with this power, they have great potential to influence the market.

Green public procurement is a potential tool to integrate and advance bio-based, circular, green, sustainable and even innovative purchase at regional level and in considerable volume. Hence, it can help in the profiling of a region, and in communicating and implementing bioeconomic strategies.

What is needed to increase the uptake of bio-based solutions in public procurement?:

  • Political will to facilitate market entry to bio-based products: part of a larger strategy of sustainable development and regional growth.
  • Systematic approach to incorporate bio-based products into public procurement: incorporate principles of circular economy and promote innovation in relevant regional value chains.
  • Active scanning of innovative bio-based products and open discussion channels with current and potential suppliers: identify opportunities; engage producers and suppliers.
  • Security and tools for procurement officials: checklist or database of certified or purchasable products that are acceptable for public procurement.
  • Solid means of verification on the technical and environmental performance of the different products and services: LCA, standards and certifications.
  • Capacity building, training and knowledge sharing for public procurement officials, to identify and replicate best practices.
  • Awareness raising on the benefits of circular bio-based procurement among public procurement authorities, suppliers and society at large.

Bioregions investigates

Through deskwork, regional interviews and a series of webinars, the Bioregions Facility has explored what is happening in green public procurement in the Bioregions successful cases.

Public procurement in the Basque country

Public procurement in the Basque country

Aug 27, 2021

Understanding how actors across Europe perceixe bio-based solutions in public procurement is essential to creating and sustaining ways forward for bio-based solutions to support a circular bioeconomy. Discover the result…

Public procurement in North Rhine-Westphalia

Public procurement in North Rhine-Westphalia

Aug 27, 2021

Regional profiles for public procurement in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, inculding the findings from interviews, webinar and online documents.

Public procurement in North Karelia

Public procurement in North Karelia

Aug 27, 2021

Regional profiles for public procurement in North Karelia, Finland inculding the findings from interviews, webinar and online documents.

Public procurement in the Basque country

Public procurement in the Basque country

Aug 27, 2021

Regional profiles for public procurement in the Basque Country, Spain, including the findings from interviews, webinar and online documents

Bio-based solutions in public procurement: the way forward for a circular bioeconomy?

Bio-based solutions in public procurement: the way forward for a circular bioeconomy?

Aug 25, 2021

Selected results and highlights of a PP survey form the basis for a roundtable discussion with interventions from leading experts in their fields. The second webinar on PP was held…

Inclusion of circular bioeconomy aspects in public procurement – status quo

Inclusion of circular bioeconomy aspects in public procurement – status quo

Aug 25, 2021

The first Bioregions webinar on current regional public procurement practices brought together stakeholders from the three Bioregions on 27 November 2020 for a discussion on the current practices and future…

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