Green public procurement

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.

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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.