Towards the inclusion of circular bioeconomy aspects in public procurement – status quo

Three European regions exchanged on the status quo of public procurement (PP) during the first Bioregions webinar on PP practices. The potential of PP to integrate and advance bio-based, circular, green, sustainable and innovative purchase at regional level and in considerable volume was discussed.

Public procurement (PP) is a potential tool to integrate and advance bio-based, circular, green, sustainable or even innovative purchase at regional level and in considerable volume. The Bioregions Facility is exploring in detail how public procurement can achieve this.

On the 27th of November 2020, the first Bioregions webinar on current regional PP practices brought together stakeholders from the Basque Country, North Rhine-Westphalia and North Karelia to share views on advancing the bioeconomy and including green aspects in PP. They discussed how public procurement works in their area and how the aspects of circular forest bioeconomy are currently included in tenders, as well as sharing their experiences on including new products and services in tenders that reflect innovation and green values.

The key messages of the webinar and a summary of the status quo of PP in the Basque Country, North Rhine-Westphalia and North Karelia are captured in the briefing notes from the webinar. The regional PP summaries give an overview of what the regional PP looks like, the regions` key goals and their experiences.

They discussed how public procurement works in their area and how the aspects of circular forest bioeconomy are currently included in tenders, as well as sharing their experiences on including new products and services in tenders that reflect innovation and green values.

The key messages of the webinar and a summary of the status quo of PP in the Basque Country, North Rhine-Westphalia and North Karelia are captured in the briefing notes from the webinar. The regional PP summaries give an overview of what the regional PP looks like, the regions` key goals and their experiences.