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March 19, 2026
Every year across the European Union (EU), public buyers spend two trillion Euro (15 percent of the EU’s GDP), purchasing works, goods and services. Translating to 15 percent of the EU’s GDP, public procurement has massive potential to be used as a key tool for the advancement of social, sustainable, circular and innovation policies.
In the current geopolitical context the EU also sees public procurement as a tool that can bolster its resilience, competitiveness and (economic) security. European Commission (EC) president Ursula von der Leyen has called for an ambitious revision of the EU’s public procurement directives to introduce “made in Europe” criteria, with the goal of strengthening and scaling up EU production capabilities in crucial sectors.
From compliance tool to policy instrument
In 2014 the EC developed Public Procurement Directives to simplify procedures, provide more flexibility for contracting authorities, and to promote fair access to all economic operators, including Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Their objective was to enable public authorities to use their buying power to secure the best value for money while improving environmental sustainability, social inclusion and innovation.
Nonetheless, a recent evaluation highlights the limits of the current framework where between 2011 and 2021 the share of awards based solely on lowest price increased, with 55 percent of procurement procedures in the EU using the lowest price as the only award criterion in their contracts.
Strengthening EU competitiveness
Equating ‘value for money’ with the lowest price is a short-sighted practice that hampers innovation, weakens strategic investment, and limits long-term value creation.
As Dominique Sandy, Head of ICLEI Europe’s Sustainable and Innovation Procurement Team, argues: “at a moment when EU budgets are constrained and global competition is intensifying, we cannot let public procurement underperform as a policy instrument. A revised procurement framework that makes sustainable procurement the norm would help translate the Union’s industrial, climate and resilience ambitions into concrete outcomes on the ground.”
Cities as key actors in the EU procurement ecosystem
To work towards these goals effectively cities need to develop capacity, specialised skills, and know-how. Consequently the new framework should support and promote the creation of city-level spend analytics and foresight capabilities that can map where municipal money flows and identify opportunities for more sustainable, innovative and/or resilient options. Public procurement needs to become a core pillar of EU missions and city-focused initiatives such as the Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Mission and the New European Bauhaus.
Within the Big Buyers Working Together project, aiming to support collaboration between public buyers with strong purchasing power and to promote the wider use of public procurement for innovative and sustainable solutions, ICLEI Europe is leading a Community of Practice seeking to integrate the NEB principles within sustainable public procurement. These initiatives help translate political commitments into concrete locally-replicable actions on the ground and support dialogue between cities and industry to ensure that value-based criteria are realistic, innovation-friendly and scalable.
As hubs of economic activity and innovation, cities play a central role in implementing strategic public procurement for the transition to succeed. Their investment potential in sectors such as energy, transport, circular economy and buildings is key to create sustainable, lead markets.
Better leveraging EU funding through procurement
ICLEI Europe proposes that the revised Directives strengthen public procurement as a core delivery mechanism for EU priorities through a number of legislative reforms. These should support cities to fulfil their potential as promoters and implementers of strategic public procurement. They include the introduction of mandatory green criteria in high-impact categories, strengthening of Socially Responsible Public Procurement (SRPP) through reserved contracts for social enterprises, due diligence and mandatory social criteria, and the operationalisation of Life Cycle Costing through standardised EU methodologies.
Reframing “value for money” to include lifecycle performance, resilience, social and environmental value, and ensuring that quality-based criteria are the default in tenders in strategic sectors, would enable procurement to translate EU funding into measurable impact, aligned with the Union’s objectives.
Turning dialogue into delivery
The forthcoming revision of the Public Procurement Directive - expected in June 2026 - represents a key opportunity to strengthen the framework and better align it with the EU’s policy ambitions. In its contribution to the European Commission’s public consultation on the new directives, ICLEI Europe underlines the important role of cities and regions as launch customers, recognising their combined expertise in climate, social policy and innovation, and emphasises how public procurement should be used a tool to translate EU ambitions into locally workable practice.
Through initiatives such as its City-Industry Dialogue series and its Procura+ Network, ICLEI Europe continues to demonstrate how policy reform, market engagement and local delivery can reinforce each other. These activities show that supporting cities in their implementation of strategic procurement practices can help Europe remain competitive while staying transparent, fair and legally secure.
Read ICLEI Europe’s contribution to the EU procurement directive consultation at the ICLEI Europe website here.
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March 16, 2026
A new article has been published on environmental sustainability and school food procurement in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs):
Promoting environmental sustainability through school food procurement in low- and middle-income countries: critical reflections
Luana F. J. Swensson & Florence Tartanac
Frontiers in Nutrition
The paper reflects on the growing interest in“planet-friendly”and“sustainable” school meal programmes and explores the often underexamined procurement-related bottlenecks that countries face when attempting to operationalize environmental sustainability objectives through school feeding. In particular, it discusses challenges related to:
-defining environmental sustainability for food,
-translating sustainability objectives into procurement criteria and verification mechanisms, and
-managing trade-offs and synergies with existing social, economic, nutrition and health objectives—especially in LMIC contexts.
While the focus is on school food procurement, many of the reflections are relevant to broader public food procurement debates.
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March 9, 2026
A new collaboration opportunity under the European Innovation Council’s (EIC) Business Acceleration Services aims to strengthen global innovation procurement. Public buyers outside the European Union seeking cutting-edge solutions can now connect directly with over 6,000 innovative start-ups, covering key sectors such as the green transition, health and advanced digital technologies.
The European Innovation Council (EIC) is backing Europe’s most innovative and disruptive deep tech startups and SMEs, through the SPIN4EIC project. Supported by ICLEI Europe, the initiative is dedicated to enhancing innovators’ ability to access procurement markets both in Europe and worldwide through training, matchmaking, and free hands-on assistance. As part of its work in SPIN4EIC, ICLEI is supporting EIC-backed innovators to access global procurement opportunities. Collaboration with the global network allows the identification of possible tender opportunities to procure innovative solutions worldwide.
The initiative has already demonstrated impact through collaborations with global partners, including:
EIC-backed AquaB Nanobubble Innovations Ltd, a deep-tech company that delivers electrostriction-based nanobubble solutions for oil and water treatment, recently signed a landmark commercial agreement with Saudi Aramco, one of the world’s largest energy companies. Read the full Success Story!
Public buyers interested in sharing tender notices and/or information on relevant platforms where tender opportunities are published, and in connecting directly with innovative start-ups to address their needs, are invited to contact the ICLEI Europe procurement team (procurement@iclei.org) for an introductory meeting.
To learn more about SPIN4EIC check out the following channels: EIC Innovation Procurement Programme LinkedIn group, Buyers group on Public Buyers Community, SPIN4EIC website, and Newsletter.
Learn more at ICLEI sustainable procurement platform webpage.
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March 2, 2026
This good practice highlights that developing and incorporating gender-related criteria into ecolabels and certification schemes can strengthen efforts to promote equal pay, non-discrimination, fair treatment, and equitable opportunities for career advancement across supply chains. In the context of public procurement, integrating such criteria — including through the use of ecolabels and certifications — provides a practical pathway for governments to support suppliers that adopt gender-inclusive practices and to align purchasing decisions with national and international commitments to gender equality. Relevant examples include FSC, OEKO-TEX STeP, Fairtrade, ChileCompra, Colombia Compra Eficiente, Brazil’s Public Procurement and Contracting Law, and Mexico’s Public Sector Procurement Law.
This series of good practices reflects experiences on ecolabelling, sustainable public procurement, or the joint use of ecolabelling and sustainable public procurement that have demonstrated positive impacts on fostering sustainable consumption and production — for this reason, they are called "good practices.” These good practices aim to promote global exchange by providing information and examples of various approaches that entities from different countries and contexts can apply to strengthen the use of ecolabels and sustainable public procurement. They were developed as an outcome of the Working Group on Ecolabelling from the Consumer Information Programme, under the One Planet network, and the EcoAdvance project, jointly implemented by the German Cooperation for Development (GIZ), the United Nations for Environmental Protection (UNEP), and the Oeko Institute, funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN), and the International Climate Initiative (IKI).
Learn more at One Planet Network knowledge webpage.
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February 24, 2026
The Irish Office of Government Procurement (OGP) sought to develop a framework contract for remanufactured notebook computers to advance sustainability through shared services, efficient resource use and standardisation. The contract aimed to build on the previous framework by ensuring access to high quality remanufactured Windows Notebook Computers at the most economically advantageous cost for all Framework Clients, promoting and encouraging SME participation, and supporting the environmental ambitions of the Irish Government.
To achieve this, the OGP developed a series of award criteria requiring suppliers to reduce waste, minimise the demand for raw materials, use less energy than manufacturing new products, support circular economy principles and ensure cost savings between 25% and 40%, as remanufactured computers should be much cheaper than equivalent new ones. After three attempts the framework contract was eventually awarded to a single supplier, an Irish SME in consortium with a UK based remanufacturer.
The first attempt included as a standalone lot on a Framework that also provided for new devices. Three bids were received on the lot, however only one was compliant so a multi-supplier framework could not be established. The second attempt failed due to an insufficient number of compliant bids being received to enable the establishment of a multi-supplier framework. The OGP believes the unsuccesful attempts can be contributed to lack of experience among suppliers of ICT products in bidding for public contracts, and too difficult specifications around services, warranty, device quality, scale, availability, and standards.
For more details on the development of the tender and the main lessons learnt, take a look at the in-depth case study featured in the GPP Helpdesk.
Learn more at ICLEI sustainable procurement platform webpage.
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February 10, 2026
WACKER is one of the few producers outside China manufacturing high-purity polysilicon – a key material for solar cell production. The company can demonstrate that all its materials are responsibly sourced. At the same time, solar modules using cells made from WACKER’s polysilicon are only marginally more expensive than modules based on supply chains fully located in China.
The Big Buyers Working Together (BBWT) Community of Practice (CoP) on Sustainable Solar visited WACKER’s Burghausen site to gain insights into how risks such as forced labor in the global solar supply chain can be minimized and what cost implications this entails.
While it is technically impossible to link every batch of silicon metal to a specific batch of polysilicon, WACKER has full control and transparency of every material which enters its processes. This is ensured through strict supplier controls, Ecovadis-based requirements, and full disclosure of quartz sources. Furthermore, each pallet of polysilicon is traceable to the customer who received it, enabling module manufacturers and ultimately buyers to confirm that the polysilicon used in their modules comes from WACKER.
Suppliers of silicon metal must provide a formal self-declaration confirming the origin of quartz used in their production. This decla ration includes disclosure of the quartz source, confirmation of its origin, and responses to WACKER’s sustainability and compliance questionnaires. Only suppliers meeting these requirements, together with Ecovadis documentation, are approved. Since silicon metal is typically produced near quartz mines, sourcing outside China is essential for a sustainable and responsible supply chain.
WACKER’s sustainable approach results in only a minimal cost increase: approximately €0.022 per watt-peak, translating to less than €0.001 per kWh. The price difference between a regular module and one using WACKER’s polysilicon is therefore negligible, making it easier for public buyers to justify choosing ethical and sustainable solutions.
For Europe’s solar industry to grow, clear signals of demand for sustainable solar panels are needed – through public procurement requirements or subsidies. The CoP emphasizes that carbon footprint criteria alone are insufficient, as some manufacturers can report low-carbon values or offset emissions through certificates. Berlin’s experience with traceability criteria and supplier declarations could serve as best-practice examples for other public buyers.
Learn more at ICLEI Sustainable procurement platform webpage.
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February 2, 2026
In 2025, Sustainable Public Procurement strengthened its role as a key lever for climate action and circularity, with governments increasingly using public purchasing power to drive market change. The 10YFP Secretariat (hosted at UNEP) advanced a shared global reference point for action on Sustainable Public Procurement, particularly in the built environment. This document highlights the main achievements and priorities that shaped progress over the last year.
Global initiative positions government purchasing power as a lever for climate action
Eight countries formally endorsed the Global Framework for Action on Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) in the Built Environment, signaling a shared commitment to use public demand to accelerate decarbonisation, circularity, and resilience in construction and infrastructure.
Sustainable public procurement integrates environmental, social, and life-cycle criteria into how governments buy, from materials to digital and energy systems. Because public authorities are among the world’s largest buyers, procurement decisions shape markets. When governments require whole life-cycle assessments, circular materials, or climate-aligned standards, suppliers respond at scale.
Brazil, Colombia, Finland, France, Ghana, Japan, Kenya, and Somalia endorsed the Framework in 2025. A further five countries: Armenia, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom, formally acknowledged its importance at the inaugural Ministerial Meeting of the Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate (ICBC) at COP30. Together, these signals mark a shift from fragmented pilots toward a shared global reference point for action.
2025: From ambition to implementation
Progress this year was anchored across four mutually reinforcing fronts:
1. Political momentum
Our engagement extended across high-level policy forums and technical working groups. Fourteen convenings advanced the role of procurement as a climate and development lever, including the World Circular Economy Forum, the GlobalABC Annual Assembly, the 5th Global Conference on Sustainable Food Systems, the RICG Annual Conference, and the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, among others. Notably, four Buildings Breakthrough Roundtables mobilised action under the Priority Action on Demand Creation through public procurement, placing buyers at the centre of systems change.
At COP30 in Belém, under Axis 6 (Enablers and Accelerators), UNEP, Brazil’s Ministry of Management and Innovation, the Jataí Institute, UNIDO IDDI, and OxGAP co-led the development and launch of the Plan to Accelerate Solutions on Harnessing public procurement in high-impact sectors to drive climate action and a just transition. UNEP also co-led five side events to elevate the agenda. This effort was accompanied by the Brazil-led Belém Declaration on Sustainable Public Procurement, outlining concrete measures to align procurement systems with the UN 2030 Agenda.
2. Technical progress
To support governments in moving from policy to practice, UNEP launched three cornerstone resources:
• The Global Framework for Action on SPP in the Built Environment, providing a structured pathway to embed circularity across the full procurement cycle;
• The Circularity and Whole Life-Cycle Case Study Platform, showcasing real-world applications aligned with the 10 Whole Life-Cycle Recommendations;
• The National Circularity Assessment Framework for Buildings, enabling governments to identify gaps, priorities, and entry points for improving circular material and waste flow in the buildings and construction sector.
These resources were complemented by three regional workshops and six global webinars, strengthening peer learning and south–south exchange. Visit our last webinar on best practices for implementation at local level: Use of sustainable public procurement to drive demand for a near-zero and resilient built environment.
UNEP also developed key resources and achieved important milestones under the EcoAdvance project, jointly implemented by GIZ and Öko Institut, and funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN). A series of good practices on the joint use of ecolabels and SPP was launched, with eight of them replicated by ecolabelling schemes and governments. Uzbekistan adopted a resolution introducing measures to strengthen the use of ecolabels in support of SPP, granting certified products an additional five per cent in their overall evaluation score when certified by a recognized ecolabel. Costa Rica's NDC 2025–2035 was launched, including commitments on SPP and ecolabelling in the building sector. Meanwhile, Thailand, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Uzbekistan developed ambitious climate- and biodiversity-related ecolabel criteria for cement and steel, and promoted policy dialogues to support the application of these criteria in SPP.
3. Global monitoring
As custodian of SDG Indicator 12.7.1, UNEP led the 2025 global reporting cycle on sustainable public procurement policies. Sixty-five countries reported, including 13 first-time participants such as Brazil, Australia, South Africa, and the Russian Federation. Fifty-four countries achieved compliant scores.
The data confirms a consistent trend: while policy frameworks are increasingly in place, implementation support for procurement officers, impact measurement, and market engagement remain uneven. The global average maturity score remained medium-low, confirming that legislative frameworks exist, but that practical implementation tools and impact measurement lag behind. These evidence-based insights will now directly inform the design of 2026 regional capacity-building programmes and our global advocacy efforts.
4. Strategic partnerships
Collaboration deepened with the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), the Buildings Breakthrough community, and regional partners, as well as with UN agencies: UNOPS and UNIDO for the built environment, and FAO for food systems. In Latin America, UNEP is advancing a joint regional SPP strategy with eight countries: Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, México, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, and the República Dominicana. In Africa, a complementary regional approach is under development, with six countries: Senegal, Ghana, Kenya, Tunisia, Mauritius, and South Africa, co-designing a tailored capacity-building programme for implementation in 2026.
What’s next: 2026 priorities
The focus now shifts decisively to delivery:
1. Launch five online training modules on circular and sustainable procurement for buildings and construction, developed with IISD
2. Pilot regional SPP programmes in Africa and Latin America, enabling structured south–south cooperation, and scale buyer–supplier dialogues to translate policy signals into market response and accelerate supplier innovation
3. Expand endorsement and uptake of the Global Framework for Action on SPP in the built environment, and finalize and launch the Global Framework for Action on SPP to advance sustainable food systems
4. Deliver implementation milestones through COP30 PAS on SPP deployment and strategic engagement towards COP31
5. Enhance SDG 12.7.1 monitoring, transforming reporting data into actionable insights for decision-makers
Acknowledgements
This progress reflects the collective efforts of partners across the global sustainable procurement community, including UNOPS, UNIDO, and FAO; the co-leads and multistakeholder advisory committee members of the One Planet Network SPP Programme; the Ministry of the Environment of Finland; the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands; Brazil’s Ministry of Management and Innovation; the European Commission's Directorate-General for Environment; Jataí Institute; the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction and its Circular Built Environment Working Group; the Global Framework for Action Leadership Panel; the Buildings Breakthrough community; the 10YFP Board; and the growing network of governments, colleagues and procurement officers advancing this work on the ground.
Learn more at UNEP One Planet Network news center.
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January 26, 2026
GPN Japan, released new service for retailers with “Eco-products Database”. This database lists approximately 13,000 products and services, providing detailed environmental information such as compliance with Act on Promoting Green Procurement, acquisition of environmental labels, and use of energy-saving and recycled materials, in addition to information that complies with the “Green Purchasing Guidelines”. (URL of the guidelines: https://www.gpn.jp/english/guideline/)
Products listed in “Eco-products Database” are indicated as “Products listed in Eco-products Database” on the websites and catalogs of eight office supply mail order companies, and are widely used as reference information for companies, local governments, consumers, and others when making green purchases. On the other hand, since “Eco-products Database” lists representative model numbers for series products that come in different colors and sizes, it was a burden for office supply mail order companies to confirm which model numbers were listed in “Eco-products Database” when indicating that a product was a “Eco-products Database” listing in their catalogs.
Therefore, company has decided to provide the JAN codes (Japanese 13-digit code identifying the product) for products listed by “Eco-products Database” listing providers to office supply mail-order businesses and other retailers. “Eco-products Database” updates its listing information four times a year (March, June, September, December), and we will begin providing JAN code information starting in March 2026.
Attention is increasingly focused on environmental information for products and services, such as carbon neutrality, the circular economy, and nature positivity. Changes in consumption behavior are being sought not only from organizational purchasers but also from individual consumers.
By providing the JAN codes for products listed on “Eco-products Database,” we aim to facilitate verification by retailers, increase consumer exposure to products listed on “Eco-products Database,” and promote green purchasing. We will continue to collect environmental information on products and strive to expand the green market by disseminating useful information to organizational purchasers and individual consumers.
“Eco-products Database” URL: https://www.gpn.jp/econet/
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January 19, 2026
The Global Circularity Protocol for Business (GCP) Version 1.0 is a voluntary, science-based framework designed to help companies measure, manage, and communicate their circularity performance. Developed jointly by WBCSD and the One Planet Network (hosted by UNEP) with input from more than 150 experts and over 80 organizations, it provides standardized metrics and practical guidance for reducing waste, cutting emissions, and improving resource efficiency across value chains. Piloted by leading companies, the GCP enables credible, comparable reporting and supports businesses in identifying circularity hotspots, enhancing accountability, and strengthening resilience. Announced at COP30, it marks a significant step toward harmonized global practices for circularity.
More details at One Planet Network knowledge center.
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January 12, 2026
We are pleased to announce the release of the Chinese translation of Communicating Chemicals in Products: Global guidance on providing voluntary chemical-related sustainability information for products. The translation was supported by the China Environmental Certification Center (CEC) and Shenzhen Zero Waste.
Products of modern life—from clothing and cosmetics to electronics, furniture, packaging, toys, and even the materials used in our homes—contain a wide range of chemicals. With an estimated 40,000–60,000 industrial chemicals present on the global market, improving how information on these substances is communicated has become more important than ever.
This publication offers practical guidance for better sharing information on chemicals and material ingredients as part of broader product sustainability communication. Building on the 10 high-level principles of the Guidelines for Providing Product Sustainability Information, the document explains how these principles can be applied specifically to chemicals in products. It also includes best-practice examples to support businesses and organizations in delivering clear, reliable, and accessible information.
As a complementary resource to the original Guidelines, this translated edition aims to support Chinese-speaking stakeholders in enhancing transparency, strengthening consumer trust, and improving the communication of chemical-related sustainability information across all product categories.
Learn more at One Planet Network news center.
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