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April 20, 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.
More details at ICLEI newsbit.
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category : Topics
April 13, 2026
With the publication of its first Recommendation, the Circular and Fair ICT Pact takes a further step in strengthening and harmonising sustainable ICT procurement. Building on years of collaboration and shared practical experience, this Recommendation translates collective insight into focused, implementation-oriented guidance. The first Recommendation, Leveraging Environmental Product Declarations to Improve Scope 3 Emissions Reporting in ICT Procurement, addresses a structural challenge in public sector climate action: the quality of Scope 3 emissions data linked to purchased ICT hardware.
For most public organisations, Scope 3 emissions represent the largest share of their carbon footprint. In ICT, upstream emissions associated with production can be significantly higher than emissions from the use phase. Yet many organisations continue to rely on spend-based calculation methods. While these provide an initial overview, they do not reflect the actual carbon performance of specific products and therefore limit the precision of reporting and reduction strategies.
The Recommendation calls on procuring organisations to require suppliers to provide third party verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for ICT hardware. EPDs are standardised documents based on life cycle assessments and independently verified under recognised international standards. They provide transparent data on environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions expressed as CO₂ equivalents, across the full product lifecycle.
Embedding EPD requirements at tender stage, and verifying them during contract management, strengthens the quality of Scope 3 data used for monitoring and reporting. It also increases transparency in the ICT supply chain and encourages manufacturers to measure and disclose product level environmental impacts.
CFIT Recommendations are developed by and for CFIT participants. They consolidate shared experience into harmonised guidance across the procurement cycle, supporting public organizations in using procurement as a lever for circularity, fairness, and climate action.
The full Recommendation is available at the CFIT website.
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category : Topics
April 7, 2026
The "Alibaba 'Scope 3+' Avoided Emissions Implementation Guidelines" was officially released lately, with the technical support provided by the China Environmental United Certification Center (CEC) throughout the entire process.
The guidelines systematically elaborate on the concept, boundaries, classification framework, and implementation principles of "Scope 3+" emissions, provide practical pathways for scientific accounting, digital management, professional verification, ecosystem collaboration, and disclosure.
Over the past five years, CEC worked closely with Alibaba, jointly advancing the practice and development of "Scope 3+" avoided emissions, actively participated in international standard-setting processes, particularly in the "Guidelines for Avoided Emissions 2.0" released by World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the exploration of impact accounting for “GHG Protocol”. In the meantime, both committed to continuously promoting pilot experiences from China, helping to establish avoided emissions as a credible and universally applicable narrative language for climate performance, and integrating it into global climate governance.
More details at CEC news center.
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