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April 27, 2025
[Expert View] As the urgency for environmental and social responsibility grows, organizations are changing their approach to sustainable purchasing from simply meeting compliance requirements to actively implementing sustainable practices. Barton Finn, our expert on sustainable procurement, emphasizes the rising expectations for transparency, local sourcing, and innovation in procurement strategies.
This article is an edited version of content initially published on Decision-achats.fr.
1. From “why” to “how”
“Ten years ago, convincing organizations to adopt responsible purchasing practices was challenging,” explains Barton Finn. Since then, the debate has moved from “why” to “how.” Awareness has already been raised; the emphasis is now on concrete implementation supported by tools, methodologies and shared resources.
2. From incentive to obligation, and the art of turning it into opportunities
Legislation is evolving rapidly. In Europe, new approaches such as mandatory sustainable public procurement considerations and environmental reporting obligations are transforming a voluntary approach into a legal imperative. “These requirements, directly or indirectly, force companies to measure and reduce the carbon footprint of their purchases,” emphasizes Barton Finn.
3. Increasing demand for reliable data
The accuracy of information regarding products and services is becoming increasingly important. “Companies are now required to provide tangible evidence of their sustainability claims,” emphasizes Barton Finn. This shift, prompted by new regulations and heightened consumer awareness, fosters a more transparent environment. In other words, purchasing departments seek to go beyond mere statements and strengthen their relationships with suppliers by relying on accurate and reliable data.
4. The rise of local purchasing
Due to geopolitical tensions and concerns about supply chains, local purchasing is becoming increasingly important. “The European Union, once a strong advocate for free competition, is starting to favor local suppliers, especially in public procurement,” notes Barton Finn.
5. New dedicated functions
Companies and public administrations are now incorporating specialized roles focused on responsible purchasing. Barton Finn notes, “The increase in skills in this area is remarkable. We are witnessing the emergence of positions such as “Sustainable Purchasing Manager” and “Sustainability Officer,” which demonstrate a serious commitment to sustainability. From a strategic perspective, organizations progressively integrate social responsibility considerations into their purchasing processes to align with sustainable development objectives. Some purchasing functions also contribute to corporate social responsibility (CSR), particularly when a significant part of the carbon footprint falls under scope 3 emissions. Additionally, companies are investing in training their teams to incorporate sustainability principles into their purchasing practices.”
6. Increased requirements on supply chains
Companies seek to ensure that their suppliers meet standards equivalent to those applied in Europe, particularly regarding working conditions. Barton Finn explains: “This reflects a growing awareness of the global impact of purchasing on human rights and the environment.” This trend is becoming more acute as consumers and regulators alike demand greater visibility on the origin of products.
7. The rise of technological platforms and tools
Organizations are adopting digital tools to monitor supplier performance and analyze sustainability risks. Barton Finn explains that when you buy products marked with TCO Certified, you can access independently verified data and claims to help you measure sustainability impacts. Data is available in Product Finder, and in the tool Report Generator, you can create customized IT product sustainability reports based on the certified IT products you buy and use.
8. The boom in reconditioned and circular
The market for reconditioned goods, particularly in the IT sector, is experiencing structural development. “This reflects a major change in mentalities, where the circular economy is becoming the norm rather than the exception,” explains Finn. Companies are turning to models that promote product reuse, repair and recycling to reduce their ecological footprint.
Learn more at TCO website.
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April 21, 2025
In ICLEI Member Helsinki (Finland), the Soittaja kindergarten, the tram line to Pasila and the Olympic stadium have little in common at first sight. However, the city has used sustainable public procurement methods in the construction and/or transformation in all these sites, making them more environmentally friendly, circular and adaptable. During the Big Buyers Working Together (BBWT) annual event, organised by ICLEI Europe, public buyers gathering in Helsinki will have the opportunity to visit and learn more about them!
The Soittaja day-care centre is the first Nordic Swan ecolabelled building built by the City of Helsinki. The kindergarten was completed in 2024 and has space for 244 children. Buildings with a Nordic Swan ecolabel pay attention to the well-being of both the environment and the users of the premises. For example, in addition to energy efficiency, the origin of building materials and recycling solutions, the impact of materials on indoor air quality is also taken into account. During the study visit, participants will learn about the construction phase of the project and the application process for the eco-label.
The design and construction of the tramline from Kalatama to Patina was specifically focused on climate change mitigation and adaptation, the promotion of biodiversity and circular economy solution. The visit will also include a stop at the Closing Loops warehouse, built using only recycled materials. The building is one of the few concrete examples of circular economy construction in a permanent setting in the world.
In 1952 Helsinki hosted the Summer Olympic Games. Its Olympic stadium has been recently renovated with a special focus on the environment and circular economy. The visit will focus in particular on procurement of both new turf materials and ways to process old turfs when they reach their end of life. As part of the PlastLIFE project, funded by the EU Life programme, and coordinated by the Finnish Environment Institute, the City of Helsinki has been conducting a pilot to procure circular solutions for end-of-life turfs.
Learn more at ICLEI Europe website.
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April 14, 2025
This Results Framework outlines the activities that the 10YFP Secretariat through its One Planet Network proposes to undertake during the biennium 2025 and 2026, subject to available resources, to implement the Global Strategy for Sustainable Consumption and Production (2023-2030).
The rationale for creating this new Framework is based on incorporating insights from the 2023-2024 Results Framework, while strengthening impact-driven interventions and flagship initiatives to attract stronger financial and political support. This new Results Framework responds to the 10YFP Board’s request for an updated framework, ensuring relevance and effectiveness in advancing the Global Strategy for SCP. The activities for the biennium are structured around the same four outcomes as the 2023-2024 Results Framework, ensuring alignment with the Global Strategy for SCP. For each outcome, a succinct description of the overall objectives, rationale and approach is presented. The outcomes are underpinned by four ‘areas of excellence’ comprised of Public Procurement, Skills and Lifestyles, Consumer Information and Governance & Mainstreaming. These core functions and activities of the Secretariat play a crucial role in supporting the implementation of the Global Strategy for SCP.
Learn more at UNEP One Planet Network website.
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April 8, 2025
IISD recently launched reports on GPP in India, Indonesia, and South Africa, highlighting key insights and high-level recommendations. It also explored practical tools and strategies to address implementation barriers and unlock GPP’s potential. Watch the recording to learn how these economies are using GPP to advance sustainable development and tackle climate challenges.
This report examines how South Africa can leverage its significant public procurement spending to advance environmental sustainability. It analyzes the current green public procurement (GPP) landscape, regulatory frameworks, and implementation tools, and identifies key barriers and solutions. The report also provides practical recommendations for mainstreaming GPP across all levels of government.
More details at IISD website.
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March 31, 2025
IISD recently launched reports on GPP in India, Indonesia, and South Africa, highlighting key insights and high-level recommendations. It also explored practical tools and strategies to address implementation barriers and unlock GPP’s potential. Watch the recording to learn how these economies are using GPP to advance sustainable development and tackle climate challenges.
This report analyzes the state of green public procurement (GPP) in India, examining progress in the field, persisting challenges, and opportunities for more sustainable government procurement. It analyzes India's legal framework for GPP, highlights case studies and practical tools, and recommends four tangible steps for advancing GPP in the country.
More details at the IISD website.
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March 24, 2025
IISD recently launched reports on GPP in India, Indonesia, and South Africa, highlighting key insights and high-level recommendations. It also explored practical tools and strategies to address implementation barriers and unlock GPP’s potential. Watch the recording to learn how these economies are using GPP to advance sustainable development and tackle climate challenges.
This report explores the state of green public procurement (GPP) in Indonesia, examining relevant policies, practices, and challenges. It analyzes Indonesia's legal framework for GPP, highlights case studies, and evaluates the tools used for implementation. The report also offers recommendations for advancing GPP in Indonesia, including enhancing capacity building and improving monitoring mechanisms to promote GPP practices.
More details at the IISD website.
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March 17, 2025
This specific good practice "Ecolabels criteria for electronics and their use in sustainable public procurement" highlights the potential of using ecolabels to enhance sustainable public procurement (SPP) in the electronic sector. TCO Certified and EPEAT are some of the examples that have robust criteria addressing critical environmental and social aspects related to ICT products, including CO2 emissions, hazardous substances, and e-waste. Successful examples demonstrate how governments are using these ecolabels to simplify SPP processes and accelerate sustainability in the electronics market.
Available in English and Spanish.
This series of 20 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 Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, nuclear safety and consumer protection (BMUV), and the International Climate Initiative (IKI).
More details at One Planet Network website.
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March 10, 2025
In 1952, ICLEI Member Helsinki (Finland) hosted the 15th Summer Olympics. Now, more than 70 years later, its Olympic Stadium is still in use, and has been renovated with a stronger focus on the environment and the circular economy. Public procurement is playing a key role in the maintenance of this new sustainable stadium, for example through a pilot to procure circular solutions for end-of-life artificial turfs. In recent years, Helsinki, which is also a participant in ICLEI’s Procura+ network, has also created strategies to add a social component to its purchases and used pre-commercial procurement - a form of procurement that stimulates innovation - to find solutions for reducing CO2 emissions in mobility and energy.
Big Buyers Working Together: Driving innovation and sustainability
Helsinki’s holistic approach to sustainable public procurement makes it a fitting host of the Big Buyers Working Together (BBWT) annual event, taking place on 25 March. Co-organised with ICLEI Europe, the event seeks to show participants how public procurement can be a driving force for a more social, sustainable and innovative Europe.
With a spotlight on Communities of Practice, in areas like zero-emission construction, heavy-duty electric vehicles, circular construction, and healthcare sustainability, and input from ICLEI, Eurocities, and BME for the European Commission, the event will bring to the fore the evolving role of public procurement, which constitutes 14% of the EU's GDP.
The evolving role of public procurement in the EU
Current EU public procurement directives lack clarity on integrating social and environmental factors, leading to 60% of procurement decisions to focus solely on the lowest price, with major differences across Member states. The European Commission is currently evaluating these directives and will likely propose a revision, to enhance strategic and sustainable public procurement addressing issues like decreasing competition in public procurement, the low contracts awarded to Small and Medium Enterprises, limited cross-border procurement and insufficient monitoring.
For nearly three decades, ICLEI Europe has been instrumental in advancing sustainable public procurement through its projects, initiatives and networks such as Procura+, and welcomes potential revisions of the Directives that could further enhance these efforts.
Dominique Sandy, Head of ICLEI’s Sustainable and Innovation Procurement team, emphasises that “reforms to EU procurement legislation should address challenges that local and regional governments have been facing in terms of public procurement in the last 10 years, and align with EU priorities through embedding sustainability and innovation into procurement practices. To ensure the effective implementation, public procurement rules should be simplified and any new sustainable public procurement measure should follow principles of clear drafting and remove unnecessary jargon or obscure references in order to ensure a widespread uptake of green practices, while at the same time further technical support and capacity building is needed for local government procurement teams.”
ICLEI Members like Oslo (Norway) are leaders in sustainable public procurement, using it as a key tool for social and sustainable change by integrating human rights into tenders and contracts.
“The Oslo model uses selection criteria and contract clauses to ensure suppliers conduct due diligence for responsible business conduct, with the ultimate goal to prevent negative impacts on the environment and protect human rights and labour rights. For this to be easier for suppliers, it is an advantage that procurement regulations are harmonised, so suppliers can spend more time on actually working to improve conditions rather than on doing reporting”, notes Kjersti Koffeld, Sustainability Advisor at the City of Oslo.
Strengthening public procurement for a sustainable future
ICLEI continues to gain recognition for advancing strategic public procurement. On behalf of the European Commission, together with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), ICLEI organised workshops in the 27 Member States. More than 700 stakeholders participated in 23 in-person workshops fostering dialogue on the use of strategic (green, social and innovation) public procurement identifying challenges, and solutions and supporting the development of national roadmaps. While Member States face similar challenges, measures to support strategic procurement need to consider differences in national procurement systems.
ICLEI Members and other public authorities seeking further support on sustainable public procurement are invited to join Procura+, ICLEI’s network of European public authorities that connect, exchange and act on sustainable public procurement. The network has recently launched its 2025 Procura+ Awards, recognising the most forward-looking and innovative procurements and tender procedures.
This year, the Awards invite public authorities from all over the world to apply for the Global Initiative of the Year with. European public authorities are also eligible for the Innovation Procurement of the Year and Sustainable Procurement of the Year categories. Applications are due by 31 March 2025, and the Awards ceremony will take place on 8 October 2025 at Middelburg, (the Netherlands), during the 2025 Procura+ Seminar.
More details at ICLEI Europe website.
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March 3, 2025
A CFIT working group has outlined what Circular and Fair Procurement of ICT means to its participants. Besides defining ambitions around four core themes, the working group also discussed key strategies for procuring organizations to work towards these ambitions. The strategies are:
Buy less, Buy better, Use better, Use longer.
For each strategy, commitments have been formulated, which CFIT participants will consider as part of their procurement strategies. Usually there are more ways to implement these commitments. To provide inspiration, we will add examples of how procuring organizations shaped implementation.
Examples that illustrate how organizations can implement the CFIT Framework now available at CFIT website.
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