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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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category : Topics
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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category : Topics
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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category : Topics
February 26, 2025
Procura+ Awards rewards successful, already running, sustainable, circular and innovation public procurements. The Procura+ Awards is an ICLEI Europe initiative giving visibility to the most dynamic, forward-looking and innovative public authorities.
This year public authorities can apply in three categories, including the Global Initiative of the Year: welcoming submissions, for the first time, from all over the world.
Find more information and read about the three award categories – Sustainable Procurement of the Year, Innovation Procurement of the Year and Global Initiative of the Year – here.
Access the 2025 Procura+ Award application form here.
Application deadline: 31 March 2025 (23:59 CET)
More details at ICLEI Procura+ Award website.
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category : Topics
February 26, 2025
This specific good practice "Ecolabels criteria for entire building, operation and facilities services, and refurbishments" highlights the potential of evaluating all stages of a building’s life—from construction to operation and end-of-life—, and services related to buildings to contribute to a more sustainable construction sector. Nordic Swan, ABNT, and GreenPro are some of the ecolabels examples that provide clear criteria, foster innovation, and serve as a tool for sustainable public procurement.
Available in English and in 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 knowledge center.
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category : Topics
February 17, 2025
The Big Buyers Working Together (BBWT) Community of Practice (CoP) working on sustainable solar panels, coordinated by ICLEI Europe, has made the guide ‘How to Prepare and Start a PV Project’ available in 24 EU languages. In addition it has created a concept template of the Procurement Requirements and Award Criteria for PV projects.
The guide provides public authorities with an overview of all the steps they need to take to realise a PV project. From defining the project size, arranging financing and subsidies, obtaining permissions and insurances, and many more key steps.
The procurement template includes requirements related to quality, safety and sustainability aspects. It covers PV modules, inverters, cabling, mounting constructions and more.
Both the guide and template have been applied in practice in the Netherlands to create PV projects with better financial conditions, a longer working life and better sustainability. Public organisations from all EU countries are invited to download these documents and to propose amendments, reflecting their national context. Although many technical requirements and process steps will be similar, there will also be regulatory and other differences between your country and the Netherlands. Nonetheless, the documents and criteria can already be used for procurement processes, however please be aware that some edits are required for those working in other countries.
Public buyers working on solar PV projects, and other national experts who have experience with these projects, are strongly invited to contribute and join us. Please send any queries to bigbuyers@eurocities.eu.
More details at ICLEI website.
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category : Topics
February 9, 2025
The recently unveiled Roadmap for Sustainable IT includes clear steps to drive sustainability in four key areas: climate, substances, circularity and supply chain.
IT products are often produced linearly, harming fragile ecosystems and depleting natural resources. Each year, over 60 million tonnes of e-waste are generated globally, a figure that continues to grow.
To reduce the environmental impact and secure the supply of essential materials, we must work together, extend the lifespan of products, and build truly circular flows of recovered and reused products and materials.
The organization behind the sustainability certification, TCO Certified, recently unveiled Roadmap for Sustainable IT, which outlines detailed plans for the years ahead toward more sustainable and circular IT solutions. The roadmap includes clear steps to drive sustainability in four key areas: climate, substances, circularity and supply chain. It provides structure and transparency, allowing IT brands, purchaser organizations and other stakeholders to align with ambitious goals and collaborate to achieve them.
Learn more at One Planet Network.
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category : Topics
January 24, 2025
For the first time in the history of the UNFCCC COPs, COP29 featured a Tourism Day, with a First Ministerial Meeting dedicated to positioning tourism policy to support national climate goals. In Baku, public and private sector leaders recognized the significant impact of climate change on the tourism sector and its contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. At the same time, they emphasized tourism's potential to actively foster climate adaptation and regeneration strategies. Over 700 stakeholders participated in the Tourism Day events.
Governments united around climate action in tourism
The First Ministerial was chaired by Mr Fuad Naghiyev, Chairman of the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and included the COP29 President H.E. Mr Mukhtar Babayev, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan, UN Tourism, Executive Director of UNEP Ms. and UNFCCC.
Both UN Tourism Secretary–General, Mr Zurab Pololikashvili, and UNEP Executive Director, Ms Inger Andersen, underlined the need for a science-based approach, referring to advanced new research to be further adapted from the University of Queensland (an Affiliate Member of UN Tourism) indicating that tourism represents 8.8% of global emissions (including direct and indirect emissions).
Addressing delegates, Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: "For the first time, the Action Agenda of the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties has included tourism. The First Ministerial Meeting on Enhanced Climate Action in Tourism marks a turning point, when ambition meets action, and vision transforms into commitment. At COP29, the global tourism sector made clear its commitment to positive transformation for a better future for our planet."
The Ministerial welcomed ten Ministers of Tourism: Azerbaijan, United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Belarus, Czech Republic, Iran, Montenegro, North Macedonia; and Environment: Costa Rica and Maldives, five Deputy Ministers (Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Türkiye, Uzbekistan) and the Special Envoy for the Climate Heritage Network and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Cultural Heritage, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Secretaries of State from Moldova, Portugal, Zambia and Zimbabwe and delegates from Indonesia, Malaysia, Oman, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan and United States of America were also present. The Caribbean Tourism Organization and the Pacific Tourism Organization delivered statements on behalf of their members (Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Fiji, Nauru, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu). The World Travel and Tourism Council and the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance also took the floor and the International Transport Forum (OECD) shared a statement.
On the back of the high-level discussions, 52 governments signed the COP29 Declaration for Enhanced Climate Action in Tourism.
One Planet’s Glasgow Declaration Initiative in support of the UNFCCC COP29 Tourism Day
This landmark achievement is the result of a collaboration between the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan and UN Tourism, with UNEP’s support, within the framework of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism (GD). The Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism is an initiative of the One Planet network's Sustainable Tourism Programme, jointly led by UN Tourism and UNEP. Its objective is to support the tourism sector in implementing the Paris Agreement.
The Glasgow Declaration continues to advance with more than 370 action plans already developed by its 900 signatories. Key Takeaways from the Glasgow Declaration Implementation Report 2024 were released at UNFCC COP29 including:
74% of signatories with climate plans are measuring
92% of plans include decarbonization actions
73% of plans include actions related to biodiversity protection
41% of plans include climate adaptation actions
29% of plans refer to climate justice
82% of signatories with plans report working in partnership with others
44% of plans refer finance actions with this pathway remaining a challenge
During COP29, the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan and Minor International signed the Glasgow Declaration and a further 58 new signatories were announced, including Destination Canada, the Department for Tourism in Samarkand Region (Uzbekistan), HOTREC (The European Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Cafés), among others.
For original article please visit the UN Tourism website.
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category : Topics
January 14, 2025
In October the Spanish Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITECO), in collaboration with ICLEI Europe, organised a workshop on green public procurement in the context of DG GROW's Procurement Dialogue Initiative project, which aims to carry out dialogues in all 27 Member States. The workshop, taking place in Madrid, was attended by a large number of stakeholders from other ministries, as well as from the Autonomous Communities, and representatives of the European Commission.
The workshop began with an optimistic perspective from the Undersecretary for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Miguel González Suela, highlighting the interest in the theme and format of the workshop. He stressed the need to change the way we relate to nature, proposing a structural change and a change in the productive (and cultural) model; a change that necessarily involves the way in which public administrations acquire their goods and services.
Vanesa Aventin Fontana, Deputy Director General of Governance and Coordination of Public Procurement of the Ministry of Finance and erónica Gonzalo Gómez, Head of the PRTR Division of MITECO also gave presentations, highlighting respectively the Triennial Report (2021-2023) on Public Procurement in Spain and the the catalogue of green technical specifications developed by MITECO. The catalogue is expected to be approved in the framework of the Interministerial Commission on Green Public Procurement.
More information about the workshop can be found here.
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