Potentials of a Sustainable Procurement and Instruments for Implementation (NaBesI)
Table of contents
Procurement decisions of public authorities have an enormous potential to support a sustainable development and a closed-loop recycling management, which would lead to less strain on the environment. In Germany, the amount of public procurement of goods, services, and buildings contains around €250 billion per year. This is approximately 11 to 12% of the German gross domestic product (€2.11 trillion in 2002). With this relevant market power, public authorities and especially municipalities could encourage environmental policy. They can have an important influence on the market for green products and services and on development and diffusion of green innovations. This was the starting point for the BMBF advanced research project “Potenziale einer nachhaltigen Beschaffung in Kommunen” [Potentials of a Sustainable Procurement and Instruments for Implementation (NaBesI)].
At first the project analysed the perceived obstacles (hurdles) of green public procurement, as they are seen as important influence factors for decision makers. Therefore, a hurdles catalogue using a questionnaire was developed. This hurdles catalogue was tested not only in a German municipality participating in the project, but also in other European municipalities. Furthermore, the project partnerÖko-Institut e.V. Darmstadt made a detailed analysis of the international, European, and German law concerning the consideration of environmental aspects in public award procedures.
To identify innovation potentials of green procurement, an investigation on the demand side (public authorities) and also on the supplier side was realised. On the one hand, a survey of all Saxon municipalities with more than 5000 inhabitants using a standardised questionnaire was organised. The survey contained questions on the general procurement process and on special procurement procedures for selected product groups and services (information technologies, office furniture, indoor lighting, buildings, electricity, cleaning services). On the other hand, special markets were searched for green products and services.
Another objective of the project was to quantify the environmental relief potential of green procurement. The project partner ICLEI Europasekretariat developed a calculation method and calculated the environmental relief potential for six products (electricity, buildings, food, computers, busses, and sanitary devices). Based on those calculations, guidelines for green procurement have been established.
Finally, the conclusion is that there is still a great potential of green procurement which is not yet fully utilised. Green public procurement could be seen as an addition to other environmental policy instruments. It should therefore have a position in political discussion which corresponds to its possible contribution to sustainable development.
Leadership
Researchers
Dipl.-Kffr. Ines Klauke, Dipl.-Kffr. Lilly Scheibe
Cooperation
- International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), The European Secretariat, Department Sustainble Procurement, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- Institute for Applied Ecology, Freiburg, Deutschland
Term
06/2001 - 12/2003
Financing
Federal Ministry of Education and Research
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