What is sustainable public procurement?

Sustainable public procurement (SPP) takes into account the life cycle environmental, social and economic impacts of the goods, services or works being purchased. This means that instead of focusing on purchase price alone, buyers and suppliers look at a range of criteria linked to the production, use and disposal of assets. It does not necessarily imply higher costs, but does require knowledge and capacity.

SPP can be carried out in accordance with the EU Procurement Directives and many authorities at national, regional and local level have adopted a policy. Internationally, there is growing awareness of the importance of SPP and this is reflected e.g. in the establishment of a work programme on sustainable procurement under the WTO Government Procurement Agreement. The work of the Marrakech Task Force on SPP and the United Nations Environment Programme have helped establish sustainable procurement in a number of developing and developed countries.