Sustainable public procurement, eco-labels & sustainability standards

Sustainability standards and ecolabels have been enabling both sustainable public procurement and consumer information initiatives. Vice-versa, sustainable procurement policies are key drivers for standard- and eco-labelling initiatives, as they increase their reach and positive impacts within the private sector and across global supply chains.

Under the 10YFP programme, working Group 4b was established as a space for knowledge sharing and interaction between public procurers on the one hand, and private standard or ecolabel organisations and users on the other hand. It currently consists of 50 members, including procurement practitioners and experts from national and subnational bodies, independent experts, and various ecolabel- and standard- organisations.

This year’s annual meeting took place in the side-lines of the Global Sustainability Standards Conference held on the 27th of June in Zurich, Switzerland. As before, it brought together a diverse range of stakeholders to share their information about their efforts, how these connect sustainable public procurement (SPP) and private standards and ecolabels, and which common obstacles and opportunities they are facing.

The summary document provides:

• A short background on this year’s annual meeting

•  An overview of the presentations and ‘good practice examples’ discussed at the meeting

•  Concluding observations and a ‘look forward’ on challenges and opportunities

The summary document can be downloaded here. It was produced by the ISEAL Alliance Secretariat.

Presentations

The document containing all the presentations from the Working Group's in person meeting is available here.

Contains the following presentations:

• ISEAL Alliance – Introduction to the working group on sustainable public procurement, private standards and ecolabels
• UN Environment – Examples, experiences, and updates from the 10YFP SPP and CI-SCP programmes
• European Commission DG Environment - The EU Ecolabel and SPP framework
• German Development Agency (GIZ) and Engagement Global – The German Sustainability Compass for Public Procurers
• Pussh Switzerland - Tools and Experiences from supporting SPP implementation in Switzerland
• City of Zurich – Zurich’s achievements and commitments to implement SPP
• US Environmental Protection Agency - EPA Recommendations of Standards & Ecolabels
• Green Electronics Council – Bringing responsible procurement and end-of-life management of electronics to India
• Good Environmental Choice Australia – New strategies and tools for the use of ecolabels
• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)- FSC’s support webpage on sustainable public procurement
• International Learning Lab on Procurement and Human Rights - Introduction to the Learning Lab

Concluding Observations and a look forward

It is clear that sustainability standards, ecolabels and certification systems are already enabling and strengthening SPP implementation. As interactions and synergies increase, they provide both shared opportunities and shared challenges.

The Working Group will remain an open space to share information and further discuss these issues and other key topics that are relevant to its members, and the broader 10YFP SPP and CI-SCP programmes.