International Review of Waste Management Policy - Department of ...

In light of the renewed EU Sustainable Development Strategy several Member States
adopted ambitious green and sustainable procurement targets across a range of
priority sectors. 1061
57.4 Government Influence towards Green Procurement
Despite the propensity for environmental criteria to be included within public
procurement at an increasing rate, Ireland has shown comparatively limited progress.
Their absence from the ‘National Sources’ section of the European Commission’s
Green Public Procurement website is notable, along with the lack of progress
regarding their Action Plan for Green Procurement. 1062 In 2007, Ireland’s National
Climate Change Strategy stated that,
851
“The Government will publish its Action Plan for Green Public Procurement in
2007,” 1063
Despite this claim it is still being drafted.
Within the current legislative framework European governments can be hugely
influential. Through adoption of the EU targets, outlined in a national action plan, they
can lead the way towards the ‘greening’ of their public sector. In order to encourage
adoption across local government and other public bodies, central government can
produce guidance and information. This should inform the procurement officers with
all the information they need to confidently include environmental specifications
within a call to tender.
For example, the UK adopted a ‘Sustainable Procurement Action Plan’ which is
enforced via target-setting. The targets apply to all central Government Departments,
executive agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies (in the majority of cases)
and have been effective since 2006. This replaced the ‘Framework for Sustainable
Development on the Government Estate’. In 2003, national policy filtered down to
local government in the ‘National Procurement Strategy for Local Government in
England (2003-2006)’.
Many green procurement processes target emissions, but equally examples can be
found which affect the waste management sector. For example, for construction and
demolition projects the targets set can influence recycling and reuse rates on site,
and minimum recycled content requirements for the materials used.
Four waste related examples follow in Section 57.4.1 to Section 57.4.7.
1061 The Dutch government has set a 100% Sustainable Procurement target for 2010 and the Austrian
government has set targets by priority sector including 95% for IT, 80% for electricity, 30% for paper,
95% for cleaning products and 20% for vehicles.
1062 European Commission (2009) Green Public Procurement Website: Useful Sources of Guidance
and Information, Available: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/guideline_en.htm
1063 Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (2007) Ireland: National Climate
Change Strategy 2007 – 2012, Available:
http://www.environ.ie/en/PublicationsDocuments/FileDownLoad,1861,en.pdf
International Review of Waste Policy: Annexes