In many countries, the government is the single largest purchaser of products, services and works. Green Public Procurement (GPP) enables governments to reduce the environmental impact of their purchases. It also serves as a powerful tool for governments to simultaneously achieve their environmental and development policy objectives.
This report provides an overview of international experience in the implementation of GPP. It focuses on the institutional framework that is needed to support the mainstreaming of GPP practices across governments. The intention is to equip practitioners with a broad understanding of the issues they need to consider in the design and implementation of GPP reforms.
The BDI Initiative Circular Economy was created in April 2021 by the Federation of German Industries.
It is a network of more than 50 members that defines the potential of the circular economy and the necessary framework conditions through practical discussions. To this end, they are in close dialogue with policymakers in Berlin and Brussels and with the scientific community.
You are invited to participate in a survey by the European Commission on the use and application of the environmental footprint methods (and PEFCRs and OEFSRs). The results of this survey will help the Commission understand how they can provide further support for accelerating and implementing these methods more effectively.
The Circular Economy Hotspot Catalonia 2021 will take place in Barcelona. The 5th edition of the event aims to share circular economy strategies and experiences.
The celebration of this event strengthens the Circular Catalonia hub, a meeting point for companies, institutions, and people ready to put into practice solutions and strategies to consolidate the circular economy in Catalonia.
The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the rules on compensation for damage caused by defective products. A specific focus will be on the use of artificial intelligence in products and services. You can take part in this consultation until 10 January 2022, thus contributing to the process of further developing and fine-tuning this initiative.
The Federal Council for Sustainable Development Belgium has issued a formal response to the Federal Belgian Action Plan on the Circular Economy (in French). The council addressed issues regarding the substance and procedure of the action plan.
Procedural issues include the vagueness of the plan's exact intentions and deadlines as well as the lack of a better governance mechanism. Substantive issues include:
more focus needed on the social challenges associated with the introduction of a circular economy
more focus on the impact on the climate of increasing digitalisation
recycling of critical metals, and
importance of removing all known barriers (regulatory, fiscal, financial, etc.) to the circular transition.
The brochure Circular Cities shares knowledge and experience of circular solutions from the Netherlands to inform and inspire people and to stimulate international cooperation.
