2 minute read
New platform for climate-adapted and circular procurement
Sustainable environment Sustainable environment
Sustainable society Sustainable transition Sustainable transition
Incorporating clear environmental requirements during procurement is key to achieving reduced climate impact from products and services. In order to support the transition to a climate-adapted and circular economy, IVL, along with the innovation programme Re:Source and Återvinningsindustrierna, launched a website in June for public procurement with a lifecycle perspective.
Procurement has been identified as a central tool in society’s transition to a circular economy. The National Procurement Strategy points out that a lifecycle perspective must be taken into account in public procurement, as a lack of an overall perspective may otherwise lead to incorrect initiatives and the absence of any impact on the climate. The government has also recently decided that it should be mandatory to stipulate climate demands in public procurement. However, more knowledge and practical guidance in this area are required.
The new website provides knowledge, tips and advice to buyers and suppliers who work with, or want to start working with, climate-adapted and circular procurement. It also provides information about laws and regulations regarding procurement, what is happening on a political level and within the research world. The lifecycle perspective, i.e. considering the entire lifecycle of a product, extends from manufacturing to final waste management.
The website explains concepts related to climate requirements, such as life cycle analyses (LCAs), product categories (PCR) and environmental product declarations (EPDs), as well as how these can be used to compare the climate performance of various products in a procurement context.
Circular procurement is a relatively recent phenomenon that is not covered by current procurement regulations (LOU). There is therefore considerable demand for guidance and examples of how it should be applied in practice. Circular procurement also needs to be developed to take the lifecycle perspective into account.
OPEN DATABASE WITH PROCUREMENT CRITERIA Climate-adapted and circular procurement is comparatively complicated because products are often made up of multiple materials, where each component may need to be considered separately. This leads to a large number of possible criteria. The website therefore includes an open, searchable database, called Kriterieklivet, which contains procurement criteria for various product groups and which can be used in the practical procurement work.
Public procurement is faced with perhaps its greatest challenge – to contribute to the sustainable transformation of society. We now need to concentrate on fossil-free and resource-efficient solutions in order to reach our climate goals.
Read more at www.uphandling.ivl.se
The platform provides knowledge, tips and advice to anyone who works with, or wants to start working with, climate-adapted and circular procurement.
Name: Sven-Olof Ryding Age: 73 years Function at IVL: Senior advisor and project manager at IVL’s Stockholm office. Works in projects and assignments focusing on life cycle analyses (LCAs), environmental product declarations (EPDs) and public procurement both nationally and internationally. Background: Associate Professor in System Ecology. Has been active within universities, public authorities, industry organisations and companies. Worked at IVL as Head of the Water Department in the 1980s.
IVL CONTRIBUTES TO THE GLOBAL GOALS BY:
12.2 Sustainable management and use of natural resources 12.5 Significantly reducing the amount of waste 12.7 Promoting sustainable methods for public procurement 13.2 Integrating measures to combat climate change into policies and planning 13.3 Increasing knowledge and capacity to tackle climate change
