green public
procurement
in sweden
ISBN: 978-91-620-8417-2 www.naturvardsverket.se
Title: Green Public Procurement in Sweden Orders Phone: + 46 (0)8-505 933 40 Fax: + 46 (0)8-505 933 99 e-mail: natur@cm.se internet: www.naturvardsverket.se/bokhandeln
The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
Phone: + 46 (0)8-698 10 00
Address: naturvårdsverket, se-106 48 stockholm, sweden internet: www.naturvardsverket.se
isBn 978-91-620-8417-2 © naturvårdsverket 2009
Print: CM Gruppen AB Edition: 600 copies
Design and illustration: AB Typoform
Photos: cover: Roine Mangusson/naturbild, p. 1 Tero niemi/naturbild,
p. 5 Jonas ingerstedt/Johner, p. 6 Anna emilia/Johner, p. 7 Mattias Lundblad/ nordic photos, p. 8 Per Magnus Persson, p. 9 nicho södling/Johner, p. 10 stefan Berg/Johner, p. 11 Bertil Hagberg/scanpix
We face great challenges in the environmen-tal and climate field. The IPCC has shown that greenhouse gas emissions are changing the conditions for human life and impacting biodiversity. Much of the impact on the envir-onment and climate is due to our production and consumption of goods and services.
When public procurement processes involve environmental standards, they act as a power-ful tool in our efforts to achieve the Swedish environmental and climate objectives, since they stimulate the market for sustainable goods and services. This has been found to
be difficult to achieve using traditional instru-ments.
Green public procurement has been used as an instrument of Swedish environmental policy for over ten years. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for monitoring and developing the instrument. We now know how we can encourage public organisations to assume greater environmental responsibility in their procurement processes. This brochure describes the experience we have gained, and is primarily aimed at those engaged in developing environmental policy instruments.
Green public procurement
– a powerful tool
2
The Swedish Government has been encouraging public bodies to assume greater environmental responsibility in their procurement processes for just over ten years. The Swedish action plan establishes that ”Green public procurement is a market-based and powerful controlling tool in the work of guiding society towards long-term and sustainable consumption and therefore production.”
The action plan contains an analysis of the current situation, the objective that the propor-tion of green public procurement should have increased by 2010, and a number of measures that must be taken if we are to achieve our objectives.
Public procurement in Sweden has an annual turnover of approximately EUR 50 billion.
Around 60 per cent of public organisations say that they always or usually specify environ-mental requirements in their public procure-ment processes. This figure has remained fairly constant over the last five years.
Public bodies with an environmental policy for procurement, with targets for their envir-onmental performance, and with trained staff, specify environmental requirements to a greater extent than other organisations.
82 per cent say they have an environmen-tal policy for procurement; 55 per cent have objectives for environmental consideration in procurement, and 52 per cent say that the staff responsible for procurement have under-gone training in green procurement. Only 11 per cent say they follow up completed
Sixty per cent Specify
environmental requirementS
10 % Not well defined 15 % Partly not well defined 22 % No environmental criteria 23 % sometimes 9 % Most times 2 % Always
Do you follow-up your procurement process from an environmental viewpoint?
20 % Never 30 % Seldom 2 % No answer 14 % Don’t know 53 % Environmental criteria %
Do you specify environmental requirements when procuring?
0 20 40 60 80 100
2004 2007 2009
Always Often Sometimes
Seldom Never Yes No 0 20 40 60 80 100 2009 2007 2004
Do you have an evironmental policy for procurement?
17 40 31 8 11
13 45 33 8 1
15 46 27 7 3
10 % Not well defined 15 % Partly not well defined 22 % No environmental criteria 23 % sometimes 9 % Most times 2 % Always
Do you follow-up your procurement process from an environmental viewpoint?
20 % Never 30 % Seldom 2 % No answer 14 % Don’t know 53 % Environmental criteria %
Do you specify environmental requirements when procuring?
0 20 40 60 80 100
2004 2007 2009
Always Often Sometimes
Seldom Never Yes No 0 20 40 60 80 100 2009 2007 2004
Do you have an evironmental policy for procurement?
17 40 31 8 11
13 45 33 8 1
3
procurement processes from an environmental viewpoint.
Questionnaires reveal that the lack of knowledge and experience of how to specify environmental requirements is the greatest obstacle to green procurement. In order to take environmental factors into consideration to a greater extent, purchasers need help in formu-lating environmental requirements. They also desire access to tools for green procurement and information on best practice.
factS Procurement Processes
reviewed. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) commissioned a review of 270 Swedish procurement processes in relevant product areas in 2007. Of these, 210 (78 per cent) involved environmental require-ments, whereas 27 procurement processes (10 per cent) included poorly specified require-ments that had no impact. These results reveal a need for knowledge about how environmen-tal requirements should be formulated in a procurement procedure.
10 % Not well defined 15 % Partly not well defined 22 % No environmental criteria 23 % sometimes 9 % Most times 2 % Always
Do you follow-up your procurement process from an environmental viewpoint?
20 % Never 30 % Seldom 2 % No answer 14 % Don’t know 53 % Environmental criteria %
Do you specify environmental requirements when procuring?
0 20 40 60 80 100
2004 2007 2009
Always Often Sometimes
Seldom Never Yes No 0 20 40 60 80 100 2009 2007 2004
Do you have an evironmental policy for procurement?
17 40 31 8 11
13 45 33 8 1
15 46 27 7 3
10 % Not well defined 15 % Partly not well defined 22 % No environmental criteria 23 % sometimes 9 % Most times 2 % Always
Do you follow-up your procurement process from an environmental viewpoint?
20 % Never 30 % Seldom 2 % No answer 14 % Don’t know 53 % Environmental criteria %
Do you specify environmental requirements when procuring?
0 20 40 60 80 100
2004 2007 2009
Always Often Sometimes
Seldom Never Yes No 0 20 40 60 80 100 2009 2007 2004
Do you have an evironmental policy for procurement?
17 40 31 8 11
13 45 33 8 1
4
There are thousands of purchasers in the public sector in Sweden. These purchasers must be motivated to specify environmental requirements, but circumstances must also enable them to do so. The following measures are particularly important:
involve decision makers
It is important that politicians and other central and local decision makers are involved in the process of assuring green procurement. The political will and management support are es-sential to success. The Government can exercise control in the form of legislation and motivate purchasers via information and dialogue.
improve skills
Specifying environmental requirements de-mands skill, both in procurement and in the
environmental field. The Government can therefore offer training and practical guidance on green procurement.
offer an efficient and simple purchasing tool
The greatest impact will be achieved if every-one specifies the same environmental standards to be met by suppliers. The Government can supply a simple tool in the form of predeter-mined procurement criteria produced by central government.
continuous follow-up
Green procurement processes must be followed up in order to know how the instrument is devel-oping, and to be able to propose new measures. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducts regular questionnaire surveys and qualitative audits of procurement processes.
5
A successful central or local green procurement procedure requires both political will and man-agement support. The Government can exercise control in the form of legislation and motivate purchasers via information and dialogue.
control of government agencies
Government agencies in Sweden with a signifi-cant environmental impact have been instructed to implement and develop environmental management systems and to carry out green procurement. The proportion of procurement processes where environmental requirements are specified, and the value of procurement
processes are reported to the Government once a year. These agencies are also bound by an ordinance under which they may only purchase green cars.
involve local and regional decision makers
Officials of local and regional organisations must have a mandate and resources to be able to specify environmental requirements in procurement processes. This presupposes that a management decision has been taken. To achieve this, the Government arranges informa-tion campaigns and conferences for local and regional decision makers.
7
Questionnaire responses have revealed that a lack of knowledge among purchasers is the greatest obstacle to green procurement. Train-ing, telephone advisory services, networks and information on best practice are some ways of making expertise in the field available to those who need it.
help desk
Many purchasers want advice on how environ-mental requirements should be specified. Suppliers also need help in the procurement process. The Swedish Environmental Manage-ment Council offers a help desk via telephone or e-mail. It provides concrete and practical advice to purchasers, so that more people succeed in specifying effective environmental requirements. The service is also valuable for the Environmental Management Council, since it helps to identify questions and issues of importance to purchasers and suppliers. The help desk is available free of charge.
training
Studies show that public bodies that have trained their staff have made most progress in greening procurement. The Environmental Management Council is therefore taking steps to integrate environmental training in standard procurement training courses, and to arrange its own training programmes. Online courses are another way of making training available to more people. The Environmental Manage-ment Council has developed two online courses, available free on the website.
improve the Skill of purchaSerS
factS the swedish environmental management council is a limited liability company owned jointly by the Swedish State, trade and industry, municipalities and county councils. The Council gives impetus to green public procurement by providing environmen-tal criteria, expertise and information.
8
The impact will be greatest when all public bodies specify the same environmental require-ments in their procurement processes. The best way of achieving this is for the Government to offer a simple tool with suitable environmental criteria, available free of charge.
The requirements will only work if they are supported both by purchasers and by suppli-ers. The Environmental Management Council is drafting procurement criteria for a large number of products purchased in the public sector. These comprise proposed requirements, criteria and contract terms, background infor-mation and explanatory notes. The proposals are being drafted as part of an extensive qual-ity assurance process involving representatives from the public and private sector.
Important lessons learned from this process are: • suPPort It is important that the
environ-mental criteria produced have the support of purchasers and suppliers alike, so that they work in public procurement. Firstly, there must be suppliers that meet the require-ments; secondly, the requirements must drive the market for green products.
• verification and follow-uP If an instrument is to be credible, the criteria must include proposals for how the environmental criteria can be verified by suppliers, and how purchasers can determine that the criteria have been met.
• helP desk It is important to allocate resources so that users receive answers to their questions about the environmental criteria. The Environmental Management Council supplies the help desk and support.
an efficient and Simple
purchaSinG tool
factS Half of Swedish public bodies say
they use the Environmental Management Council criteria to green their procurement. Those not using the tool say this is mainly because they are not aware of its existence, or do not know how it should be used.
9
The Swedish EPA has been monitoring the greening of public procurement since 2001 by means of qualitative and quantitative studies. The results of the studies are used as a basis for developing new measures and updating the Swedish action plan.
questionnaires every three years
Every three years a questionnaire survey is car-ried out among those responsible for procure-ment in central governprocure-ment, municipalities and county councils. The response level is usually around 80 per cent. To ensure a high response level, the questionnaires are of a general nature, without too much detail.
quality audit
In addition, some 300 procurement processes in various product areas are audited every three years, which gives us an idea of the require-ments specified in procurement processes. The results show whether environmental require-ments have been specified, and how they have been expressed.
continuouS follow-up
factS The Swedish Environmental
Protection Agency, created in 1967, is the national agency for environmental protection and nature conservation. Its key tasks are to present proposals for environmental policy and legislation to the Swedish Government and ensure that environmental policy deci-sions are implemented.
10
Swedish State procurement processes are coor-dinated in the form of framework agreements in areas where government agencies share large purchasing volumes.
The personal computer contract is the larg-est single framework agreement, worth around 250 million Euro each year. The procurement process for the framework agreement includes requirements regarding energy performance and chemicals in components.
Thanks to the environmental requirements in the central computer procurement process, government agencies have reduced their annual energy consumption by 3,750 MWh. In addi-tion, emissions of brominated and chlorinated flame retardants have fallen by approximately 26 tonnes.
By informing individuals placing orders under the framework agreement of the most energy-efficient options, there is an additional potential energy saving of 16,100 MWh a year.
beSt practice 1:
11
Since 1 February 2009 all automobiles pur-chased or leased by Swedish government agen-cies must be green cars. Green cars must also be used by those ordering taxis or hire cars. This requirement has been laid down in an ordi-nance.
Petrol or diesel driven automobiles may emit no more than 120 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre; light commercial vehicles may emit
a maximum of 230 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre. In addition, agencies must ensure that the cars use renewable fuels to the greatest possible extent. Purchases of vehicles and fuels are reported to the Government once a year.
This measure has given a boost to the green car market in Sweden. Furthermore many mu-nicipalities, county councils and companies aim to purchase green cars, as defined.
beSt practice 2:
Green carS
12
area: 174,000 sq mi (450,000 km²), the third largest country in Western Europe
forests: 53%
mountains: 11%
cultivated land: 8%
lakes and rivers: 9%
caPital: Stockholm
PoPulation: 9.3 million inhabitants
language: Swedish
form of government: Constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy
Parliament: The Riksdag, with 349 members in one chamber
most imPortant exPort goods: Electronic and telecom equipment, machinery, passenger cars, paper, pharmaceuticals, iron and steel
most imPortant imPorted goods: Electronic and telecom equipment, machinery, foodstuffs, crude oil, textile products, footwear and passenger cars
factS about Sweden
Stockholm
Title: Green Public Procurement in Sweden Orders Phone: + 46 (0)8-505 933 40 Fax: + 46 (0)8-505 933 99 e-mail: natur@cm.se internet: www.naturvardsverket.se/bokhandeln
The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
Phone: + 46 (0)8-698 10 00
Address: naturvårdsverket, se-106 48 stockholm, sweden internet: www.naturvardsverket.se
isBn 978-91-620-8417-2 © naturvårdsverket 2009
Print: CM Gruppen AB Edition: 600 copies
Design and illustration: AB Typoform
Photos: cover: Roine Mangusson/naturbild, p. 1 Tero niemi/naturbild,
p. 5 Jonas ingerstedt/Johner, p. 6 Anna emilia/Johner, p. 7 Mattias Lundblad/ nordic photos, p. 8 Per Magnus Persson, p. 9 nicho södling/Johner, p. 10 stefan Berg/Johner, p. 11 Bertil Hagberg/scanpix
green public
procurement
in sweden
ISBN: 978-91-620-8417-2 www.naturvardsverket.se
