Buying Green! - Making a difference through GPP

1. European Commission GPP Training Toolkit Introduction Buying Green! - Making a difference through GPP

2. The power of GPP • Average temperatures set to rise by 2 - 4°C by 2100, leading to: • Rising sea levels, threatening coastal regions worldwide • Reduced agricultural productivity, especially in the developing world Climate change • Spread of diseases, such as malaria and yellow fever • Loss of biodiversity, with 20-50% of land species threatened with extinction • Increased extreme weather events

3. The power of GPP • Main cause: burning of fossil fuels for energy - electricity generation, transportation, heating, industrial operations = 80% of total CO2 emissions Climate change (cont.)

4. The power of GPP How can GPP help?: • Energy efficiency: • Improve the energy performance of new and renovated public buildings • Buy energy efficient office equipment (PCs, printers, copiers etc.) • Buy more efficient cars for public fleets Climate change (cont.) • Promoting renewable energy sources: • Buy green electricity • Use alternative fuels for public transport and public car fleets

5. The power of GPP • Between 1997 and 2004 up to 60% of the urban EU population was exposed to excessive levels of Particulate Matter, Nitrogen Dioxide or Ozone - causing a variety of health problems Air and water pollution • Nearly 90% of the EU area is affected by eutrophication (excessive nutrients in water systems), leading to reductions in biodiversity and affecting human consumption

6. The power of GPP • Main cause of urban air pollution: vehicle emissions • Main cause of eutrophication: agricultural practices Air and water pollution (cont.)

7. The power of GPP How can GPP help?: • Reducing air pollution in cities: • Buy buses and fleet cars with low emissions of particulates and Nitrogen Oxides • Reducing eutrophication: • Buy organic food Air and water pollution (cont.)

8. The power of GPP • Each year 13 million hectares of forests are lost around the world - an area 3 times the size of Denmark - much of it logged illegally Deforestation • Reducing the ability of the world to absorb CO2 • Loss of habitat threatening the extinction of huge numbers of plants and animal species

9. The power of GPP How can GPP help? • Only purchase wood/wood products from legally harvested sources • Increase the proportion of wood coming from sustainably managed forests Deforestation (cont.)

10. The power of GPP Other areas where GPP can help - some examples • Saving natural resources: • buying products made using recycled material • reducing the use of paper through buying printers able to print on both sides; promoting the use of multi-functional devices • Healthy working conditions for staff, students, hospital patients etc.: • using non-toxic cleaning products • serving organic food in canteens • excluding harmful substances from building construction and renovation works

11. GPP - a definition • Green public procurement = procedure where environmental considerations are taken into account within the procurement process • GPP is smart procurement – it means improving the efficiency of public procurement and at the same time using public market power to bring about major environmental benefits locally and globally.

12. Why implement GPP? GPP … ……is powerful ……is smart ……tackles local policy goals ……drives innovation ……is popular ……is forward-thinking ……is possible!

13. GPP … is powerful • European public authorities spend each year over €1,800 billion on goods & services (14% -16 % of the GDP) • Directing this spending power towards the purchase of greener products and services can: • Achieve huge direct environmental benefits • Help drive the market for greener products and services • Set an example for corporate and private consumers

14. GPP … is powerful • Electricity produced from renewable sources • If all European public authorities bought green electricity 18% of the Kyoto commitments could be met. • Energy intensity & CO2 reduction • EU Public authorities buy 2.8 million computers annually - 12% of market • If the European market could be moved to producing slightly more efficient PCs then over 8 million tonnes CO2 could be saved - equivalent to the emissions of almost 1 million people Source: RELIEF project - www.iclei-europe.org/relief (see notes page)

15. GPP … is powerful • Organic farming • Public authorities buying organic food could offset the eutrophication impacts of over 3.5 million people • Buying organic provides huge greenhouse gas reductions equivalent to the emissions of 600,000 people, just for public sector food alone. Source: RELIEF project - www.iclei-europe.org/relief

16. GPP … is smart • GPP doesn’t mean spending more money: • Life-cycle costing (LCC): Critical to consider the costs of a product/service throughout its useful life - purchase price, usage and maintenance costs, disposal costs • Efficient procurement: GPP involves meeting your needs with the most efficient use of resources - consider the real need to buy • Example: The City of Tübingen in Germany saved €30,000 per year by centralising cleaning product and service procurement and by using innovative products.

17. GPP … tackles local policy goals • Achieve local environmental and health goals: • Most local environmental and health concerns are influenced by the products we buy and the way services are carried out - GPP is an effective tool for tackling these at source. • Example: In a central Frankfurt am Main street 54% of NOx emissions were generated by buses - only 4% of the total traffic volume. The local authority now tenders for buses with very low emissions and this has had a major impact on improving the local atmosphere

18. GPP … drives innovation • Driving innovation: • The market for green products is growing rapidly internationally. • Providing a market for such products helps European suppliers to develop innovative approaches and improve the international competitiveness of European, national and local industry • In both Japan and the US, the national governments have put laws in place to foster the creativity of industry and forge a competitive advantage internationally through compulsory public purchasing of eco-friendly products

19. GPP … drives innovation • Driving innovation (cont.): • Example: In Maidstone (UK), following intensive, open dialogue with the market, an offer for low environmental impact cleaning services, excluding a large number of hazardous chemicals was provided at no extra cost. • The winning company has now rebranded itself as an environmentally friendly cleaning company. Now most of their other contracts also use this approach.

20. GPP … is popular • Improving the public image: • 85% of EU Citizens feel that policymakers should consider the environment to be as important as economic and social policies • implementing a policy of GPP is a very effective way to demonstrate your authority’s commitment to sustainability as a whole. • through leading by example, public authorities can also encourage private sector companies and the general public to change their consumption habits

21. GPP … is forward-thinking • Preparing for future legislation: • Environmental legislation across Europe is becoming increasingly strict: • Compulsory emission standards for vehicles • Energy efficiency standards for buildings and energy-consuming products • Restricted use of harmful substances • GPP can help provide a testing ground for suppliers to improve the environmental performance of their products, before standards become mandatory for all

22. GPP … is possible! • GPP is straightforward to implement : • Helpful guidance available - this Toolkit presents clear guidance on implementing GPP • No legal barriers - legal framework for GPP now clarified (see Module 2 of the EC GPP Training Toolkit) • Many success stories - good practical examples from around Europe

23. GPP in practice Zurich,Switzerland • purchased 2,166 energy efficient computers = 127,114kg CO2 saved during its use • used energy efficiency & sustainable building materials criteria for 45,081 m2, covering contracts worth €175.1 Million • purchased organic food worth €390,000 = 5.6% of its total budget Amaroussion/Kalithea, Greece • Purchased recycled paper jointly with several other authorities. The cost of recycled paper decreased to less than that for conventional paper

24. Good Practice Freiburg,Germany • The Department for Schools and Education implemented a 4-year leasing of A-class copy machines. No maintenance costs. 75 schools pay for the number of copies only. The cost of the service has been reduced by 50% German & Austrian Federal governments • Both the German Ministry of the Environment, and the Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water now purchase 100% green electricity

25. Good Practice Kolding,Denmark • has changed nearly 100% of its purchasing policies to include environmental considerations. The overall procurement budget has been reduced by 10% Barcelona,Spain • All Barcelona’s cleaning services (worth €16.2 Million) use non toxic products

26. Why start GPP NOW? GPP … ……is powerful ……is smart ……tackles local policy goals ……drives innovation ……is popular ……is forward-thinking ……is possible! • So start now!

27. Further information • For the full GPP Training Toolkit please visit: • http://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/toolkit_en.htm Toolkit developed for the European Commission by ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, 2008 Owner, Editor: European Commission, DG Environment-G2, B-1049, Bruxelles Disclaimer: The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to the information presented in this document Pictures courtesy of Renee Brautigam (slide 7), Peter Defranceschi (s. 12, 19), Mark Hidson (s. 15), Kolding Kommune (s. 25), and StockXchng: BSK (s. 2), Claudia Meyer (s. 3), Jim Frech (s. 4), Ramzi Hashisho (s. 5), Terence O'Brien (s. 6), Peter Hellebrand (s. 8), Kimberlee Kessler Design (s. 9), Stefanie L. (s. 14), Sarah T. (s. 17), Sanja Gjenero (s. 20), Daniel Furger (s. 23), Vangelis Thomaidis (s. 23), Taylor Hart (s. 24), Nina Briski (s. 25)