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Will procurement requirements be the solution for carbon reduction in infrastructure projects? Are procurement requirements the answer to carbon reduction in infrastructure construction projects? The recently finalized research project Impres has the answer and gives its recommendations on how to achieve greater carbon reductions.

Government procurement amounts to nearly 73,3 billion euros per year. It thus has a significant impact on the environment and on social issues, both here and in other countries. Deliberately targeted sustainable public procurement is a powerful tool for achieving major sustainability goals. Sustainable public procurement is constantly evolving. This page contains details of developments in the field of SPP, not only in the Netherlands but also in European and international contexts.

When formulating a procurement request, provide sufficient scope for sustainable solutions. If you formulate your requirement in a more functional way, suppliers will have more scope to come up with sustainable solutions. Rather than asking for a specific product, such as cars with a particulate filter, simply state an intended objective, i.e. environmentally friendly transport.

Government procurement has two dimensions which are directly relevant to SPP. Firstly, procurement is a tool for making your own organisation and business operations more sustainable. Your organisation may have endorsed the aspiration of 100% sustainable procurement. Alternatively, it may have highlighted certain aspects of its sustainability, organisational or operational policies, such as striving to achieve a climate-neutral operation or encouraging fair trade. Secondly, procurement provides opportunities to contribute to your organisation's wider policy objectives. As a procurer, you should find out how you can contribute. Then will you be able to advise your internal client effectively.

As a procurer, you are expected to maintain a certain level of aspiration with regard to sustainable public procurement (SRP). Your organisation may, for example, have agreed to implement minimum environmental criteria for all public procurements, or perhaps innovation is high on the agenda.

As a professional procurer, you are expected to purchase products, services or works which are as sustainable as possible. Accordingly, the impact of any procurement on people and the environment must be considered in addition to price considerations. You must also consider the possibility of contributing, through your procurement activities, to the realisation of your organisation's policy objectives.

Between 25% and 32% of the primary tropical timber imported into the EU28 was exposed to sustainable timber certification, reveals the latest Probos and GTF Tropical Timber Market Data report. There exist great room for improvement and this number demands decisive action by all stakeholders. (November 2019)

From time to time, conduct your own analysis of the procurement process and pinpoint places where sustainability gains can be made. In doing so, you will set a good example for others. For instance, you can use teleconferencing to open dialogues with market players. If you want to meet the various parties in person, select a location that is easily accessible by public transport.

The Environmental Criteria are reviewed regularly to keep it up to date. During this process the criteria are tested on the accuracy and where needed adjustments are made accordingly. Where possible, maximum use has been made of the European Green Public Procurement criteria (GPP). This ensures more consistency in criteria so that the effect of the application increases.

Worldwide, the amount of photovoltaics (PV) installations has grown exponentially. In the Netherlands the installations of PV has grown quickly in the past few years due to the government's high ambitions and generous subsidies. The Netherlands is a small country, but it still holds the worldwide number 2 position in PV capacity per capita and Australia takes the first place. (november 2023)