green public procurement

Green public procurement (GPP) is a strategy where contracting authorities use their purchasing power to choose goods, services and works with a reduced environmental impact. In the EU, public procurement accounts for around 14 percent of GDP, making it a powerful lever for driving the green transition.

How does green public procurement work?

EU Directive 2014/24/EU allows contracting authorities to integrate environmental considerations at every stage of the procurement process — in technical specifications, award criteria, and contract performance conditions. The directive introduced life-cycle costing as a tool for evaluating tenders, meaning authorities can look beyond the purchase price and factor in environmental costs over a product's entire lifespan.

While GPP remains voluntary at the EU level, individual member states are free to introduce stricter requirements. In Norway, for example, climate and environmental considerations must be weighted at a minimum of 30 percent in award criteria for procurements above EEA threshold values, following a rule change that took effect on 1 January 2024.

Key elements of green public procurement

• Environmental criteria: Requirements can be set in the requirements specification, as award criteria, or as contract performance conditions
• Life-cycle costing: Evaluating the full environmental cost over the product's lifetime, not just the purchase price
• Eco-labels: Contracting authorities may require recognised eco-labels as proof of environmental performance
• Procurement strategy: Organisations should set clear targets for green procurement in their overall strategy

Tools like Cobrief can help suppliers identify public tenders with environmental requirements and understand which climate and sustainability criteria are prioritised, so they can prepare competitive bids.

Green public procurement is increasingly seen as one of the most effective tools for achieving climate goals through public spending. With growing regulatory pressure and rising awareness, GPP is moving from a voluntary good practice to a core requirement in how public money is spent across Europe.