Green Public Procurement (GPP)
Ó An Roinn Comhshaoil, Aeráide agus Cumarsáide
Foilsithe
An t-eolas is déanaí
Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
Ó An Roinn Comhshaoil, Aeráide agus Cumarsáide
Foilsithe
An t-eolas is déanaí
Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
Green Public Procurement (GPP) is a process where public authorities seek to source goods, services or works with a reduced environmental impact. The Government of Ireland’s annual public sector purchasing accounts for 10% to 12% of Ireland’s GDP, a large part of economic activity and demand.
This provides Ireland’s public sector with significant influence to stimulate the provision of more resource-efficient, less polluting goods, services and works within the marketplace.
The public sector has a responsibility to promote green procurement, in order to support Ireland’s environmental and wider sustainable development objectives. GPP is recognised internationally as an effective means for public administrations to manage the balance between cost effectiveness and sustainable development. Citizens need to be sure that what is purchased on their behalf has minimal harmful effects on the environment and society. At the same time, these goods, services and works must represent both short-term and long-term value for money.
The integration of green public procurement principles into the economy will further enhance Ireland’s reputation as an innovative, eco-efficient and forward-looking place to do business. Many of our public authorities have already made good progress in this regard, as demonstrated by the examples of best practice outlined in the National Action Plan Green Tenders - an Action Plan on Green Public Procurement.
The Climate Action Plan 2019 requires every public body to have a climate mandate, a key element of that is using public procurement to deliver change. In October 2019, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform published Circular 20/2019 on promoting the use of environmental and social considerations in public procurement. The Circular provides Government Departments with information and instructions for including green criteria across all their procurement processes.
The new Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy contains a series of measures to expand and strengthen the usage of GPP in Ireland.
We are also working with our colleagues in the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) to advance GPP in Ireland.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published new guidance on green procurement in September 2021. Launched at the EPA Circular Economy Conference by Minister of State Ossian Smyth, this document is a practical resource tool, designed to assist procurers to build green criteria into public tenders. It covers ten sectors:
To facilitate use of these criteria, the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) has launched GPP Criteria Search. This online search tool allows the user to rapidly find, select, and download the GPP criteria relevant to a specific procurement. This tool was developed in collaboration with the EPA and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, with support from the Public Service Innovation Fund.
GPP has a key role to play in the European Union's efforts to become a more resource-efficient and circular economy. It can help encourage demand for more sustainable goods and services which otherwise would be difficult to get onto the market. GPP is therefore a strong stimulus for eco-innovation.
More information about the EU’s work in this area can be found on the EU website.
Green Public Procurement for Growth is an EU Interreg project which Ireland has participated in. This project brings together partners from nine countries, to exchange experiences and practices, and improve their capacities on implementing resource efficiency policies that promote eco-innovation and green growth through GPP.