Sustainable procurement saves tonnes of CO2 emissions

A project aimed at the sustainable delivery of goods and service contracts within several European regions has saved more than a quarter of a million tonnes of CO2 per annum.

Results from the SPP Regions Project, coordinated by Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), showed that the network of seven regions managed savings of 394,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. The regions include Barcelona, Bulgaria, Copenhagen, The Hague, south-west England, Turin and west France.

Simon Clement, of ICLEI’s Sustainable Economy and Procurement team, told Cities Today that as well as emissions reduction, the project targets the vast costs of energy needed to consume goods and services that public authorities incur each year.

“Every day, public authorities need to buy electricity, they need to heat and light buildings, serve school and hospital meals, and run vehicles, all of which builds up into a significant carbon footprint,” he said. “[The initiative] has increased the power that public authorities have in the market–the more that public purchasers require green solutions, the more incentive there is for suppliers to provide affordable and environmentally friendly solutions as the standard.”

Started in 2015, the project comprises 40 eco-friendly contracts. These include deliveries to school canteens, procurement of electric vehicles, and energy efficient building installations, which together saved 1,425 gigawatt hours per year. The total renewable-energy-generating capacity is also set to reach 1,015 gigawatt hours. Life-cycle costing, which integrates the economic, social, environmental costs of a contract, has been implemented in order to maximise value for the buyer and to minimise waste.

The emissions savings of ICLEI’s sustainable procurement network are equivalent to more than 3 trillion kilometres driven by a new car sold in the EU in 2016, according to the organisation. It added that 3 trillion kilometres is around the distance covered in seven or more return trips to Mars.

“These impressive environmental outcomes demonstrate that local and regional authorities can punch well above their weight in the fight against climate change through strategic procurement and cooperating with other authorities in their region,” Clement concluded.

The project has spurred the creation of nine new networks across London, Helsinki, Catalonia, as well as several cities in Italy among others. The same methodology will be applied to achieve similar results and strengthen municipal collaboration with businesses for sustainable procurement innovation.