Download (PDF, 6.71MB) - TEEB

5.6
REWARDING BENEFITS THROUGH PAYMENTS AND MARKETS
“By giving a clear signal to all parties
involved in the procurement process,
public authorities can draw new
environmental technologies into the
market place that in turn have the
potential to strengthen the
competitiveness of European
industry.
Green Public Procurement will
also help EU Member States meet
obligations for energy-efficiency in
buildings, energy services and
reduced CO 2 emissions. The potential
of this instrument is enormous and
I recommend that public administrations,
at all levels, turn policy into
practice and demonstrate their
willingness to 'green' Europe.”
Stavros Dimas, EU Commissioner for Environment
5.6.1 OBJECTIVES AND TAKE-UP
OF GPP POLICIES
GREEN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT (GPP)
Green Public Procurement (GPP) means that public
purchasers take account of environmental
factors when buying products, services or
works. A product or service can only qualify as
‘green’ if it goes beyond what is required by law
and beyond the performance of products commonly
sold in the market. Whereas regulatory standards
create a minimum baseline (see Chapter 7),
GPP helps to green the markets: ecologically innovative
products can increase market share and often get
a price premium.
Governments at all levels, public agencies and organisations
can quickly make use of GPP to reduce
pressures on biodiversity, drive or create markets for
green products and green the supply chain. Their vast
buying power – from offices and canteens to construction
and transportation – can directly expand the
market for products and services produced or supplied
with less environmental impact (e.g. energy- and
water-efficient devices and building techniques,
non-hazardous or bio-degradable products, organic
or seasonal food, sustainably produced timber and
paper).
GPP can facilitate eco-innovation because governments
can take more risk when opting for new products,
assuming the role of ‘launching customer’.
This may create economies of scale and help companies
to move up the learning curve, put innovative
products on the market and create green-collar jobs.
Less green products and services are progressively
placed at a significant disadvantage when competing
for government contracts.
GPP has been rapidly developing since the early
2000s and is now being mainstreamed by environmentally
ambitious governments. The EU market for
government purchases alone exceeds 1,500 billon
EUR/year or 16% of EU Gross National Product. The
European Commission has proposed to Member
States that by 2010, 50% of their purchasing should
be GPP. Some have chosen to set more ambitious
targets e.g. in the Netherlands, the national government
intends to purchase 100% green by 2010, with
levels of 50 to 75% for local and regional governments
(see Box 5.29).
Many other large economies – including Japan,
China, New Zealand, Korea and the US – also have
formal policies in place that stimulate GPP (see Box
5.30).
TEEB FOR NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL POLICY MAKERS - CHAPTER 5: PAGE 56