How to buy green

The European Commission has produced a handbook on green public procurement, explaining in clear terms how public purchasers such as schools, hospitals and national and local administrations can take into account the environment when buying goods, services and works.

Each year public authorities spend some 16 per cent of the EU's GDP, about €1,500 billion, on goods, services and works. If they opted for environmentally sound purchases they would be helping the EU reach sustainable development, the Commission said yesterday.

Green purchasing increases demand for green goods, encourages green production and helps environmentally friendly technologies conquer the market. It also considers efficient use of energy and resources as well as waste prevention, thus contributing to saving taxpayer's money.

Margot Wallström, Commissioner for the Environment, said: "Public authorities have enormous purchasing power. If, for example, all public authorities in the Union switched to green electricity, it would save 60 million tonnes of CO2, or 18 per cent of the EU's Kyoto commitment on cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 2012."

Frits Bolkestein, Internal Market Commissioner, said: "This handbook provides clear and practical guidance to local, regional and other contracting authorities in the process of dealing with the new possibilities created by the new public procurement directives. With this handbook we respond to the needs of all these authorities to take action to protect the environment by using public demand.

"I hope that the handbook will also encourage the sharing of best practices and experiences to further green procurement policies."

The handbook and further information can be found at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/publicprocurement/key-docs_en.htm.