All government departments will from next year start buying paper, IT supplies, textiles and gardening products in an environmentally-friendly way, as the government begins greening public sector purchasing.

Finance Minister Tonio Fenech and parliamentary secretary for the environment Mario De Marco this afternoon launched a detailed strategy which will see green procurement growing at a staggered rate over the next three years.

The government hopes this will entice businesses to start importing and offering greener products since they know the market for such products will be given a boost by the country's biggest consumer.

"This way we are using the economy to help the environment," Dr De Marco said, pointing out that this was a theme raised in the National Environment Policy.

According to the stipulated targets, all copying and graphic paper, gardening products and services, textiles and office IT equipment will be procured in line with strict environmental criteria as from next year.

In all, there are 18 product groups identified for greening over the next three years – each with specific and internationally-recognised criteria which must be specified in the tendering process.

The purchasing of transport, mobile phones, road construction, street lighting, furniture, and several other product groups will all fall into the government's green procurement plan, though the targets are not all equally ambitious.

For example, while the government wants to buy all its paper from sustainable forests from next year, it will take until 2014 to reach the target whereby 30 per cent of transport purchases are similarly environmentally-friendly.

Mr Fenech said the Budget had taken into consideration this plan but was not anticipating a big spike in costs. Although some environmentally-friendly products tend to be more expensive than their counterparts, Mr Fenech said this was usually due to economies of scale.

Since the government was giving businesses notice of its intentions, it expects competition to keep costs under control.

A task force comprising various authorities and government departments has been set up to ensure the government's strategy is implemented and targets are reached.

More information can be found on www.gpp.gov.mt and inquiries can be sent to gpp@gov.mt.