Sustainable procurement
Thematic overview
Every procurement decision we make has an impact on the environment, economy and on society – and this holds especially true for public authorities.
To procure in a sustainable way involves looking beyond short-term needs and considering the longer-term impacts of each procurement. In the language of economists, sustainable procurement is about “internalizing the externalities” and leading by example. It is about driving behavior change by government taking the lead and showing others what can be done.
In recent years, sustainable procurement has grown in both scope – to encompass a wider range of environmental, social and economic issues, promoting value for money in its full sense – and depth, as the knowledge and techniques developed by frontrunners have been disseminated and standards raised. The ICLEI World Congress 2018 will explore those evolutions and call for ambitious sustainable procurement practices.
As an active member of the Global Lead City Network on Sustainable Procurement, the Ville de Montréal has set ambitious sustainable procurement targets. Read more here.
Source: ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, European Secretariat (2016) “The Procura + Manual : A guide to implementing sustainable procurement”
Photo credit: © ICLEI e.V. 2015
Description: The signing of the Founders´ Commitment to The Global Lead City Network on Sustainable Procurement during the ICLEI World Congress 2015 in Seoul