Green public procurement in practice – the case of Norway

• Published in: Society and economy Vol. 33; no. 1; pp. 183 - 198
• Main Authors: Magerholm Fet, Annik, Michelsen, Ottar, De Boer, Luitzen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Budapest Akadémiai Kiadó 01.04.2011; Academic Publishing House; Akademiai Kiado Zrt
• Subjects: Alliances; Cost control; Decision making; Ecolabeling; Ecological sustainability; Energy and Environmental Studies; Environmental and Energy policy; Environmental impact; Environmental management; Environmental programs; Environmentally sensitive products; GDP; Governance; Government purchasing; Green economics; Gross Domestic Product; Industrial economics; Legislation; Management and complex organizations; National Economy; Procurement; Purchasing; Society; Studies; Suppliers; Supply chains; Sustainable development; Sustainable technology; Norway; environmental products declarations; Green Public Procurement; Norwegian initiatives; GPPmeasures; environmental management
• ISSN: 1588-9726; 1588-970X
• DOI: 10.1556/SocEc.33.2011.1.13

Green procurement is seen both as a public strategy to promote sustainable products and as a business strategy to improve environmental performance of the supply chain and thus meet demands for more environmentally friendly products, including from public institutions. Green Public Procurement (GPP) is a part of the national strategy for sustainable development in Norway, and it has become a national policy through legislation and various initiatives from the government. In addition to the implemented Acts, several other public initiatives are introduced, among other guidelines and action plans about how to integrate environmental and social responsibility in public procurement. The government has also presented a number of white papers relevant for green public purchasing. The documents stress the focus on environmental and ethical issues in public procurements. This paper gives an overview and the results from different surveys of how it is practiced on different levels. It further gives a short overview of how to meet the requirements by the use of environmental management systems and environmental product declarations. The paper ends with a suggestion for further research on how to approach GPP in a holistic and systematic way, addressing the often used statement that green procurement will be more costly.