StratKIT Sustainability Toolkit for greener public procurement and catering services in Baltic Sea Region and beyond

The StratKIT Sustainability Toolkit provides a comprehensive set of practical tools and strategies to transition public catering services toward more sustainable practices. It focuses on eight 'Gateways' including organic food, plant-based diets, food waste reduction, and resource efficiency, while emphasizing the role of Green Public Procurement (GPP) as a primary driver for systemic change in the food supply chain.

• Public procurement is a powerful lever for sustainability because the public sector serves over 10 million meals daily in the Baltic Sea Region, and food procurement represents approximately 25-30% of a public meal's total cost.
• The toolkit is structured around eight 'Gateways' that address specific sustainability dimensions: Strategies for change, Public Procurement, Communication and Capacity Building, Organic Food, Healthy and Plant-based diets, Food Waste, Resource efficiency, and Working with Farmers.
• To reduce climate impact, the toolkit recommends that procurers implement technical specifications for shorter supply chains, such as requiring primary food products to originate within a specific radius (e.g., 300 km) and prioritizing seasonal produce.
• The guide advocates for the transition to plant-forward eating through gradual menu changes, such as introducing 'dish of the day' vegetarian options or substituting meat and dairy with plant-based alternatives to improve health and biodiversity.
• Food waste is identified as a critical environmental issue, contributing 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions; the toolkit suggests measuring waste by sorting it into inedible waste, spoiled food, food surplus, and plate leftovers.
• Resource efficiency can be improved through operational changes such as 'Cook Cold' manufacturing, which uses pre-processed components in cooled spaces to save energy and reduce waste, and the adoption of waterless cleaning using microfiber cloths.
• The toolkit emphasizes that sustainability changes in the public sector are often incremental and require a collaborative, multi-actor approach involving policymakers, procurement officers, kitchen staff, and farmers.
• To support the EU goal of 25% organic farmland by 2030, the toolkit provides tools for establishing organic eco-labels for caterers, allowing them to certify meals that contain varying percentages of organic ingredients (e.g., 20-50%, 50-80%, or 80-100%).

APA

Hamann, K. (2021). StratKIT Sustainability Toolkit for greener public procurement and catering services in Baltic Sea Region and beyond. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/o4.3-stratkit-sustainability-toolkit.pdf

Chicago

Hamann, Karen. StratKIT Sustainability Toolkit for greener public procurement and catering services in Baltic Sea Region and beyond. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2021. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/o4.3-stratkit-sustainability-toolkit.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hamann |first1=Karen |title=StratKIT Sustainability Toolkit for greener public procurement and catering services in Baltic Sea Region and beyond |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=15 November 2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/o4.3-stratkit-sustainability-toolkit.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hamann2021stratkit, author = {Hamann, Karen}, title = {{StratKIT Sustainability Toolkit for greener public procurement and catering services in Baltic Sea Region and beyond}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = nov, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/o4.3-stratkit-sustainability-toolkit.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }