Search Climate Insights Directory

A research paper by OCP and IISD examines the ability of the European Union's Public Procurement Data Space (PPDS) to track the actual environmental impact of green public procurement (GPP). The authors argue that while current monitoring focuses on intent (whether environmental objectives were declared), it is possible to estimate real-world carbon savings using existing data and spend-based estimation. A pilot study using German data in the construction and vehicle sectors suggests that the potential for emissions reductions is significantly higher than what is currently being achieved through green-tagged contracts.

This report analyzes the shortcomings of the current European Union public procurement directive in enabling green public procurement (GPP) and proposes a roadmap of reforms to align public spending with climate, circularity, and competitiveness goals.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the 2024 reform of the European Union's public procurement framework. It argues that while green public procurement (GPP) is a powerful lever for the green transition—given that public procurement accounts for approximately 14% of EU GDP—its implementation is hindered by legal uncertainties, administrative burdens, and capacity gaps. The document advocates for the use of robust, third-party verified tools such as ecolabels and life-cycle costing to simplify GPP and recommends specific legal and structural reforms to the EU directives to foster their uptake.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development argues for reforming the European Union's Public Procurement Directive to transition from voluntary to mandatory green public procurement (GPP) to better align public spending with climate goals.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) argues that the European Union's 2014 Public Procurement Directives have failed to mainstream green public procurement (GPP) due to their voluntary nature, legal fragmentation, and lack of certainty. With the European Commission evaluating the Directives in late 2024, the authors advocate for a shift toward mandatory GPP, better monitoring systems, and the alignment of 'buy European' initiatives with environmental requirements to drive the EU's green transition and enhance global competitiveness.

This report analyzes the potential for South Africa to use its public procurement spending, which represents approximately 15% of its GDP, to address environmental issues such as carbon emissions, pollution, and water scarcity.

This report by RMI uses polyester as a case study to analyze how product definitions and demand from retail sectors can accelerate the market for low-emissions chemicals. It identifies specific technological pathways to reduce the lifecycle emissions of polyester t-shirts and argues that setting emissions reduction thresholds at upstream stages (such as the PET resin step) is more effective at driving chemical industry decarbonization than setting them at the finished fabric stage.

This report examines the role of multilateral development banks (MDBs) in promoting low-carbon procurement within the infrastructure sector, identifying both the opportunities for MDBs to lead the transition and the systemic challenges that hinder the adoption of sustainable practices in developing countries.

This report examines the current state of green public procurement (GPP) in Indonesia, analyzing its legal framework, implementation tools, and the challenges hindering widespread adoption. It provides recommendations to enhance capacity, tools, and monitoring to support Indonesia's green economy goals.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes the current state of green public procurement (GPP) in Indonesia. It examines the legal and governance frameworks, identifies key stakeholders, and evaluates existing tools such as eco-labels and the Timber Legality Verification System. The report highlights significant barriers to GPP adoption, including limited stakeholder knowledge, cost concerns, and procurer risk aversion, and provides four primary recommendations to accelerate the transition to sustainable procurement.

This report examines the methodologies and challenges of monitoring Green Public Procurement (GPP), with a specific focus on tracking reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It analyzes practices in six countries and provides recommendations for governments to improve monitoring systems to support climate and sustainable development goals.

This guide provides recommendations for incorporating environmental criteria into public procurement for catering services in Estonian educational institutions. It outlines specific technical descriptions and evaluation criteria to reduce the environmental impact of food production and consumption, focusing on organic food, short supply chains, plant-based diets, waste reduction, and sustainable cleaning practices.

This policy brief outlines how G20 countries can utilize Green Public Procurement (GPP), particularly in the construction sector and hard-to-abate industries like steel and cement, to support decarbonization and meet climate commitments through coordinated reform and strategic implementation.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the policy frameworks and enabling environments required to attract private investment for the decarbonization of India's steel and cement sectors. It focuses on breakthrough technologies (TRL 5-9) and identifies high-impact policy instruments and critical enablers to avoid carbon lock-in and meet India's 2070 net-zero target.

This briefing by Energy Innovation outlines policy options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. industrial sector, which is responsible for a quarter to a third of national emissions. The document proposes a combination of trade mechanisms, financial incentives, R&D support, and regulatory standards to accelerate the deployment of clean industrial technologies and maintain U.S. competitiveness.

This briefing provides a framework for addressing legal questions regarding the use of the CO2 Performance Ladder, a carbon management system used in public procurement to provide award advantages to certified organizations.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the implementation of Green Public Procurement (GPP) across eight EU Member States, focusing on the road transport and construction sectors. It identifies significant gaps between stated climate targets and actual procurement practices, highlighting barriers such as fragmented governance, lack of standardized data, and limited capacity among procurement officers. The document provides best practice examples from various regions and offers 17 policy recommendations to harmonize GPP across the EU to support the 2030 climate target of a net 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the implementation of Green Public Procurement (GPP) in the road transport and construction sectors of Sweden and the Netherlands. It analyzes the governance structures, tools, and barriers that influence the adoption of low-carbon procurement practices in these two EU Member States.

This policy brief, published by the Stockholm Environment Institute in June 2022, analyzes the environmental and socio-economic impacts of the global construction and buildings value chain. It emphasizes that decisions made during the early stages of planning and finance heavily dictate the sustainability outcomes of the entire chain. The document advocates for a multi-stakeholder approach involving regulations, green public procurement, and urban planning to transition toward net-zero emissions and higher material efficiency.

This policy brief, produced by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the Leadership Group for Industry Transition, serves as a "how-to" guide for designing Green Public Procurement (GPP) policies and target-setting methodologies to accelerate decarbonization in hard-to-abate industrial sectors.