Professorship for Corporate Environmental Management and Sustainability
Sustainable Procurement
Professorship for Corporate Environmental Management and Sustainability 

Strengthening Sustainable Procurement

An introduction to the topic with the German Environment Agency (UBA) – UBA explainer video: Environmentally friendly public procurement

Climate protection and circular economy in public procurement

The Guideline on Sustainable Procurement from the University of Vienna also provides excellent suggestions.

DIN ISO 20400 self-assessment

Procurement activities are central tasks of an organization to supply it with operating and work equipment, services, information, materials and rights, etc. – and they also have a central role at universities. Today, procurement is part of modern supply and supply-chain management and is therefore integrated into complex product and logistics environments. Procurement processes thus act as a multiplier for a transition toward sustainability due to the diverse supply chains and economic processes they trigger. Sustainable procurement focuses on social and ecological criteria within procurement processes or integrates sustainability criteria into tenders for public contracts. In this way, a significant contribution is made to SDG 12.7 and global as well as regional responsibility is assumed.

The global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include, within Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, the sub-target 12.7 Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities. At national level, the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community (BMI) supports the Competence Center for Sustainable Procurement (KNB) in order to “support the federal government, the Länder and municipalities in further aligning their procurement with sustainability criteria”. The KNB page Sustainable procurement – information on product groups provides valuable information on sustainable procurement and outstanding environmental labels for the individual product groups. The aim of the action program adopted by the German Federal Government in 2015 is to “implement sustainability concretely in administrative action”. The Sustainability Compass for Public Procurement offers a wide range of information on individual and public procurement processes.

The DIN ISO 20400:2017 is the first international guideline on sustainable procurement. Sustainable procurement addresses procurement that, over the entire life cycle, has the most positive possible ecological, social and economic impacts. Sustainable procurement covers sustainability aspects relating to goods or services and to suppliers along supply chains. Sustainable procurement contributes to achieving an organization’s sustainability goals and to sustainable development in general.

The OECD analysis Integrating Responsible Business Conduct in Public Procurement provides an international comparison.

 

The seals, labels and marks listed below are intended to provide a brief overview of important sustainability-relevant seals and labels that can strengthen sustainable procurement in a higher-education context. The sustainability-oriented seals and labels listed here represent only a small selection and provide an entry point into the topic of sustainable procurement in the university sector, for example in the areas of food, paper, wood, furniture, IT, energy, office supplies, cleaning agents, etc.

Product Worlds

Classification: high sustainability impact

 

  The logo includes

Good to know 

              

Blue Angel logo

            

 
  • Criteria depend on the type of product
  • Resource conservation and use of sustainable resources (e.g., certified renewable raw materials)
  • Low resource consumption during use
  • Low resource consumption in disposal or durability, repairability and/or recyclability
  • Low emissions into indoor air

  • Strict limit values for substances harmful to health and the environment

 
  • Products and services awarded the Blue Angel are more environmentally friendly than comparable conventional products and services
  • Holistic view of products, from production to use through to disposal and recycling
  • Over 12,000 products and services from more than 1,600 companies are awarded the Blue Angel
  • The holder of the label is the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety
  • World’s first eco-label

 

 

           

Nordic SWAN Ecolabel logo

 

 
  • Low share of substances harmful to health and the environment
  • Low emissions into air and water
  • High share of renewable and/or recycled materials
  • Strict quality requirements

 
  • Criteria depend on the product
  • Stringency of criteria depends on categories and products

 
Classification: good standards

 

The logo includes

Good to know

German certificate (DGNB) for sustainable building development

 
  • Based on the three core sustainability dimensions: ecology, economy and socio-cultural aspects
  • Dimensions are equally weighted in the assessment
  • Assesses the site as well as the technical and process quality of buildings
  • Goal: create ecologically sustainable, economically viable and socially acceptable buildings

 
  • Leading provider of certification systems in Germany and Europe
  • Has already granted more than 10,000 awards worldwide to projects planned, built and operated according to its principles

        

Natureplus logo

 

 
  • Low share of substances harmful to health and the environment
  • Low emissions into air and water
  • High share of renewable and/or recycled materials
  • Strict quality requirements

 
  • Criteria depend on the product
  • Stringency of criteria depends on categories and products

 

 

        https://www.fairstone.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2013/05/logo_winwin-fairstone.png

Fair Stone logo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
  • Supply-chain standards to improve working conditions in stone processing plants and quarries
  • High requirements for occupational safety (safety signs and fire extinguishers)
  • No child and forced labor – compliance with ILO core labor standards
  • Use of protective equipment for workers

 
  • Low demand for certified stones
Classification: high sustainability impact

 

The logo includes

Good to know

             

Blue Angel logo

         
  • Criteria depend on the type of product
  • Low emissions into indoor air
  • Strict limit values for substances harmful to health and the environment
  • High usability and durability
  • Promotion of the use of renewable raw materials and recycled materials
  • Promotion of recyclability or environmentally friendly disposal

 
  • Products and services awarded the Blue Angel are more environmentally friendly than comparable conventional products and services
  • Holistic view of products, from production to use through to disposal and recycling
  • Over 12,000 products and services from more than 1,600 companies are awarded the Blue Angel
  • The holder of the label is the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety
  • World’s first eco-label

 

 

        

Cradle-to-Cradle logo

 
  • Goal: optimal circularity
  • After use, the product can be returned to closed loops or biological cycles, or reused
  • Use of safe and non-harmful resources and materials
  • Designed for long-term use
  • Assessment based on five criteria: material health, circularity, (use of) renewable energy, responsible water stewardship and social fairness

 
  • Possible resource conflicts due to double use of resources
  • Consistent recycling of products is often difficult due to current technical and economic conditions --> currently lacking feasibility on a large scale, therefore also high innovation potential

 

 

       

EU Ecolabel logo

 
  • Entire product life cycle
  • Healthier products and services with lower environmental impacts than comparable alternatives
  • Verification by independent experts
  • Low use of chemicals and low energy / water consumption
  • Low air emissions
  • Waste reduction through recycling
  • Compliance with strict pollutant limits
  • If plasticizers are used: biodegradability
  • Durability and replaceability
  • Criteria depend on the product
  • Sometimes considers only ecological, not social, conditions

Classification: high sustainability impact

Classification: high sustainability impact

Classification: high sustainability impact

Classification: high sustainability impact

Classification: high sustainability impact

Classification: high sustainability impact

Classification: good standards

Very well compiled information on sustainable quality labels can also be found on the page Sustainable procurement – information on product groups. Information from the UBA portal here. Information on bio-based products can be found here.

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