18/01/2012

Govt Launches Green Procurement Plan

The Environment Minister and Public Expenditure Minister have jointly launched Ireland’s first action plan on Green procurement.

Announcing the plan on Wednesday, Brendan Howlin and Phil Hogan said the overall objective of their Green Public Procurement Action Plan, Green Tenders, is to assist public authorities to aim for green public procurement (GPP).

The plan would see public authorities using giving priority to environmentally friendly projects and purchases to stimulate the green market.

According to the plan: "By using their purchasing power to choose, goods, services and works with a reduced environmental impact, public authorities can make an important contribution towards local, national and international sustainability goals.

"Green Public Procurement can therefore be a key driver of the green economy in Ireland," the Ministers said.

The action plan has focused on eight priority areas: Construction, Energy, Transport, Food and Catering Services, Cleaning Products and Services, Paper, Uniforms and Textiles, and ICT.

The Ministers said that GPP can also be a major driver for innovation, providing industry with real incentives for developing green products and services – particularly in sectors where public purchasers represent a large share of the market such as construction, health services or public transport.

In a joint foreword to Green Tenders, the Ministers said: "Reform of the public procurement function is, and remains, driven by the need to obtain maximum value for public money in procuring works, supplies and services.

"This Action Plan is therefore a major milestone, not just in effectively introducing a sustainable development mindset within public procurement practices, but also in ensuring that taxpayers’ money is spent wisely."

(DW)

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