To help promote a bio-economy in Europe, the European Commission is supporting the development of standards, labels and certifications promoting the public procurement of bio-based products. The term ‘‘bio-based product’’ refers to products, other than food or feed, that are derived, in whole or in significant part, from biomass. In many cases, they may serve as an alternative to existing fossil-based products.

The “Open-Bio” project (financed by the Commission's 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development) is conducting a series of surveys among relevant stakeholder groups, including citizens, businesses, civil society and the public sector to ensure the effectiveness of these measures. These will directly inform measures aimed at supporting the public procurement of bio-based products.

The first survey in the series targets experts in the field of public procurement. Among other things, it explores to what extent existing approaches to green public procurement or innovation-oriented public procurement might be utilized for this purpose.

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