PUBLIC PROCUREMENT NEWS

  

News

20 April 2016

GPP 2020 project tenders save equivalent of more than fifteen oil tankers

The equivalent of more than 900,000 tonnes of CO2 has been saved through the green procurement activities of the EU-funded GPP 2020 project. The environmental savings amount to 956,000 barrels of crude oil, or the contents of over fifteen oil tankers. Over the course of three years, more than 100 low-carbon tenders were implemented by over 40 public authorities in nine countries.

The project worked with public procurers in Europe to implement innovative, environmentally-friendly tenders. These impressive tenders were the basis for models that make it easier to purchase low-carbon goods and services. Examples range from the procurement of more energy-efficient commercial dishwashers in Germany, which saw the CO2 equivalent of 207 flights from Barcelona to Ljubljana saved, to the joint procurement of an energy performance contract for Italian hospitals, which saved the astounding equivalent of the power generated by 341 football stadiums each year.

Partners in the project yesterday presented the lessons learned and challenges faced through their GPP 2020 activities at the Low-Carbon Procurement in Practice workshop in Brussels (Belgium). Philipp Tepper, Coordinator of the GPP 2020 project, said: “Through the project’s tender models and best practice case studies, other local authorities will be given the means to make low-carbon procurement a strategic part of their activities, leading to a greener Europe with a higher quality of life for all residents.” Future planned tenders by the purchasing bodies are estimated to save another 650,000 t CO2 over the next three years.

For more information, visit the GPP 2020 website.