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5 March 2014

GPP can reduce waste & improve resource efficiency states new study

Green public procurement (GPP) can play a leading role in waste reduction, a recent German study has found. Stipulating that manufacturers must produce goods in an environmentally friendly manner at the contracting stage can lead to greater resource efficiency, less waste produced and improved recyclability of products. The study set out to measure waste prevention through eco-innovation in production and consumption.

To improve the uptake of green procurement, the study recommends addressing key barriers, such as legal uncertainties around procuring innovative goods and services, and a lack of relevant technical experience in purchasing organisations. This can be overcome, it is suggested, through the provision of publicly-available specifications and guidelines for green alternatives, and the enacting of a framework that includes waste prevention as a key requirement of GPP.

One important factor in the generation of waste is consumers' attitudes towards products as disposable. Clothes, which are subject to fashion trends, and electronics goods, which are quickly rendered obsolete, are cited by the researchers as examples of readily discarded goods.

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