PUBLIC PROCUREMENT NEWS

  

News

26 March 2012

Municipal Sustainable Procurement gains momentum in Canada

Increasingly, decision-makers in Canada are recognising that sustainable procurement practices add value to their carbon neutral programmes, zero waste goals, efficiency and innovation while positively engaging their staff and communities. As sustainable procurement practices are relatively new in Canada, municipalities are joining forces to efficiently manage the learning curve.

For example, a new report from Reeve Consulting entitled, The State of Municipal Sustainable Procurement in Canada was co-authored by representatives of the Municipal Collaboration for Sustainable Purchasing (MCSP). The report details the current state of sustainable purchasing practices in Canada including ratings and rankings of municipal programmes from the MCSP's member cities such as Halifax, Vancouver and Whitehorse.

Despite good intentions, and more than a few years of effort, the actual performance of most programmes (as measured in terms of purchasing products with demonstrably superior sustainability features) still has a long way to go. The report examines what is holding municipalities back and includes useful insights for municipal decision-makers, a discussion on the top five emerging trends in this sector and an overview of the main challenges and top priorities for 2012.

For more information, click here.