In 2005, the city of Cognac decided to replace its obsolete street furniture with wooden furniture. Analysis of the product revealed that the furniture was made from Moabi - a rare and endangered wood species, often smuggled from the Congo and Cameroon. Since then, the City of Cognac requires compliance with certain eco-label criteria when purchasing products that are derived or contain wood.

A public tender was published at the EU level by the City of Bremen to cover the electricity requirements for a number of local public entities, including Bremerhaven Municipality, from renewable energy sources. The contract is for the supply of 79 million kilowatt hours annually, with a total approximate cost of 7.5 million euro per annum.

The Irish Government’s policy of decentralisation of Government Departments has led to the construction and fitting-out of several new offices outside of Dublin. For this reason, public sector procurement of furniture has significantly increased in recent years.

This paper aims to analyze results of green public procurement implementation in Lithuania over the 2008 – 2010 year period, considering its scope and possibilities for reducing environmental impacts.

In 2009 the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water (MEW) announced its intention to award a fully green public contract. Paper was chosen as a product group suitable for greening due to its clear environmental impact and the possibility of switching to greener alternatives without increasing purchase costs.

The City of Zürich purchases a wide variety of textiles to meet the needs of its police department and other municipal services. Its total cotton consumption, excluding hospitals, is estimated at 12 tonnes, or some 60,000 pieces per year. A successful pilot in 2009 led to the decision to switch to 100% organic cotton shirts for Zürich’s police force.

To establish the feasibility of preparing and serving organic meals in Malmö’s schools, a pilot project was carried out from 2004-2007. The aim of the project was to serve 100% organic food in a school restaurant which was considered to be a good model for replication.

In 2005, the city of Esbjerg wanted to purchase cleaning products. Esbjerg aimed to provide a good example for their citizens and private businesses by showing them that it is possible to purchase cleaning products with the lowest possible environmental impact making use of ecolabels in their tender.

The purpose of this Guide and resource kit is to assist sustainability officers and business procurement managers, especially major purchasers of wood and paper-based products1 that do not have "in house" forest and forestry expertise. It identifies and reviews central issues, and highlights tools that can be used to assist sustainable procurement.

The guide will help purchasers to define requirements for their procurement policies, engage in dialogue with stakeholders, seek resources to meet procurement policy requirements, and assess suppliers.