Addressing plastic pollution through public procurement – New guidelines produced by SCP/RAC

Under the Bilateral Agreement between UNEP/MAP and IMELS

Public procurement affects a considerable share of world trade, amounting on average 10 to 25% of a country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), therefore public procurement plays a key role in achieving more sustainable production and consumption patterns. Though its pulling effect, public procurement can foster changes in the supply chain with a positive effect on the rest of the market.

Although public administrations consume plastic materials in many ways, some high-intense use areas were identified as well as which criteria could be applied in procurement processes. These areas correspond to:

single-use plastics on the food & beverage sector, which from a public procurement perspective relate to purchases and contracts for the provision of food services in public buildings (schools, hospitals, universities…); catering services for meetings, conferences and events; and vending machines services.
packaging in general applicable to any supplies, works and services carried out by public authorities (e.g. packaging of cleaning products).

The guidelines developed with support through the Cooperation Agreement target policy-makers in the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and provide them with a step-by-step approach for developing the appropriate framework to address the reduction of single-use plastics through procurement in the public sector.

The guidelines that have been elaborated following a review of case studies and consultations provide concrete examples and guidance for applying plastics-related criteria in procurement.

UNEP/MAP and its SCP/RAC will promote the implementation of the guidelines in the region. An initial and promising pilot took place in Montenegro, with the involvement of the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism (MORiT), which proved the feasibility to implement them with great enthusiasm from public authorities.

You can download the guidelines here: English / Albanian / Bosnian-Montenegrin.

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