Green Procurement – environment.ec.europa.eu

Report on the EU Ecolabel’s Role in Advancing Sustainable Development Goals through Public Procurement

Executive Summary

This report outlines the function of the EU Ecolabel as a critical instrument for procurement officers in achieving organisational sustainability objectives. The Ecolabel provides a reliable, science-based framework that simplifies the procurement process while ensuring alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Its implementation directly supports the transition towards more sustainable consumption and production patterns, a core objective of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Primary Alignment with SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

The EU Ecolabel is fundamentally designed to advance SDG 12 by institutionalising sustainable practices within public and private procurement. Its contribution is multifaceted:

• Target 12.7 (Sustainable Public Procurement): The Ecolabel serves as a practical tool for promoting public procurement practices that are sustainable, providing clear, verifiable criteria for goods and services.
• Life-Cycle Approach: It certifies products that have a reduced environmental impact throughout their entire life cycle, from raw material extraction to production, use, and disposal.
• Resource Efficiency: The criteria encourage the efficient use of natural resources and energy, directly contributing to the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources (Target 12.2).
• Chemical and Waste Management: It promotes the environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes, reducing their release to air, water, and soil (Target 12.4).

Contribution to Interlinked Sustainable Development Goals

Beyond SDG 12, the adoption of EU Ecolabel criteria in procurement contributes to a wider range of global goals:

1. SDG 13 (Climate Action): By setting standards for energy efficiency and lower carbon footprints in products and services, the Ecolabel supports climate change mitigation efforts.
2. SDG 14 (Life Below Water) & SDG 15 (Life on Land): Criteria often include restrictions on hazardous substances and pollutants, helping to protect marine and terrestrial ecosystems from pollution.
3. SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure): The Ecolabel encourages industries to innovate and adopt cleaner, more environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes.

Operational Benefits for SDG-Oriented Procurement

For procurement officers, the EU Ecolabel streamlines the integration of sustainability into their daily operations:

• Simplification of Complex Requirements: It offers a clear and established set of science-based environmental criteria, reducing the complexity of drafting and verifying sustainability clauses in tenders.
• Assurance of Compliance: As a third-party verified certification, it provides a reliable guarantee that products and services meet high environmental standards, ensuring compliance with organisational sustainability mandates.
• Achievement of Sustainability Targets: It provides a direct pathway for organisations to meet their environmental objectives and report tangible contributions towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

  The article is fundamentally about promoting sustainable practices within organisational purchasing. By highlighting the EU Ecolabel as a tool for procurement officers to meet “sustainability targets” and “environmental objectives,” it directly addresses the core principle of SDG 12, which is to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 12.7: Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities.

   The article is explicitly aimed at a “procurement officer” and discusses how the EU Ecolabel can “streamline the procurement process” while meeting sustainability goals. This directly aligns with the objective of Target 12.7, as the Ecolabel serves as a practical tool for implementing sustainable procurement policies.

2. Target 12.6: Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle.

   When a procurement officer uses the EU Ecolabel to make purchasing decisions, they are helping their “organisation” adopt sustainable practices. This, in turn, creates market demand that encourages supplier companies to adopt the sustainable production standards required to earn the Ecolabel.

3. Target 12.8: By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature.

   The article describes the EU Ecolabel as a “reliable, science-based solution.” The label itself is a mechanism for providing clear and trustworthy information to purchasers (in this case, professional procurers), enabling them to make informed, sustainable choices and raising awareness about environmentally sound products.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article does not mention official UN indicators but implies practical measures of progress:

• Implied Indicator for Target 12.7: The adoption and use of certified ecolabels in procurement tenders. The article’s promotion of the EU Ecolabel to “simplify your task” implies that its uptake by procurement officers is a key measure of success in making procurement sustainable.
• Implied Indicator for Target 12.6: The number of organisations that include environmental criteria, such as requiring an ecolabel, in their procurement policies. The article encourages this by stating the label supports an “organisation’s environmental objectives.”
• Implied Indicator for Target 12.8: The availability and recognition of credible sustainability labels. The article’s emphasis on the EU Ecolabel as a “reliable, science-based” tool suggests that the existence and use of such labels are indicators of progress in providing people with relevant sustainability information.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: environment.ec.europa.eu