LCA and Procurement

ESAI/CIWM Training Workshop

Jean Clarke

Environment Inspectorate,

Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government

Context

• Green Public Procurement (GPP)

• EU and National Policy

• GPP and LCA relationship

What is LCA?

• Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a process of compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle. (European Commission JRC)

• Communication on Integrated Product Policy – stated that LCAs represent the best framework for assessing the potential environmental impact of products currently available

Life Cycle Based Policies Life cycle thinking is at the heart of much EU Policy

• Integrated Product Policy,

• Sustainable Consumption and Production

• Sustainable Industrial Policy Action Plan

• Green Public Procurement,

• EU Ecolabel, EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme,

Ecodesign,

• Eco-innovation and the EU Environmental Technologies

Action Plan (ETAP).

• Retail Forum

Life Cycle Based Policies Waste

• Waste – Life Cycle Thinking is now fundamental to the Waste

Framework Directive as any departures from the waste hierarchy have

to be justified by life cycle thinking

• Life Cycle Thinking is also central to the Thematic Strategy on the

prevention and recycling of waste and the Roadmap to a Resource

Efficient Europe

• The Commission have developed guidance on LCA and its application

(http://lct.jrc.ec.europa.eu/assessment/assessment/projects#consultatio

n_impact)

GPP What it is?

• GPP is defined in the European Commission’s

communication Public procurement for a better

environment as “a process whereby public

authorities seek to procure goods, services and

works with a reduced environmental impact

throughout their life cycle when compared to

goods, services and works with the same

primary function that would otherwise be

procured” (European Commission, 2008).

Advantages of GPP

Source: UNEP 2011

• Compliant with endorsed common core GPP criteria

• Percentage expressed in both number and value of green contracts compared to the overall number and value of contracts concluded in the sectors for which core GPP criteria have been identified

WHAT DOES GREEN MEAN?

• Minimum technical specifications that all bids have to comply with

• May also be formulated as environmental award criteria without being mandatory

• A weighting of 15% or more could be considered significant

GREEN CRITERIA

• Commission has divided green criteria into core and comprehensive criteria

• These are used to define Green

• Commission GPP toolkit – Module 3 gives core and comprehensive criteria for the 10 product groups

GREEN CRITERIA

• Core criteria - address the most significant environmental impacts, and are designed to be used with minimum additional verification effort or cost increases

• Comprehensive criteria - are intended for use by authorities who seek to purchase the best environmental products available on the market, and may require additional administrative effort or imply a certain cost increase as compared to other products fulfilling the same function.

GREEN CRITERIA

Source: GPP Toolkit

Introducing green criteria in tender documents

• Subject Matter

• Technical Specifications

• Selection Criteria

• Award Criteria

• Contract Performance

Clauses

Requirements on

products/services/works

purchased

Requirements on bidders

Source: GPP toolkit

The most direct, clear and transparent way to practice

GPP is by specifying it at the beginning of the process,

in the definition of the Subject Matter.

Subject Matter

Be careful! Always ensure compliance with key

principles, even in the Subject Matter: equal treatment

and non-discrimination.

Source: GPP Toolkit

Technical Specifications

Clear definitions •All Technical Specifications must be sufficiently precise to allow potential suppliers to understand exactly what is required.

•It is not possible to simply demand that “All offered products must have a low environmental impact” - it must be clearly defined what “low environmental impact” means, for instance by using the standards or ecolabel criteria

Source: GPP Toolkit

Technical Specifications: Examples

“Certified Blue Angel paper”

“Containing at least 80% of post-consumer waste content”

“Totally chlorine free (TCF) paper”

“Durability>100 years, according to ISO 9706 or DIN

6738”

Source: GPP Toolkit

Contracts can be awarded based on either:

Lowest price OR:

Most economically advantageous tender

Other award criteria can be taken into account besides price.

E.g. delivery date, technical merit or environmental

characteristics, as long as they are:

► clearly mentioned in the tender

► related to the subject matter

► objectively quantifiable - verifiable

► weighted (i.e. explaining how much importance is given to

each award criterion)

Award Criteria

Source: GPP Toolkit

Green Criteria

It is possible to introduce environmental criteria in tender

documents if the following basic principles are taken into

consideration:

► All environmental criteria are explicitly mentioned in the

tender

► The wording of the criteria respects the general principles of

transparency, non-discrimination and equal treatment

► The criteria relate to the subject matter of the contract

Source: GPP Toolkit

• Green 7 – Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Sweden, NL, and UK

• Are currently implementing more

elements of GPP than other MSs

• Means they have consistently more

tenders with green criteria

BEST PERFORMING MSs

7th Environmental Action Plan

• The Commission will consider proposing sector-specific legislation

to set mandatory green public procurement requirements for

additional product categories and the scope for periodic

monitoring of Member States’ progress on the basis of

adequate Member State data, while having regard for the need

to minimise the level of administrative burden. Voluntary green

purchaser networks should be developed.

• Increasing efforts to reach existing targets and reviewing

approaches to Green Public Procurement, including its scope, in

order to increase its effectiveness. Establishing a voluntary green

purchaser network for EU businesses

Green Tenders

• Implementation of GPP in Ireland

• National policy document – Green Tenders, An Action Plan for Green Public Procurement

• National target of 50% GPP for Irish public bodies and agencies ( EU target)

• Eight priority product/service groups with 52 key actions for implementation

• Twelve overarching key actions

Within Department

New Waste Management Policy • GPP is referenced with regard to reuse and recycling and under a separate

heading. Outlines the following policy measures:-

• A Public sector Reuse Policy will be developed in consultation with the national

Procurement service and other relevant bodies, to ensure that public sector

organisations give full consideration to feasible reuse options before embarking

on the purchase of new goods. This reflects the very clear leadership role of the

public sector in the development of a sustainable economy, as highlighted in

Our sustainable future – A framework for sustainable Development in Ireland

and the Green Tenders Action Plan on Green Public Procurement”.

• The Government will continue to support the use of recycled material through

the Green Public Procurement Action Plan, Green Tenders, and relevant

Departments and Agencies will cooperate to encourage the development of

indigenous processing opportunities.

Within Department Setting green criteria in tenders e.g. rx3

• Prospective contractors are asked to demonstrate their corporate

environmental commitment which should include, a copy of their

environmental policy, and evidence of any accredited EMS if in place; a

health and safety statement and evidence of health and safety

performance. These should be included as an appendix to the tender

proposal.

• As part of the green procurement objectives of rx3 the successful

tenderer will take steps to reduce the environmental impact resulting in

the performance of this contract. The response to tender will

demonstrate how this will be achieved using an approved approach/

methodology.

Within Department Award criteria [scored from 100 marks weighted as indicated]:

• (a) Proposed cost of providing service and number of days

assigned (30)

• (b) Knowledge and understanding of the subject (20)

• (c) Approach and methodology (20)

• (d) Qualifications, experience and skills of assigned

personnel (20)

• (e) The management and service structure proposed (5)

• (f) Corporate Environmental Commitment / Green

Procurement (5)

Department Sponsored Initiatives

• National Waste Prevention Programme

( www.nwpp.ie )

– Green Business Programme

– Green Hospitality Programme

– Local Authority Prevention Network

– Green Healthcare Programme

– Food Waste Programme

– Green Retail Programme

– Packaging Waste Prevention Programme

– Smile Waste Exchange, etc…

• Cleaner Greener Production Programme

( www.cgpp.ie)

Resources efficiency programme for hotels, catering companies & restaurants - Free consultancy

- Resources use mapping (waste, water, & energy) - Assessment & report (‘low hanging fruit’) - Follow up

- Award scheme www.ghaward.ie >200 members (>9% of Irish hotels) >6000t waste reduction >312 million litres water saved >30M kWh energy saved >€4.6M saved annually by members

Department Sponsored Initiatives

• National Waste Prevention Programme ( www.nwpp.ie )

– Green Business Programme

– Green Hospitality Programme

– Local Authority Prevention Network

– Green Healthcare Programme

– Food Waste Programme

– Green Retail Programme

– Packaging Waste Prevention Programme

– Smile Waste Exchange, etc…

• Cleaner Greener Production Programme

( www.cgpp.ie )

Resources efficiency programme for business (Commercial, SMEs, Institutional, Industry) - Free consultancy

- Resources use mapping (waste, water, & energy) - Assessment & report (‘low hanging fruit’) - Follow up - Interactive web resource - Workshops / seminars

www.greenbusiness.ie

>€1M savings to business in 2010 - Case studies available on the website

Cleaner Greener Production Programme (CGPP)

www.cleanerproduction.ie

• Grant scheme to encourage organisations to research and implement cleaner greener production/service provision practices.

• The objective was to achieve a balance between economic activity and protection of the environment.

» €7M investment, 90 organisations to date (>50% manufacturing)

» See also EPA report ‘Innovation for a Green Economy’ at:

http://www.epa.ie/downloads/pubs/research/tech/name,26326,en.html

Department Sponsored Initiatives - rx3

Objectives

• Increase recycling levels

• Improve quality of recyclables

• Fully harness existing outlets for recycled materials

• Identify and develop new, reliable, and stable

markets for recycled materials from waste in Ireland

• Contribute to sustainable resource management

Department Sponsored Initiatives - rx3

Outputs to date - examples

• National Compost Quality Standard and Quality Assurance Scheme

• Two Year Report on Crop Trials demonstrating use of compose and

digestate in agricultural uses

• A Detailed Chemical and Nutrient Characterisation of Compost and

Digestate including comparative releases of Nitrogen and Phosphorus

• A Life Cycle Assessment of a Standard Irish Composting Process and

Agricultural Use of Compost

• Market Report on Irish Organic Waste Management and Compost Use

• Irish Plastics Waste Arising Study

• Assessment of Recovered Paper Supply Chain in Ireland

• Best Practice Guide for the Recovered Paper Supply Chain

Implementation – Quick Wins • Only procure 100% recycled paper.

• Only procure printers that facilitate duplex printing. Set printing

automatically to duplex once installed.

• Only procure recycled toner cartridges.

• Only procure energy efficient LED replacement light bulbs, for indoor

and outdoor use.

• Install an electronic meter, monitor and assess the optimal level of

consumption for heating and energy services.

• Perform an energy audit for each building.

• All equipment must meet the latest Energy Star standards for energy

performance.

• Only procure computers that are free of lead, mercury, PVC and

halogenated flame retardants, and comply with the RoHS Directive,

2002/95/EC.

• Use Green Hospitality Hotels .

Summary

• GPP is the vehicle for implementing life cycle thinking / LCA

in procurement

• GPP is becoming increasingly important

• Meeting GPP criteria will give competitive advantage in

getting contracts

.

Follow up (examples) ...

– www.nwpp.ie

– http://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/index_en.htm

– www.greenbusiness.ie

– www.cleanerproduction.ie

– www.lapn.ie

– www.stopfoodwaste.ie

– www.ghaward.ie

– www.rx3.ie

– www.wrap.org.uk