Commission staff working document accompanying the communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Public procurement for a better environment  {COM(2008) 400 final} {SEC(2008) 2124} {SEC(2008) 2125}
Date: 2008-07-02
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: eco-label, economic growth, goods and services, public contract

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 16.7.2008 
SEC(2008) 2126 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

accompanying the  

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Public procurement for a better environment  

{COM(2008) 400 final} 
{SEC(2008) 2124} 
{SEC(2008) 2125} 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Accompanying document to the 
Communication from the Commission ........................................................................................  

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 4 

1. 

1.1. 

1.2. 

1.3. 

1.4. 

1.5. 

2. 

3. 

3.1. 

3.2. 

3.3. 

3.4. 

3.5. 

3.6. 

4. 

Legal guidance ............................................................................................................. 4 

Production process related criteria ............................................................................... 4 

Verification of compliance with environmental criteria .............................................. 5 

Verification of the capacity to execute a contract with environmental considerations 5 

Formulating an environmental award criterion in the absence of specific GPP criteria
...................................................................................................................................... 6 

Contract performance clause requiring the contractor to set up an environmental 
management system during the performance of the contract....................................... 7 

The specific case of wood and wood products............................................................. 7 

Operational Guidance: Tools for improving procurement practices and stimulating 
GPP .............................................................................................................................. 9 

Life cycle costing and GPP .......................................................................................... 9 

Environmental management and GPP ....................................................................... 10 

Joint procurement....................................................................................................... 11 

GPP and innovation.................................................................................................... 11 

Performance contracting ............................................................................................ 12 

Green public private partnerships .............................................................................. 12 

Examples of Green tender specifications for cleaning products and services, paper, 
electricity and food and catering services .................................................................. 14 

4.1. 

Cleaning products and services.................................................................................. 14 

4.1.1.  Scope .......................................................................................................................... 14 

4.1.2.  Key environmental impacts........................................................................................ 15 

4.1.3.  GPP criteria for cleaning products ............................................................................. 16 

4.1.3.1.  Core criteria................................................................................................................ 16 

4.1.3.2.  Comprehensive criteria .............................................................................................. 20 

4.1.4.  GPP criteria for cleaning services .............................................................................. 21 

4.1.4.1.  Core GPP criteria ....................................................................................................... 21 

4.1.4.2.  Comprehensive GPP criteria ...................................................................................... 21 

4.2. 

Copying and graphic paper ........................................................................................ 23 

4.2.1.  Scope .......................................................................................................................... 23 

4.2.2.  Key environmental impacts........................................................................................ 24 

4.2.3.  GPP criteria for recycled paper .................................................................................. 24 

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4.2.3.1.  Core criteria – recycled option................................................................................... 24 

4.2.3.2.  Comprehensive criteria – recycled option.................................................................. 25 

4.2.4.  GPP criteria for paper made from legal and/or sustainable virgin fibres................... 26 

4.2.4.1.  Core criteria – legal and/or sustainable virgin fibres ................................................. 26 

4.2.4.2.  Comprehensive criteria – sustainable and/or legal virgin fibres option..................... 28 

4.3. 

Electricity ................................................................................................................... 29 

4.3.1.  Scope .......................................................................................................................... 29 

4.3.2.  Key environmental impacts........................................................................................ 30 

4.3.3.  GPP criteria for "green" electricity ............................................................................ 30 

4.3.3.1.  Core criteria – Electricity ........................................................................................... 30 

4.3.3.2.  Comprehensive criteria – Electricity.......................................................................... 31 

4.4. 

Food and catering services ......................................................................................... 32 

4.4.1.  Scope .......................................................................................................................... 32 

4.4.2.  Key environmental impacts........................................................................................ 33 

4.4.3.  Food – GPP criteria.................................................................................................... 34 

4.4.3.1.  Core criteria – Food ................................................................................................... 34 

4.4.3.2.  Comprehensive criteria – food ................................................................................... 35 

4.4.4.  Catering services – GPP criteria ................................................................................ 36 

4.4.4.1.  Core criteria – Catering services ................................................................................ 36 

4.4.4.2.  Comprehensive criteria – Catering services............................................................... 38 

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INTRODUCTION 

The  Commission  Communication:  "An  Action  Plan  for  more  and  better  Green  public 
procurement  in  the  EU:  a  cost-effective  way  to  reduce  the  environmental  impact  of  public 
expenditure  and  stimulate  eco-innovation"  sets  the  baseline  for  renewed  EU  wide  action  on 
Green  public  procurement  (GPP)  and  refers  to  a  series  of  actions  to  be  taken  by  both  the 
Commission  and  the  Member  States  to  ensure  an  EU  wide  harmonised  uptake  of  GPP  and 
radically increase the quality and quantity of GPP.  

The  Communication  addresses  general  policy  issues,  establishing  objectives  and  setting 
targets,  indicators  and  monitoring  mechanisms,  calling  for  co-operation  with  the  Member 
States  to  endorse  common  GPP  criteria  which  have  already  been  established,  as  well  as  to 
establish new common GPP criteria, and to increased efforts in the field of awareness raising 
and dissemination of GPP training through existing regional and local networks, linking the 
use of GPP with the implementation of EU funding mechanisms. 

Its  chapter  4  describes  a  process  of  co-operation  with  the  Member  States  to  identify  and 
endorse  useful  common  GPP  criteria  and  refers,  by  way  of  example,  to  already  established 
common  GPP  criteria  for  4  product  groups.  Its  chapter  7  refers  to  operational  and  legal 
guidance. This operational and legal guidance and the examples of environmental criteria are 
aimed  at  contracting  authorities  who  wish  to  apply  GPP  policies  within  their  organisation. 
They could be used as building blocks for national GPP policies. As such, they are included in 
a separate Commission Staff working document, accompanying the Communication.  

1. 

LEGAL GUIDANCE  

1.1. 

Production process related criteria  

The principles of transparency and equal treatment of bidders, best value for money and the 
free  movement  of  goods  and  services  form  the  basis  of  the  Public  procurement  Directives1. 
The technical specifications by which contracting authorities define the subject matter of the 
contract, and the award criteria on the basis of which they compare offers in view of choosing 
the  bid  offering  best  value  for  money,  have  to  characterise  and  be  relevant  for  the  product, 
service or work subject of the purchase.  

Taking a life cycle approach, production process  related criteria contribute  to characterising 
the  product  or  service  purchased.  In  the  case  of  paper  for  instance,  an  important 
environmental impact occurs during the production phase, through emissions to air and water. 
The EU eco-label for paper therefore includes certain limitations to these emissions. 

All  production  process  related  criteria  (of  eco-labelling  schemes  for  instance)  can  be 
considered as  appropriate for  defining  a product in a tendering procedure,  provided  that the 
conditions laid down hereunder are satisfied, whereas all general environmental management 

1 

The  new  European  legal  framework  for  public  procurement,  Directives  2004/17/EC  of  the  European 
Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 coordinating the procurement procedures of entities 
operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors and Directive 2004/18/EC 18 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 on the coordination of procedures for the 
award  of  public  works  contracts,  public  supply  contracts  and  public  service  contracts,  have  clarified 
how public purchasers can include environmental considerations into their procurement procedures. A 
Handbook  on  environmental  public  procurement,  adopted  August  2004,  provides  additional  guidance 
(http://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/guideline_en.htm). 

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measures  under  such  schemes  should  not  be  included  as  technical  specifications  or  award 
criteria. Production related criteria should ensure that:  

(1) 

the criteria, as well as the way in which they are being applied, are compliant 
with  community  law,  in  particular  with  the  principles  regarding  non-
discrimination  and  equal  treatment;  this  implies,  amongst  other  things,  that 
the criteria have to be measurable/verifiable so as to treat bidders (economic 
operators)  in  the  same  way  and  allow  effective  verification  of  bids  against 
tender documents; 

(2) 

the criteria concern the production of the products which are to be supplied to 
the purchasing authority. 

1.2. 

Verification of compliance with environmental criteria 

When  formulating  environmental  technical  specifications  or  award  criteria,  one  can  also 
specify the relevant test methods and conformity assessment procedures which should allow 
for  the  verification  of  claims  by  suppliers  regarding  compliance  with  certain  environmental 
requirements  as  stipulated.  Considering  the  complex  and  detailed  character  of  certain 
environmental  criteria,  the  assessment  and  verification  requirements  may  include  testing  by 
independent laboratories.  

If the specifications are based on eco-label criteria, the relevant eco-label shall be recognized 
as  proof  of  compliance.  However,  other  types  of  proof  should  also  be  accepted  by  the 
contracting authority. It is up to the tenderer to prove by whatever appropriate means, that the 
proposed  solutions  satisfy  in  an  equivalent  manner  the  environmental  criteria  and 
corresponding test/conformity assessment methods defined by the technical specifications. An 
appropriate  means  may  be  constituted  by  a  technical  dossier  of  the  manufacturer  or  a  test 
report from a recognized body. In general, public purchasers should seek to leave as wide a 
choice  as  possible  to  the  manufacturer  or  supplier  of  the  product  and  avoid  imposing 
unnecessary burdens related to testing of compliance. A self-declaration or test report could 
only be refused if the contracting authority can justify that it cannot be considered appropriate 
for attesting compliance with criteria and verification requirements.  

1.3. 

Verification  of  the  capacity  to  execute  a  contract  with  environmental 
considerations 

An  alternative  or  complementary  way  of  ensuring  that  products  will  comply  with  technical 
specifications, is by formulating selection criteria to verify the technical capacity of the bidder 
to deliver the contract.  

The public procurement directives exhaustively list a series of selection criteria that bidders 
can be asked to comply with. When setting selection criteria, contracting authorities need to 
take into account the proportionality principle and therefore the nature, quantity or importance 
and use of the purchased works, supplies or services.  

In the case of supply contracts, the Directives refer to samples, descriptions or photographs, as 
well as to certificates drawn up by official quality control institutes or agencies of recognized 
competence  attesting  the  conformity  of  products  clearly  identified  by  references  to 
specifications  or  standards.  In  the  latter  case,  contracting  authorities  shall  recognize 
equivalent certificates from bodies established in other Member States. They shall also accept 
other evidence of equivalent quality assurance measures from economic operators.  

In the field of environmental standards or criteria, following types of evidence of a product's 
or service's compliance with technical specifications or award criteria can be identified : 

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•  Type  I  Environmental  declaration  in  accordance  with  ISO  14024  :  Flower  (European 

Ecolabel) and other national or (multi)-national eco-labels 

•  Type  III  Environmental  Declaration  in  accordance  with  ISO  14025  :  Certified  EPD  or 

Environmental Product Declaration 

•  Statement from accredited third party 

•  Statement from internal, accredited, laboratory 

•  Type II Environmental Declaration according to ISO 14021 : Self-Assessment 

•  Various forms of self-assessment, such as EU mandatory energy labelling systems (random 
checks are carried out) or self-assessment forms designed by industry itself, for instance in 
the sector of ICT equipment. 

It should be noted that, in the framework of the Environmental Technologies Action Plan, the 
European Commission is investigating the possibility to establish an EU voluntary system for 
the verification by third parties of the performance claims of new technologies. Such a system 
would  facilitate  the  proof  of  compliance  with  technical  specifications  or  any  other 
performance claim put forward by economic operators. 

In the case of services and works contracts, the Directives state that, in appropriate cases, the 
contracting  authority  may  ask  from  the  economic  operator  to  indicate  the  environmental 
management measures that it will be able to apply when performing the contract. In that case, 
reference shall be made to the Community Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) or to 
environmental  management  standards  based  on  the  relevant  European  or  international 
standards  certified  by  bodies  conforming  to  Community  law  or  the  relevant  European  or 
international  standards  concerning  certification.  Contracting  authorities  also  have  to  accept 
other evidence of equivalent environmental management measures.  

Taking the example of a cleaning service contract with environmental features, a contracting 
authority  could  require  from  bidders  to  demonstrate  their  capacity  to  perform  such  contract 
properly  through  an  EMAS  or  equivalent  certificate  or  by  other  evidence  of  equivalent 
environmental  management  measures,  such  as  a  detailed  description  of  the  measures  taken 
and appropriate quality control.  

1.4. 

Formulating  an  environmental  award  criterion  in  the  absence  of  specific  GPP 
criteria 

Different formulations are possible for defining award criteria: 

•  Compliance  with  a  certain  standard  giving  X  points 

the  award  phase 
e.g.:  Bids  offering  products  meeting  the  latest  Euro  Standard  for  vehicles  (before  it 
becomes a mandatory Standard) will receive 20 points (out of 100). 

in 

•  Points  awarded  proportionally  on  the  basis  of  performance  beyond  the  minimum 
specifications 
requirements 
e.g:  Bids  offering  products  with  an  energy  demand  even  lower  than  that  defined  in  the 
technical specifications will receive up to 20 points (out of 100). Offers meeting only the 
requirements  in  the  technical  specifications  will  receive  0  points.  The  best  offer  will 
receive 20 points. Other offers will receive a proportional number of points. 

technical 

the 

in 

•  Points  awarded  proportionally  on  the  basis  of  performance,  without  any  minimum 
requirements 
specifications 
 e.g: Bids will receive up to 20 points (out of 100) depending on their energy demand. The 

technical 

outlined 

the 

in 

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best  offer  will  receive  20  points.  The  worst  offer  will  receive  0  points.  Other  offers  will 
receive a proportional number of points. 

The  last  formulation  allows  a  contracting  authority  to  set  an  environmental  award  criterion 
even  in  cases  where  it  has  insufficient  knowledge  in  order  to  define  a  precise  level  of 
environmental performance. Offers will be compared on the basis of their respective scoring 
as  regards  this  criterion.  Main  environmental  impacts  are  emissions  to  air  (green  house  gas 
and other pollutant emissions) and water, waste to landfill (including packaging), hazardous 
substances,  resource  use,  environmental  quality  (biodiversity,  local  environment,  noise 
emissions),  impact  on  health  related  to  air  quality.  This  method  can  only  be  used  if  the 
contracting  authority  indicates  how  it  will  assess  the  performance  of  the  offers  against  the 
environmental impact specified.  

In  order  to  be  effective  and  give  a  clear  signal  to  the  market,  the  environmental  award 
criterion  needs  to  be  given  a  significant  weighting  within  the  award  criteria.  The  exact 
weighting that will be given to the environmental award criterion will depend on the type of 
product,  service  or  work  being  purchased  and  the  number  and  relevance  of  other  award 
criteria.  With  a  weighting  of  for  instance  15  %,  the  contracting  authority  will  compare  the 
environmental performance of offers against one or more environmental impacts specified as 
award criteria and reward the offers accordingly.  

1.5. 

Contract  performance  clause  requiring 
environmental management system during the performance of the contract 

the  contractor 

to  set  up  an 

Contract  clauses  are  linked  to  the  execution  phase  of  the  contract  but  are  announced  at  the 
beginning  of  the  procedure,  to  allow  purchasers  to  consider  those  conditions  when 
establishing an offer. In the case of supply contracts, they may for instance relate to the mode 
of  transport  of  the  products  (by  train,  by  ship,  by  truck)  or  to  the  need  to  assure  that  the 
products  delivered  are  compliant  with  certain  legal  requirements,  such  as  respect  of  ILO 
(International Labour Organisation) conventions2. In the case of services and works contracts, 
performance may involve appropriate environmental management measures.  

In the case of environmental service or works contracts, the contracting authority may specify, 
by  way  of  a  contract  clause,  that  the  contractor  should  implement  an  environmental 
management  system,  in  order  to  ensure  correct  implementation  of  required  environmental 
management measures.  

2. 

THE SPECIFIC CASE OF WOOD AND WOOD PRODUCTS 

In  the  forest  sector,  the  concept  of  "green"  is  rarely  used  as  such,  but  implicit  through 
reference to the internationally used concepts of "sustainable" and "legal" forest management. 
Both are broad concepts whose national implementation may vary, and cover environmental, 
social and economic aspects. To certify compliance, market-based private sector international 
certification  schemes  have  been  established.  It  may  be  difficult  for  public  purchasers  to 
identify which of those criteria and schemes are purely environmental, as wood products are 
never  only  complying  with  environmental  or  social  or  economic  criteria.  Therefore,  a  GPP 
approach for wood products should cover all three types of criteria as long as such criteria can 
be considered relevant for the subject matter of the contract. Further, there is a clear need for 
streamlining  the  use  of  both  concepts  and  their  respective  verification,  as  the  current  non 
harmonised  approach  can  lead  to  market  distortions  and  additional  administrative  costs  for 
bidders.  

2 

More information at: http://www.ilo.org/global/lang--en/index.htm  

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In Europe, the "sustainability" concept is generally defined at the national level. European and 
EU processes generally refer to the criteria and indicators endorsed by the Lisbon Ministerial 
Conference  on  the  Protection  of  Forests  in  Europe  (2  to  4  June  1998).  Outside  Europe, 
reference is made to the criteria of the UNCED Forest Principles (Rio de Janeiro, June 1992) 
and,  where  applicable,  to  the  criteria  or  guidelines  for  sustainable  forest  management  as 
adopted  under  the  respective  international  and  regional  initiatives  (ITTO,  Montreal  Process, 
Tarapoto Process, UNEP/FAO Dry-Zone Africa Initiative). 

Those  criteria  relate  to  environmental  aspects (appropriate  enhancement  of  forest  resources, 
maintenance  of  forest  ecosystem  health  and  vitality,  biological  diversity,  production 
functions,  protective  functions)  as  well  as  to  social  and  economic  aspects  (maintenance  of 
other  socio-economic  functions  and  conditions).  Although  there  is  a  clear  internationally 
agreed basis, national implementation may vary.  

As regards the notion of "legality", it refers to compliance with national forest law where the 
latter  is  consistent  and  enforceable  and  supportive  of  basic  sustainable  forest  management 
principles.  Illegal  harvesting  may  include  not  only  harvesting  practices  that  contravene  the 
regulations,  but  also  using  corrupt  means  to  gain  harvesting  rights,  extraction  without 
permission,  cutting  protected  species  or  extraction  of  timber  in  excess  of  agreed  limits. 
Beyond  harvesting,  illegal  practices  may  also  extend  to  transport  infringements,  illegal 
processing and export, non-payment of taxes or charges, and misdeclaration to customs. The 
EU has adopted a Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade Action Plan3 which seeks 
to combat the imports of illegally produced wood from third party countries. The Action Plan 
encourages Member States to implement procurement practices that give preference to legally 
logged wood, to act as an incentive for developing countries to implement and enforce their 
legislation.  The  system  provides  for  the  issue  of  licences  testifying  the  legality  of  the 
wood/wood products. 

In  the  light  hereof,  it  can  be  concluded  that  both  concepts  of  sustainable  and  legal  forestry 
management can be used for procurement of wood or wood products, if adapted accordingly 
to  the  legal  requirements  of  the  procurement  procedures.  Therefore,  related  criteria  and 
requirements  regarding  verification  of  compliance  with  those  criteria  can  be  included  as 
technical  specifications  or  award  criteria  in  GPP,  as  long  as  these  are  related  to  the  subject 
matter of the contract.  

In  line  with  the  above  FLEGT  Action  Plan,  and  to  prevent  market  distortions  between 
Member states and stimulate competition, Member States and their contracting authorities are 
recommended to stipulate that all wood or wood products are sourced from legally harvested 
forests as minimum technical specifications for supply contacts and as contract performance 
clauses  for  works  contracts.  In  order  to  gradually  move  towards  both  legal  and  sustainably 
harvested wood (which is considered to better assure observance of environmental and social 
aspects of forest management than the implementation of the legality principle), compliance 
with sustainability criteria, which are linked to the subject matter of the contract, is proposed 
as an award criterion. As such, market access is guaranteed for all legally harvested wood and 
wood  products.  Complying  with  sustainability  criteria  would  not  be  a  pre-condition  for 
entering the market, but would give an advantage at the award stage.  

3 

Council  Regulation  (EC)  No 2173/2005  of  20  December  2005  on  the  establishment  of  a  FLEGT 
licensing  scheme  for  imports  of  timber  into  the  European  Community;  more  information  at: 
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/forests/flegt.htm  

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As  regards  verification  of  compliance,  contracting  authorities  can  refer  to  existing 
certification  schemes  by  way  of  example  but  should  also  accept  other  equivalent  means  of 
proof by bidders.  

There have been frequent calls from stakeholders to identify common criteria for assessing the 
appropriate character of evidence of sustainability used in this sector. As provided in the EU 
Forest  Action  Plan4,  June  2006  and  in  the  Communication  on  “Innovative  and  Sustainable 
Forest-based Industries in the EU5, February 2008, the Commission will facilitate exchanges 
of  experience  between  Member  States  on  developing  guidelines  for  application  of  GPP  to 
forest  products.  This  work  will  be  fully  coordinated  with  the  work  in  progress  on  the 
development of sustainability criteria for biomass (which may include setting up of criteria for 
forest  biomass),  which  stems  from  the  EU  Biomass  Action  Plan  (COM(2005)-628  and  the 
proposed directive on renewables (Com(2008)-19).  

3. 

OPERATIONAL GUIDANCE: TOOLS FOR IMPROVING PROCUREMENT PRACTICES AND 
STIMULATING GPP 

3.1. 

Life cycle costing and GPP 

A  recent  study  on  the  costs  and  benefits  of  GPP  has  highlighted  that  the  environmental 
qualities of a product are only one aspect determining their purchase price6. Other, often more 
important  aspects  are  the  brand  (or  make),  quality,  technical  merit,  aesthetic  or  functional 
characteristics as well as the price deduction schemes related to different purchase volumes. 
Furthermore, eventually higher purchase prices are in many cases compensated for by lower 
operating costs.  

To  ensure  efficient  public  spending,  life  cycle  costing  should  be  included  in  the  award 
procedure.  In  the  case  of  heating  installations  for  instance,  approximately  95  %  of  the  total 
costs  of  heating  pumps  are  determined  by  operating  costs.  Public  procurement  decisions 
solely based on the purchase price are likely to cause misinvestment. Purchasing decisions are 
only  cost-effective  if  full  account  has  been  taken  of  all  significant  expenditure  of  resources 
which is likely to arise as a result of the purchase.  

Life cycle costing implies that the contracting authority identifies the full cost of ownership 
related to the procurement of a product or service.  

•  Acquisition costs are those incurred between the decision to proceed with the procurement 
and  the  entry  of  the  goods  or  services  to  operational  use  (including  purchase  price, 
registration fees, special taxes, transportation and installation costs)  

•  Operational costs are those incurred during the operational life of the asset or service  

•  End  life  costs  are  those  associated  with  the  disposal,  termination  or  replacement  of  the 
asset or service. In the case of assets, disposal cost can be negative because the asset has a 
resale value.  

4 
5 
6 

More information at: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/fore/action_plan/index_en.htm  
More information at: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/forest_based/index_en.html 
"Study on costs/benefits of Green public procurement in Europe" (by Öko-Institut and ICLEI for EC), 
July 2007, more information at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/index_en.htm  

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In the field of construction, the Commission has recently published a Report on "Life cycle 
costing (LCC) as a contribution to sustainable construction: a common methodology", which 
has developed a common methodology for the estimation of LCC in construction, which can 
be  used  by  contracting  authorities  as  part  of  the  Most  Economically  Advantageous  offer 
(http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/construction/compet/life_cycle_costing/index_life_cycle_en.ht
m).  

The  Commission  will  undertake  to  develop  a  tool  for  calculating  the  life  cycle  cost  of 
products and services and make it available on its website. 

3.2. 

Environmental management and GPP  

The  EC  has  developed  a  management  model  for  implementing  a  GPP  policy  within  an 
the  GPP  website 
organisation. 
(http://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/toolkit_en.htm)  and  be  made  part  of  national  and  local 
GPP training programmes.  

The  model 

downloaded 

from 

can 

be 

It recommends managing authorities to: 

•  identify the scope of the green procurement policy (departments and products covered); 

•  issue  a  formal  statement  demonstrating  its  engagement  to  the  green  public  procurement 
policy,  which  will  support  the  implementation  of  the  policy  throughout  the  organisation 
and the process; 

•  offer general guidance on legal aspects related to green public procurement; 

•  set up a task force involving all departments, including financial, environmental and legal 
units, to ensure possible changes needed in terms of budgetary practice and full compliance 
with public procurement legislation. The task force needs to analyse the current status of 
its  purchasing  and  eventually  identify  priority  areas  for  GPP,  based  on  the  basis  of 
environmental 
improvement,  budgetary 
importance,  market  potential  for  green  alternatives/innovative  products  (through  market 
surveillance)  and  political  sensibilities.  Products  with  a  potential  for  environmental  and 
economic improvement are called "win-wins" and should be included in any green public 
procurement policy; 

impact  and  potential 

for  environmental 

•  identify responsible purchasers for each of the product groups selected; 

•  consider centralised procurement, as this allows for economies of scale; 

•  include life cycle costing as an award criterion for all product groups which call for the use 

of resources during their lifetime;  

•  provide training; 

•  set clear targets for gradual improvement; 

•  monitor the situation; 

•  include  these  activities  into  a  formal  action  plan  and  make  it  public  to  citizens  and 

potential suppliers. 

The  management  model  also  explains  how  GPP  can  be  linked  to  the  wider  environmental 
management  system,  such  as  the  European  Environment  Management  and  Audit  Scheme 
(EMAS7),  of  an  organisation.  GPP  is  an  important  issue  to  address  under  an  environmental 

7 

More information at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/emas/index_en.htm  

EN 

10 

   EN 

 
                                                 
management  system,  as  the  procurement  activities  of  an  organisation  can  have  a  significant 
environmental  impact.  Also,  other  impacts  such as  use  of  water  and  energy  and  disposal  of 
used  products  can  and  should  be  usefully  addressed  through  focused  green  procurement 
practices for construction of buildings, maintenance and cleaning, purchase of energy efficient 
and  recyclable  office  equipment  etc.  The  standardised  structure  of  an  environmental 
management  scheme  will  allow  an  organisation  to  identify  priority  areas  for  green  public 
procurement,  establish  targets,  set  action  plans  and  responsibilities  and  control  and 
communicate a green public procurement policy.  

3.3. 

Joint procurement 

Joint  procurement  means  combining  the  procurement  actions  of  two  or  more  public 
authorities. The key characteristic is that there should be one tender published on behalf of all 
purchasing authorities. There are numerous advantages of joint procurement : 

– 

– 

– 

– 

reduced price through economies of scales 

reduced  administrative  costs  for  drafting  tender  documents  and 
managing contracts 

pooling of skills and expertise 

can help to launch environmentally innovative solutions  

Joint  procurement  can  be  done  through  central purchasing  organisations,  established  for  the 
purpose  of  conducting  procurement  procedures  on  behalf  of  other  organisations,  or  through 
direct,  case-by-case  cooperation  between  purchasing  departments  of  different  public 
authorities, eventually based on collaboration agreements. The contract may take the form of 
a  framework  contract  agreement,  which  is  an  agreement  between  one  or  more  contracting 
authorities and one or more economic operators, the purpose of which is to establish the terms 
governing  contracts  to  be  awarded  during  a  given  period,  in  particular  with  regard  to  price 
and, where appropriate, the quantity envisaged. In principal, each participating authority will 
sign individual contracts with the winning supplier on the basis of the framework conditions 
set out in the tendering documents. It may also be that one contracting authority conducts a 
tendering procedure and states from the start of the procedure, that is in the contract notice, 
that other, named public authorities, may wish to set up a contract with the winning supplier, 
during the time frame of the winning contract, if the offer is considered attractive.  
The  EC  has  co-financed  a  project,  called  LEAP8,  which  was  aimed  at  developing  tools  and 
guidance  for  public  authorities  to  deal  with  green  procurement  as  part  of  an  environmental 
management system and at testing joint procurement approaches to overcome market barriers 
for GPP. It has resulted in the development of a toolkit including detailed advice and useful 
examples of joint procurement.  

3.4. 

GPP and innovation 

A European Commission Guide on promotion of innovation through public procurement was 
published  on  23  February  2007.  The  guide  outlines  10  practical  approaches  that  will  help 
promote  (eco-)  innovative  solutions.  It  explains  how  to  conduct  procurement  procedures  to 
stimulate  innovation  and  research.  By  cleverly  specifying  the  problem  to  be  solved, 
contracting  authorities  can  leave  companies  the  room  to  propose  innovative  solutions.  The 
same  is  true  if  preference  is  given  to  performance  or  functional  requirements  and  if  variant 
bids are accepted. Early supplier involvement -through technical dialogue before starting the 

8 

More information at: http://www.leap-gpp-toolkit.org/ 

EN 

11 

   EN 

 
                                                 
tendering  procedure-  can  be  beneficial  to  assess  whether  the  requirements  can  be  met  by 
suppliers  and  whether  there  are  enough  suppliers  in  the  market  to  ensure  effective 
competition. This dialogue should be conducted in a way so as to avoid discrimination and the 
precluding  of  competition.  Another  interesting  instrument  for  innovative  purchases  is  the 
design contest. The advantage of this procedure is that it offers the widest range of freedom to 
enterprises to come up with solutions, making the most optimal use of the market’s creativity. 
This  procedure  can  be  used  for  all  different  types  of  services,  supply  and  works  contracts, 
whether  it  is  for  a  building,  for  developing  a  transport  plan  or  even  a  communication  plan. 
Contracting authorities furthermore have the possibility to allot the contract to the developer 
of  the  best  idea  directly  (through  a  negotiated  procedure),  making  it  very  attractive  for 
companies to bring their best ideas forward.  

3.5. 

Performance contracting 

Energy Performance Contracting is an innovative financing technique that uses cost savings 
from  reduced  energy  consumption  to  repay  the  cost  of  installing  energy  conservation 
measures. The contractor -usually Energy Service Companies (ESCOs)- bears the costs of the 
energy  improvements  and  is  paid  back  out  of  the  energy  savings  (for  a  contractual  period 
which should allow cost-effective investment). The public purchaser, owner of the building, 
will  be  able  to  capture  the  benefits  from  energy  savings  (after  pay-back  period)  without  up 
front  capital  expenses.  The  ESCO  has  the  advantage  of  centralising  the  performance  of 
various activities (energy audits, retrofitting, guaranteed energy savings from a selected series 
of conservation measures). 

Additional  information  and  interesting  case  studies  can  be  found  on  the  website  of 
Eurocontract  http://www.eurocontract.net/front_content.php?idcat=1,  a  EU  funded  project 
which  seeks  to  contribute  to  the  development  of  a  market  for  energy  services  in  Europe  by 
further  developing  and  promoting  the  model  of  Energy  Performance  Contracting  (EPC), 
offering  examples  of  best  practices,  model  contracts  and  country  specific  information  for 
many European countries. 

3.6. 

Green public private partnerships 

The  UK  government  has  recently  published  a  useful  Guide  on  "Green  public  private 
partnerships"9  which  highlights  why  and  how  to  consider  environmental  considerations  in 
such  partnerships,  which  are  increasingly  replacing  traditional  contracts,  in  particular  in  the 
construction  sector.  One  single  contract  replaces  separate  contracts  let  for  construction, 
maintenance and facilities. There is a wide range of different types of partnerships, including 
the  Private  Finance  Initiative,  the  introduction  of  private  sector  ownership  into  state-owned 
businesses  and  selling  Government  services  into  wider  markets  and  other  partnerships 
arrangements  where  private  sector  expertise  and  finance  are  used  to  exploit  the  commercial 
potential of Government assets. The essence of public private partnerships is that the risks are 
managed  by  the  private  partner,  who  normally  is  better  placed  to  manage  them.  This 
guarantees best value for money. Because of their long term and integrated nature, contractors 
should naturally be interested in considering the  synergies between the design of a building 
and its ultimate operating costs. PPPs are therefore an excellent opportunity for implementing 
environmental considerations. Detailed information on practical considerations can be found 
http://www.hm-
at 

9 

http://www.hm-
treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_private_partnerships/key_documents/ppp_keydocs_index.cfm 

EN 

12 

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treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_private_partnerships/key_documents/ppp_keydocs_index.c
fm.  

EN 

13 

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4. 

EXAMPLES  OF  GREEN  TENDER  SPECIFICATIONS  FOR  CLEANING  PRODUCTS  AND 
SERVICES, PAPER, ELECTRICITY AND FOOD AND CATERING SERVICES 

The  product  sheets  with  examples  of  green  tender  specifications  form  part  of  the  recently 
developed GPP Training Toolkit. Similar product sheets have been established for all priority 
product  and  service  groups  referred  to  under  Section  4  of  the  Communication.  More 
information  on  the  reasons  for  selecting  those  criteria  can  be  found  in  detailed  background 
reports  on  the  GPP  website  http://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/index_en.htm.  Various 
stakeholders  have  been  consulted,  including  Member  State  experts  in  the  field  of  GPP  and 
members  of  the  European  Union  Eco-labelling  Board  (EUEB)  which  also  include 
stakeholders from industry and civil society. Following the adoption by the Commission of its 
Communication on "Public procurement for a better environment", the Member States will be 
invited to formally endorse the already developed GPP criteria, after their endorsement by the 
Commission  services  and  following  a  final  consultation  round  with  the  Member  States  and 
with stakeholders from industry and civil society, in accordance with the Minimum Standards 
for Consultation.  

For each product/service group two sets of criteria are presented: 

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

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

The identified criteria can be used either as technical specifications (these are the minimum 
requirements that all bids need to comply with) or as award criteria (on the basis of which the 
contracting authority will compare offers and choose the one offering best value for money). 
Where  a  points-based  evaluation  system  is  used,  compliance  with  these  criteria  could  for 
example be given a 15% weighting in the final evaluation.  

4.1. 

Cleaning products and services 

4.1.1. 

Scope 

Four categories of products are covered, in line with those covered by the European Ecolabel 
(http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/index_en.htm): 

•  All  purpose  cleaners  and  cleaners  for  sanitary  facilities  (covering  three  sub-

groups: all purpose cleaners, sanitary cleaners and window cleaners)  

•  8Detergents for domestic (or similar) dishwashers  

•  Hand dishwashing detergents 

•  Laundry detergents for domestic washing machines 

EN 

14 

   EN 

 
 
4.1.2.  Key environmental impacts 

Impact 

Approach 

•  Air  pollution,  ozone 

formation 

(smog), 
bioaccumulation  or  food  chain  exposure  and 
hazardous effects on aquatic organisms or the 
increased  growth  of  undesirable  aquatic 
organisms  which  can  degrade  water  quality 
due  to  the  use  of  certain  chemicals  within 
cleaning agents 

•  Negative  impact  on  the  occupational  health 
of  employees  due  to  the  use  of  certain 
cleaning 
solvents 
that 
agents 
classified as harmful to health 

contain 

•  Generation of waste through packaging 

•  Avoid unnecessary products 

•  Decrease the use of products through reviewing 

cleaning plans and techniques 

•  Avoid  certain  substances  or  ingredients  in 

cleaning products 

•  Improve the training of cleaning staff 

•  Decrease the quantity of packaging used 

•  Ensure the recyclability of the packaging used 

•  Increase the use of recycled packaging 

EN 

15 

   EN 

 
 
4.1.3. 

 GPP criteria for cleaning products 

4.1.3.1.  Core criteria  

Specifications 

1. Chemical requirements 

Applicable for: 

e
s
o
p
r
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A

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W

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g
n
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h
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h
s
i
d

s
t
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g
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e
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d
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a
H

s
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e
g
r
e
t
e
d

y
r
d
n
u
a
L

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a
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h
s
i
D

s
t
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g
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t
e
d

No ingredient (substance or preparation) 
shall  be  included  in  the  product  in  a 
quantity  that  exceeds  0.01%  by  weight 
of the final product that is classified with 
any of the risk phrases, or combinations 
thereof, as outlined in the following table 
in 
Directive 
accordance 
67/548/EEC  and 
its  amendments  or 
its 
1999/45/EC 
Directive 
amendments10.  These  criteria  do  not 
apply  to  biocides,  which  are  dealt  with 
separately below:  

with 

and 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

  R31  (contact  with  acids 

liberates 

toxic gases. 

R40, 45, 49 (carcinogenic).  

R42 (sensitising), exceeding 0.1% by 
weight of the final product. 
R43 (sensitising), exceeding 0.1% by 
weight of the final product. 
R46, 60, 61, 62, 63 (toxic for 
reproduction). 

X 

X 

X  

X  

X 

X 

X  

X  

X 

X 

X  

X  

X 

X 

X  

X  

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

10 

Directives 67/548/EEC and 1999/45/EC require producers of dangerous chemicals in EU member states 
to provide industrial and professional users with detailed health, safety and environmental information 
and advice about their products. Many chemicals have been analysed for their properties in this regard, 
and may be issued with a hazard warning (e.g. T: Toxic, N: dangerous for the environment), together 
with a risk phrase indicating the precise nature of the risk (e.g. – R26: very toxic by inhalation, R51: 
toxic  to  aquatic  organisms).  Directive  67/548/EEC  has  recently  been  amended  by  the  new  European 
Chemicals regulation (REACH = Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) 
Regulation  (EC)  No  1907/2006  and  Directive  2006/121/EC,  OJ  of  30  December  2006.  Enterprises 
which manufacture or import  more than one ton of a chemical substance per year will be required to 
register it in a central database administered by the new EU Chemicals Agency 

EN 

16 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

R50/53, 51/53 (toxic to aquatic 
organisms) 
R59 (dangerous to the ozone layer). 

R68 (possible risk of irreversible 
effects). 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

The  following  ingredients  must  not  be 
included in the product: 

Phosphorus 

Phosphates*. 

:
t
i

m

i
l
(

X

r
e
p

g
2
0
.
0

l
a
n
o
i
t
c
n
u
f

)
t
i
n
u

r
e
p

g
1
(

X

f
o

g
0
0
1

)
t
c
u
d
o
r
p

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

Biocides, unless used as 
preservatives. 
Biocides which are classified as 
R50/53 or R51/53 in accordance with 
Directive 67/548/EEC and its 
amendments or Directive 1999/45/EC 
and its amendments, unless they are 
not potentially bioaccumulative, i.e. if 
11 ≥ 3.0 (unless the 
the log Pow
experimentally determined BCF12 
≤100). 
Preservatives which are or may be 
classified as R50/53 in accordance 
with Directive 67/548/EEC and its 
amendments or Directive 1999/45/EC 
and its amendments. 

Verification 

:
t
i

m

i
l
(

X

r
e
p

g
5
2

)
h
s
a
w

:
t
i

m

i
l
(

X

r
e
p

g
0
1

)
h
s
a
w

X 

X 

All products carrying the European Eco-
label will be deemed to comply.  

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

11 
12 

Log Pow = log octanol/water partition coefficient 
BCF = Bio-concentration factor 

EN 

17 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
If  the  product  does  not  carry  the  Eco-
label  the  following  information  must  be 
clearly provided: 

For  each  product  offered,  all  substances 
contained above 0.01% by weight of the 
final  product  must  be  listed,  together 
their  CAS-Number13 
with 
(where 
available)  and  any  risk-phrases  with 
which  they  are  classified.  Information 
taken  from  the  "Material  Safety  Data 
Sheet"  (MSDS  or  SDS)  which  have  to 
these  products,  may  be 
accompany 
useful but not sufficient14.  

The  name  and  function  of  all  biocides 
must be listed. For all biocides classified 
as R50/53 or R51/53 the log Pow or BCF 
must be given. 

The 
total  quantity  of 
phosphorus must be given.  

elementary 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

r
e
p
(

X

l
a
n
o
i
t
c
n
u
f

)
t
i
n
u

r
e
p
(

X

f
o

g
0
0
1

)
t
c
u
d
o
r
p

The  total  quantity  of  phosphates  per 
wash must be given*. 

2. Packaging requirements 

All  products  must  be  delivered  with 
clear dosing instructions 

Sprays  containing  propellants  must  not 
be used 

The  primary  packaging  parts  shall  be 
easily  separable 
into  mono-material 
parts. 

X 

X 

X 

The cardboard packaging shall consist of 
≥ 80% recycled material. 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

13 

14 

The CAS-Number is an internationally recognised identity number assigned by the Chemical Abstracts 
Service (a division of the American Chemical Society) to identify a specific chemical. 
Directives 67/548/EEC and 99/45/EC require producers of dangerous chemicals in EU member states to 
provide industrial and professional users with detailed health, safety and environmental information and 
advice about their products in the form of material safety data sheets (MSDS). Directive 91/155/EEC, 
as amended by Directives 93/112/EEC and 2001/58/EC, sets out the requirements for the information 
which should be included in a MSDS 

EN 

18 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Contract clauses 

requested  by 

The  contractor  is  committed  to  prove, 
during  the  whole  period  of  the  contract, 
the  contracting 
when 
authority,  that  the  ingredients  of  all 
products 
the 
biodegradability  conditions  outlined  in 
the Detergents Regulation 648/2004**15 

supplied 

meet 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

* In countries (for example Sweden) where there is highly effective wastewater treatment, it is 
unnecessary to restrict the quantity of phosphorus and phosphates in the cleaning products 

**  Although  all  products  must  legally  meet  these  biodegradability  requirements,  this  clause 
provides a further enforcement mechanism 

15 

Regulation (EC) No 648/200415 updates and expands restrictions on the testing and sale of detergents. 
In particular it aims to increase the protection of the aquatic environment against the harmful effects of 
surfactants,  through  stricter  testing  of  biodegradability.  Now,  only  surfactants  meeting  strict 
biodegradability standards can be used in cleaning products. In certain situations producers can apply 
for  derogation  (exemption)  from  this  in  certain  circumstances,  but  in  practice,  such  products  would 
never be legally available to public consumers 

EN 

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4.1.3.2.  Comprehensive criteria  

Specifications 

Applicable for: 

e
s
o
p
r
u
p

-
l
l

A

l

y
r
a
t
i
n
a
S

s
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e
n
a
e
l
c

w
o
d
n
i
W

s
r
e
n
a
e
l
c

h
s
a
w
h
s
i
d

y
r
d
n
u
a
i L

t
n
e
g
r
e
t
e
d

d
n
a
H

s
a
w
h
s
i
D

t

r
e
h

t

d

Environmental 

The 
packaging 
requirements  for  the  European  Eco-label  for 
the relevant product must be met: 

and 

•  All  purpose  cleaners  and  cleaners  for 
sanitary  facilities  (Commission  Decision 
2005/344/EC16)  

•  Laundry 

detergents 
Decision 2003/200/EC17) 

(Commission 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

•  Hand 

dishwashing 
(Commission Decision 2005/342/EC18) 

detergents 

•  Detergents  for  dishwashers  (Commission 

decision 2003/31/EC19) 

Verification 

The  European  Eco-label  will  be  accepted  as 
proof  of  compliance,  as  will  any  other 
appropriate  means  of  proof,  such  as  a 
technical dossier of the manufacturer or a test 
report from a recognised body. 

Implementation notes 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

•  To  make  the  policy  fully  transparent,  contracting  authorities  should,  already  when 
describing  the  subject  matter  of  the  contract,  refer  to  "the  purchase  of  environmentally 
friendly cleaning products".  

•  The detailed criteria are included in the Background Product Report which is available at 

the GPP website http://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/index_en.htm. 

•  Nordic Swan eco-label: The Nordic Swan eco-label also covers cleaning products, with a 
large  number  of  products  labelled  in  particular  in  the  Nordic  countries.  The  underlying 

16 

17 

18 

19 

Commission  Decision  of  23  March  2005  establishing  ecological  criteria  for  the  award  of  the 
Community eco-label to all-purpose cleaners and cleaners for sanitary facilities (2005/344/EC) 
Commission Decision of 14 February 2003 establishing revised ecological criteria for the award of the 
Community eco-label to laundry detergents and amending Decision 1999/476/EC (2003/200/EC) 
Commission  Decision  of  23  March  2005  establishing  revised  ecological  criteria  for  the  award  of  the 
Community eco-label to hand dishwashing detergents (2005/342/EC) 
Commission Decision of 29 November 2002 establishing revised ecological criteria for the award of the 
Community eco-label to detergents for dishwashers and amending Decision 1999/427/EC (2003/31/EC) 

EN 

20 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
criteria  are  slightly  different,  therefore  having  the  Nordic  Swan  label  does  not 
automatically  mean  the  product  meets  the  European  Eco-label  criteria  and  vice  versa.  It 
can therefore be useful to change the specification into “The ecological criteria for either 
the European Eco-label or the Nordic Swan for the relevant product must be met. Nordic 
Swan criteria available at: http://www.svanen.nu/Eng 

4.1.4.  GPP criteria for cleaning services  

Many authorities have their cleaning services carried out by private contractors. The tendering 
procedure  for  selecting  the  contractor  offers  opportunities  for  improving  the  environmental 
and health performance of these services. 

4.1.4.1.  Core GPP criteria  

Subject matter 

Environmentally friendly cleaning services 

Specifications 

Products employed by the cleaning company must meet the criteria as specified under 1.3.1. 

Verification 

The  bidder  must  supply  a  list  of  the  products  intended  to  be  used,  including  evidence  of 
compliance with the environmental specifications, as specified under 1.3.1. 

Contract clause 

After  the  first  six  months  of  the  contract,  and  thereafter  at  the  end  of  every  year  of  the 
contract, a balance must be submitted by the contractor indicating the name and quantity of 
the cleaning products used. For any products not mentioned in the initial bid the contractor 
shall  provide  the  required  information  as  referred  to  in  the  Verification  section  to  prove 
compliance with the technical specifications. 

4.1.4.2.  Comprehensive GPP criteria  

Subject matter 

Environmentally friendly cleaning services 

Specifications  

1. Products used 

Products employed by the cleaning company must meet the criteria referred to under 1.3.2.  

Verification 

The  bidder  must  supply  a  list  of  the  products  intended  to  be  used,  including  evidence  of 
compliance with the environmental specifications, as specified under 1.3.2. 

2. Staff and organisation 

EN 

21 

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•  All  cleaning  staff  must  be  regularly  trained.  Training  should  cover  cleaning  agents, 
methods, equipment and machines used, waste management, aspects of health, safety 
and  the  environment.  A  record  of  these  training  measures  (introductory/vocational 
training) should be available for the contracting authority.  

•  In  agreement  with 

the  contracting  authority,  precise  work 

instructions  on 
environmental  protection  and  on  health  and  safety  standards  in  carrying  out  the 
service  shall  be  produced  and  displayed  in  the  buildings  in  a  way  that  they  can  be 
consulted by cleaning staff at any time. 

•  A facility manager or co-ordinator should be nominated to organise and supervise the 
cleaning  services  and  report  to  the  contracting  authority.  He  has  to  have  undergone 
appropriate  training  in  the  fields  of  occupational  health  and  safety  standards, 
application techniques and environmental issues.  

3. Environmentally friendly cleaning techniques 

•  The  contractor  should  use  reusable  microfibre  cloths  and  apply  dry-cleaning 

techniques for linoleum flooring where appropriate.  

•  The  contractor  should,  when  drawing  up  the  work  instructions,  consider  the 

appropriate cleaning frequency for different areas of the building. 

•  The contractor should optimise the range of cleaning products used and seek to avoid 

the use of products which are unnecessary from a hygienic perspective.  

Selection criteria 

The  bidder  must  demonstrate  its  capacity  to  carry  out  the  service  in  an  environmentally 
sound manner. This must include evidence of the regular training of staff on health, safety 
and  environmental  aspects  of  cleaning  work,  together  with  specific  environmental 
management measures which the bidder routinely applies in cleaning contracts. 

Verification 

An environmental management system (such as the European Environmental Management 
and  Audit  scheme  EMAS20,  or  ISO  1400121),  if  covering  and  attesting  environmental 
management  capacities  as  laid  down  in  the  selection  criteria,  shall  be  recognized  as 
evidence  of  compliance,  as  will  other  evidence  of  equivalent  environmental  management 
measures. 

Contract clause 

20 
21 

More information at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/emas/index_en.htm  
http://www.iso.org/iso/home.htm  

EN 

22 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
After  the  first  six  months  of  the  contract,  and  thereafter  at  the  end  of  every  year  of  the 
contract, a balance must be submitted by the contractor indicating the name and quantity of 
the cleaning products used. For any products not mentioned in the initial bid, the contractor 
will submit proof of compliance with the specifications. 

Within  6  months  of  the  beginning  of  the  contract,  the  contracted  company  will  provide  a 
report  to  the  contracting  authority  on  the  practicality  of  using  microfibre  cloths,  and  dry-
cleaning techniques for linoleum flooring. The contractor should also be able to justify the 
cleaning frequency and range of products used. 

4.2. 

Copying and graphic paper  

4.2.1. 

Scope 

Copying and graphic paper cover unprinted paper for writing, printing and copying purposes 
(up to 170g/m2) sold in sheets or reels. 

Finished paper  products such as  writing pads,  drawing  books,  calendars,  manuals,  etc.  have 
not been included.  
The  criteria  are  taken  from  the  European  Ecolabel22,  the  Nordic  Swan  label23  and  the  Blue 
Angel label24.  

Different sets of criteria are proposed for: 

(a) 

Paper  based  on  recovered  paper  fibres:  recovered  paper  fibres  include  both 
post-consumer  recycled  fibres  and  pre-consumer  recycled  fibres  from  paper 
mills,  also  known  as  broke.  Post-consumer  recycled  fibres  may  come  from 
consumers, offices, printing houses, bookbinders, or similar.(focus of the Blue 
Angel eco-label25) 

(b) 

Paper  based  on  virgin  timber  fibres  (focus  of  the  European  Ecolabel  and  the 
Nordic Swan) 

Contracting  authorities  are  recommended  to  make  reference  to  both  sets  of  criteria,  as 
alternative  ways  of  achieving  the  objective  of  purchasing  environmental  friendly  paper,  to 
maximize competition and avoid discrimination.  

22 
23 
24 
25 

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/index_en.htm  
http://www.svanen.nu/; criteria at: http://www.svanen.nu/Eng/criteria/kriterie.asp?pgn=44 
http://www.blauer-engel.de/index.htm  
Blue Angel Criteria. Basic criteria for Award of the Environmental Label for Recycled paper RAL-UZ 
14 http://www.blauer-engel.de/englisch/vergabe/download_uz_e/e-UZ-014.pdf 

EN 

23 

   EN 

 
                                                 
4.2.2.  Key environmental impacts 

Impact 

Approach 

Forest 
biodiversity 

destruction 

and 

loss 

of 

Emissions to air and water during pulp 
and paper production 

Energy  and  water  consumption  during 
production 

Chemical 
production 

consumption 

during 

Waste  generation  during  production 
such as rejects and sludge 

4.2.3. 

 GPP criteria for recycled paper 

4.2.3.1.  Core criteria – recycled option 

Procurement  of  paper  based  on  recovered 
paper fibres (recycled paper) or paper based 
on 
legally  and/or  sustainably  harvested 
wood fibres 

Procurement  of  paper  produced  through 
processes  characterised  by 
low  energy 
consumption and emissions 

Avoidance  of  certain  substances  in  paper 
production and bleaching 

Copying and graphic paper for normal office use 

Paper for professional 
purposes 

Specifications 

1. Paper must be made from 100% recovered paper fibres.  

Verification 

All products carrying the Blue Angel eco-label will be deemed to 
comply. The European Ecolabel and Nordic Swan can also serve 
as  means  of  proof  it  it  is  specified  that  the  paper  is  made  from 
100%  recovered  paper  fibres.  Any  other  appropriate  means  of 
proof,  such  as  a  technical  dossier  of  the  manufacturer  or  a  test 
report from a recognised body will also be accepted.  

2. The paper must be at least Elementary Chlorine Free (ECF)  

Verification 

Paper must be made 
from at least 75% 
recovered paper 
fibres  

All  products  carrying  the  European  Ecolabel,  Nordic  Swan  or 
Blue  Angel  ecolabel  will  be  deemed  to  comply.  Any  other 
appropriate  means  of  proof,  such  as  a  technical  dossier  of  the 
manufacturer or a test report from a recognised body will also be 
accepted. 

Same 

EN 

24 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
4.2.3.2.  Comprehensive criteria – recycled option 

Copying and graphic paper for normal office use 

Specifications 

1.  Paper  must  be  made  from  100%  recovered  paper  fibres,  with  a 
minimum of 65 % post consume recycled fibres.  

Verification 

All  products  carrying  the  Blue  Angel  eco-label  will  be  deemed  to 
comply. The European Ecolabel and Nordic Swan can also serve as 
means of proof it it is specified that the paper is made from 100% 
recovered paper fibres. Any other appropriate means of proof, such 
as  a  technical  dossier  of  the  manufacturer  or  a  test  report  from  a 
recognised body will also be accepted.  

2. The environmental criteria of the European Eco-label, the Nordic 
Swan  or  the  Blue  Angel  directly  related  to  the  paper  production 
(and  not  the  management  practices  of  the  factory)  must  be  met. 
Full criteria documents are available at: 

•  European Eco-label: 

ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/product/pg_copyingpaper_en
.htm  

•  Nordic Swan: www.svanen.nu/Eng/criteria/kriterie.asp?pgn=44 

•  Blue Angel: www.blauer-

engel.de/englisch/vergabe/download_uz_e/e-UZ-014.pdf 

Verification 

All products carrying the European Ecolabel, Nordic Swan or Blue 
Angel  ecolabel  will  be  deemed  to  comply.  Any  other  appropriate 
means of proof, such as a technical dossier of the manufacturer or a 
test report from a recognised body will also be accepted. 

Implementation notes  

Paper for 
professional 
purposes 

1.  Paper  must  be 
made  from  at  least 
recovered 
75% 
paper  fibres  with  a 
minimum  of  80  % 
post 
consume 
recycled fibres. 

Same,  except 
the 
relevant Blue Angel 
criteria document is 
available 
at: 
http://www.blauer-
engel.de/englisch/v
ergabe/download_u
z_e/e-UZ-072.pdf  

The  detailed  comprehensive  criteria  sets  are  included  in  the  Background  Product  Report 
which is available on the GPP website (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/toolkit_en.htm). 

The  distinction  between  paper  for  normal  use  and  paper  for  professional  printing  purposes 
stems from the distinction made under the "Blue Angel" criteria for those different types of 
paper for reasons of compatibility with printing functions.  

The authority may choose to use a whiteness level of less than 90 %. Above 90 % the paper 
would need to be treated with optical brightening agents.  

EN 

25 

   EN 

 
4.2.4.  GPP criteria for paper made from legal and/or sustainable virgin fibres 

4.2.4.1.  Core criteria – legal and/or sustainable virgin fibres 

Specifications 

1. Virgin wood fibres for pulp production shall come from legal sources.  

Verification 

Certificates  of  chain  of  custody  for  the  wood  fibres  certified  as  FSC26,  PEFC27  or  any 
other equivalent means of proof, will be accepted as proof of compliance. 

The legal origin of wood can also be demonstrated with a tracing system being in place. 
These voluntary systems may be 3rd party certified, often as part of ISO 9000 and/or ISO 
14000 or EMAS management system.  

If wood stems from a country that has signed a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) 
with the EU, the FLEGT licence may serve as proof of legality28. 

For the non-certified wood fibres bidders shall indicate the types (species), quantities and 
origins  of  fibres  used  in  the  pulp  and  paper  production,  together  with  a  declaration  of 
their  legality.  As  such  the  fibres  shall  be  able  to  be  traced  throughout  the  whole 
production chain from the forest to the product.  

In  specific  cases,  where  the  evidence  provided  is  not  considered  sufficient  to  prove 
compliance  with  the  requested  technical  specifications,  contracting  authorities  may  ask 
suppliers for further clarifications or proof.  

2. The paper must be at least Elementary Chlorine Free (ECF).  

Verification 

A technical dossier of the manufacturer will serve as means of proof.  

Award criteria 

(X) additional points will be awarded to products complying with:  

26 
27 
28 

FSC (Forest Stewardship Council): http://www.fsc.org/en/  
PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification): http://www.pefc.org/internet/html  
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/forests/flegt.htm 

EN 

26 

   EN 

 
 
                                                 
All virgin wood fibres for pulp production shall come from forests that are managed so as 
to  implement  the  principles  and  measures  aimed  at  ensuring  sustainable  forest 
management, on condition that these criteria characterize and are relevant for the product. 

In  Europe,  these  principles  and  measures  are  based  on  the  set  of  criteria  and  indicators 
endorsed by the Lisbon Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (2 
to  4  June  1998).  Outside  Europe  they  shall  at  least  correspond  to  the  UNCED  Forest 
Principles (Rio de Janeiro, June 1992) and, where applicable, to the criteria or guidelines 
for  sustainable  forest  management  as  adopted  under  the  respective  international  and 
regional  initiatives  (ITTO,  Montreal  Process,  Tarapoto  Process,  UNEP/FAO  Dry-Zone 
Africa Initiative). 

Verification 

All  products  carrying  the  European  Ecolabel  or  the  Nordic  Swan  will  be  deemed  to 
comply. Certificates of chain of custody for the wood fibres certified as FSC29, PEFC30 or 
any other equivalent means of proof, will also be accepted as proof of compliance. Any 
other appropriate means of proof, such as a technical dossier of the manufacturer or a test 
report from a recognised body will also be accepted.  

Implementation notes 

Paper based on virgin timber fibres: in the market, paper is not either 100% recycled or 100% 
from  virgin  timber  fibres  but  there  might  be  mixtures  of  them,  therefore  the  paper  has  not 
been  defined  as  paper  from  virgin  timber  fibres  but  paper  based  on  virgin  timber  fibres, 
which  implies  the  potential  use  of  recycled  fibres  for  the  paper  production,  as  long  as  the 
specifications defined above are met.  

29 
30 

FSC (Forest Stewardship Council): http://www.fsc.org/en/  
PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification): http://www.pefc.org/internet/html  

EN 

27 

   EN 

 
                                                 
4.2.4.2.  Comprehensive criteria – sustainable and/or legal virgin fibres option 

Specifications 

1. The virgin wood fibres for pulp production shall come from legal sources.  

Verification 

Certificates  of  chain  of  custody  for  the  wood  fibres  certified  as  FSC31,  PEFC32  or  any 
other equivalent means of proof, will be accepted as proof of compliance. 

The legal origin of wood can also be demonstrated with a tracing system being in place. 
These voluntary systems may be 3rd party certified, often as part of ISO 9000 and/or ISO 
14000 or EMAS management system.  

If wood stems from a country that has signed a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) 
with the EU, the FLEGT licence  may serve as proof of legality 33. 

For the non-certified wood fibres bidders shall indicate the types (species), quantities and 
origins  of  fibres  used  in  the  pulp  and  paper  production,  together  with  a  declaration  of 
their  legality.  As  such  the  fibres  shall  be  able  to  be  traced  throughout  the  whole 
production chain from the forest to the product.  

In  specific  cases,  where  the  evidence  provided  is  not  considered  sufficient  to  prove 
compliance  with  the  requested  technical  specifications,  contracting  authorities  may  ask 
suppliers for further clarifications or proof.  

2. The paper must be at least Elementary Chlorine Free (ECF). 

Verification 

A technical dossier of the manufacturer will serve as means of proof.  

Award criteria  

(X) additional points will be awarded for paper complying with: 

1. All virgin wood fibres for pulp production shall come from forests that are managed so 
as  to  implement  the  principles  and  measures  aimed  at  ensuring  sustainable  forest 
management, on condition that these criteria characterize and are relevant for the product. 

In Europe, these principles are based on the set of criteria and indicators endorsed by the 
Lisbon Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (2 to 4 June 1998). 
Outside  Europe  they  shall  at  least  correspond  to  the  UNCED  Forest  Principles  (Rio  de 
Janeiro,  June  1992)  and,  where  applicable,  to  the  criteria  or  guidelines  for  sustainable 
forest management as adopted under the respective international and regional initiatives 
(ITTO, Montreal Process, Tarapoto Process, UNEP/FAO Dry-Zone Africa Initiative). 

31 
32 
33 

FSC (Forest Stewardship Council): http://www.fsc.org/en/  
PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification): http://www.pefc.org/internet/html  
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/forests/flegt.htm 

EN 

28 

   EN 

 
 
 
                                                 
2. The ecological criteria of the European Eco-label, the Nordic Swan or the Blue Angel 
directly  related  to  paper  production  (and  not  the  management  practices  of  the  factory) 
must be met.  

Full criteria documents available at: 

•  European Eco-label: 

ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/product/pg_copyingpaper_en.htm 

•  Nordic Swan: www.svanen.nu/Eng/criteria/kriterie.asp?pgn=44 

Verification 

1: Certificates of chain of custody for the wood fibres certified as FSC34, PEFC35 or any 
other equivalent means of proof, will be accepted as proof of compliance. 

1 & 2: Products carrying the European Eco-label or the Nordic Swan will be deemed to 
comply.  Any  other  appropriate  means  of  proof,  such  as  a  technical  dossier  of  the 
manufacturer or a test report from a recognised body will also be accepted. 

Implementation notes  

The detailed criteria sets are included in the Background Product Report on the GPP website.  

Paper based on virgin timber fibres: in the market, paper is not either 100% recycled or 100% 
from  virgin  timber  fibres  but  there  might  be  mixtures  of  them,  therefore  the  paper  has  not 
been  defined  as  paper  from  virgin  timber  fibres  but  paper  based  on  virgin  timber  fibres, 
which  implies  the  potential  use  of  recycled  fibres  for  the  paper  production,  as  long  as  the 
specifications defined above are met.  

4.3. 

Electricity  

4.3.1. 

Scope 

The  criteria  cover  the  purchase  of  "green"  electricity,  that  is  electricity  stemming  from 
renewable  energy  sources  (RES-E)  as  defined  by  Directive  2001/77/EC36:  wind,  solar, 
geothermal,  wave,  tidal,  hydropower,  biomass,  landfill  gas,  sewage  treatment  plant  gas  and 
biogases.  

They  refer,  in  addition,  to  the  use  of  energy  services  to  improve  the  energy  efficiency  of  a 
building, which are often tendered in parallel or in combination with a public tender for the 
purchase of electricity.  

The  core  criteria  focus  on  the  proportion  of  electricity  supplied  from  RES  sources  (50% 
recommended).  

The comprehensive criteria recommend 100% electricity from RES. 

The  most  direct  way  to  reduce  the  environmental  impact  of  electricity  consumption  is  to 
reduce  demand  –  through  energy  efficiency  improvements  in  public  buildings  and  the 
purchase of more efficient energy using products. Both issues are covered by separate product 

34 
35 
36 

FSC (Forest Stewardship Council): http://www.fsc.org/en/  
PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification): http://www.pefc.org/internet/html  
Directive  2001/77/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  27  September  2001  on  the 
promotion  of  electricity  produced  from  renewable  energy  sources  in  the  internal  electricity  market. 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2001/l_283/l_28320011027en00330040.pdf  

EN 

29 

   EN 

 
                                                 
sheets  (construction,  office  equipment)  developed  in  the  framework  of  the  Green  public 
procurement Training Toolkit available on the European GPP website.  

4.3.2.  Key environmental impacts 

Impact 

Approach 

•  CO2 

emissions 

the 
generation  of  electricity  from  fossil 
fuels  

caused  by 

•  Increase 

the  share  of  electricity  from 

renewable sources  

resources  due 

•  Impact  on  human  health,  biodiversity 
and  water 
the 
extraction  of  materials,  i.e.  mining 
(coal)  and  drilling  (oil),  and  waste 
treatment 

to 

•  Exploitation  of 

finite 

fossil 

fuel 

resources  

•  Impact  on  river  eco-systems  and  local 
hydropower 

due 

to 

populations 
schemes 

4.3.3.  GPP criteria for "green" electricity 

4.3.3.1.  Core criteria – Electricity 

Specifications 

1. 50% of supplied electricity must come from renewable energy sources (RES-E) as defined 
by Directive 2001/77/EC.  

Verification 

Guarantee of Origin schemes or equivalent proof - All EU countries are legally obliged, under 
Directive 2001/77/EC to set up Guarantee of Origin schemes.  

Guarantees of Origin are however no exclusive proof. An alternative would be for the supplier
to provide independent proof of the fact that a corresponding quantity of electricity has been 
generated from so-defined renewable sources, e.g. a tradable certificate from an independent
issuing  body  such  as  RECS37,  which  guarantee  the  compliance  with  the  RES-E  Directive 
2001/77/EC if not nationally implemented. Alternatively, certification by a labelling scheme 
for green electricity which fulfils at least the criteria of the RES-E Directive 2001/77/EC will 
be accepted as proof, such as a Type-1 ecolabel.  

Award criteria 

37 

RECS = Renewable Energy Certificates System: www.recs.org  

EN 

30 

   EN 

 
                                                 
(X) additional points will be awarded for: 

1. Additional RES-E: The tenderer should indicate the proportion of electricity to be supplied
from  RES  sources.  (X.1)  additional  points  will  be  awarded  in  proportion  to  the  electricity
specification
generated 

the  minimum 

by  RES-E 

requirement 

above 

the 

in 

Contract clauses 

At the end of each year of the contract the contractor must disclose the origin of the electricity 
supplied to the contracting authority to demonstrate that at least 50% came from renewable 
energy sources. Guarantees of Origin (GoO) or equivalent proof must be provided. This is not 
required from certified suppliers of 100% green electricity (i.e. carrying a Type-1 ecolabel 
which uses a definition of RES which is at least as strict as that of Directive 2001/77/EC).  

4.3.3.2.  Comprehensive criteria – Electricity 

Specifications 

1. 100% of supplied electricity must come from renewable energy sources (RES-E) as 
defined by Directive 2001/77/EC. 

Verification 

Guarantee of Origin schemes or equivalent proof - All EU countries are legally obliged, 
under Directive 2001/77/EC to set up Guarantee of Origin schemes.  

Guarantees of Origin are however no exclusive proof. An alternative would be for the 
supplier to provide independent proof of the fact that a corresponding quantity of electricity 
has been generated from so-defined renewable sources, e.g. a tradable certificate from an 
independent issuing body such as RECS38, which guarantee the compliance with the RES-E 
Directive 2001/77/EC if not nationally implemented. Alternatively, certification by a 
labelling scheme for green electricity which fulfils at least the criteria of the RES-E Directive 
2001/77/EC will be accepted as proof, such as a Type-1 ecolabel.  

38 

RECS = Renewable Energy Certificates System: www.recs.org  

EN 

31 

   EN 

 
 
                                                 
Contract performance clauses 

At  the  end  of  each  year  of  the  contract,  the  contractor  must  disclose  the  origin  of  the 
electricity supplied to the contracting authority to demonstrate that at least 100% came from 
renewable  energy  sources.  Guarantees  of  Origin  (GoO)  or  equivalent  proof  must  be 
provided39.  

Implementation notes  

Considering  energy  efficiency  measures:  When  purchasing  electricity,  contracting 
authorities may also consider awarding a contract for energy efficiency services, and seek
specialist  advice  on  energy  efficiency  improvements.  A  number  of  energy  efficiency
measures  can  easily  be  made  with  short  payback  periods.  A  tender  for  energy  efficiency 
services could be published together with or in parallel to that for electricity40. 

4.4. 

Food and catering services 

4.4.1. 

Scope 

Environmental  criteria  are  formulated  for  the  following  range  of  products:  fruits  and 
vegetables; fish, meat and dairy products; processed food41 and drinks and beverages; as well 
as for the provision of catering services. 

For  food,  core  criteria  address  organic  production  methods  and  packaging  waste. 
Comprehensive  criteria  address  also  other  aspects,  such  as  the  Integrated  Production 
processes42, animal welfare and the absence of GMOs43. 

For examples of labelling schemes covering certification of "green" electricity: 

39 
The Eugene Standard. www.eugenestandard.org 
ok–Power (Germany): www.ok-power.de 
Gruener Strom (Germany): www.gruenerstromlabel.de 
Umweltzeichen (Austria): www.oekostrom.at 
the Technical Inspection Association (TÜV, Germany): www.de.tuv.com 
Landesgewerbeanstalt Bayern (LGA, Germany): www.lga.de/ 
100% green energy (Italy): www.centopercentoverde.org 
The Ekoenergia label, also called “Norppa suosittelee ekoenergia” (Norppa recommends eco-energy, Finland): 

www.ekoenergia.info 

The Milieukeur label (Netherlands) – www.milieukeur.nl 
Bra Miljöval ("Good Green Buy" or "Good Environmental Choice", Sweden) www.snf.se/bmv/index.cfm 
40 
found 

information 

be 

can 

energy 

contracting 

performance 
on 
More 
http://www.eurocontract.net/front_content.php?idcat=1  
Processed food as understood here is food that has been processed to produce other products and/or to 
allow  preservation  over  long  periods  of  time,  in  both  cases  with  the  addition  of  colorants,  flavouring 
substances and other additives. 
Integrated crop management systems in the EU. Amended Final Report for European Commission DG 
Environment 
2002. 
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/agriculture/pdf/icm_finalreport.pdf 
There  are  a  number  of  specific  pieces  of  legislation  concerning  genetically  modified  organisms 
(GMOs) and also several regarding animal welfare. 

Consulting. 

Submitted. 

CEAS 

Agra 

May 

at: 

41 

42 

43 

A broader presentation on those can be found at: 
http://ec.europa.eu/food/index_en.htm  

EN 

32 

   EN 

 
 
 
                                                 
For  catering  services,  core  criteria  focus  on  organic  food,  reduction  of  packaging  and 
selection  of  waste;  comprehensive  criteria  focus  in  addition  on  environmental  selection 
criteria, the use of paper and cleaning products, kitchen equipment, nutrition etc.  

4.4.2.  Key environmental impacts 

Impact 

Approach 

•  Procurement  of  organic 

food  and 

livestock products 

•  Procurement  of  food  produced  under 

“integrated production systems”  

•  Procurement  of  sustainably-produced  or 

caught fish 

•  Procurement  of  livestock  products  with 

high welfare standards 

•  Eutrophication44,  acidification45  and 
toxic  effects  in  the  environment 
(plants  and  animals)  and  consumers 
due 
the  bioaccumulation  and 
biomagnification46  of  pesticides  and 
fertilisers  present  in  water,  air,  soil 
and food  

to 

•  Negative impact on the occupational 
health of farmers due to the handling 
and  use  of  certain  pesticides  and 
fertilisers 

•  Soil  erosion,  forest  destruction  and 
loss  of  biodiversity  by  agriculture, 
animal  production 
intense 
and 
fishing  and  aquaculture 
intense 
practices 

http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/index_en.htm  
http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/index_en.htm 
44 

45 

Eutrophication  is  the  process  whereby  a  body  of  water  (such  as  lakes,  estuaries,  or  slow-moving 
streams) becomes over-enriched with nutrients which results in overgrowth of plants (algae, nuisance 
plants weeds...). This enhanced plant growth when they dye and decompose, reduces dissolved oxygen 
in  water  which  can  lead  to  the  death  of  aquatic  organisms  (such  as  fishes).  Nutrients  can  come  from 
many antropogenic (human) sources, such as fertilizers applied to fields; erosion of soil; deposition of 
nitrogen from the atmosphere; and sewage treatment plant discharges.  
Acidification  is  the  build-up  of  excess  sulphuric  and  nitric  acids  into  soils,  waters,  and  air  caused  by 
acid depositions. Their origin are anthropogenic (human) emissions of mainly sulphur dioxide, nitrogen 
oxides,  and  ammonia  from,  for  example,  the  use  of  animal  manure  and  other  soil  improvers  in 
agriculture. Acid depositions have negative impacts on water, forests, and soil. They cause defoliation 
and  weakening  of  trees;  the  can  also  change  soil  and  water  pH  mobilising  heavy  metals  and  other 
harmful  substances  with  toxic  effects  on  soil  and  aquatic  organisms;  and  also  damage  buildings  and 
monuments. 

Acidification  is  the  build-up  of  excess  sulphuric  and  nitric  acids  into  soils,  waters,  and  air  caused  by  acid 
depositions.  Their  origin  are  anthropogenic  (human)  emissions  of  mainly  sulphur  dioxide,  nitrogen 
oxides,  and  ammonia  from,  for  example,  the  use  of  animal  manure  and  other  soil  improvers  in 
agriculture. Acid depositions have negative impacts on water, forests, and soil. They cause defoliation 
and  weakening  of  trees;  the  can  also  change  soil  and  water  pH  mobilising  heavy  metals  and  other 
harmful  substances  with  toxic  effects  on  soil  and  aquatic  organisms;  and  also  damage  buildings  and 
monuments. 
Bioaccumulation occurs when an organism absorbs a toxic substance at a rate greater than that at which 
the substance is excreted or degraded biologically. Biomagnification is the increase in concentration of 
a  substance  that  occurs  in  a  food  chain  as  a  consequence  of:  food  chain  energetics  and  low  (or 
nonexistent) rate of excretion/degradation of the substance. Although sometimes used interchangeably 
with  'bioaccumulation,'  an  important  distinction  is  drawn  between  the  two.  Bioaccumulation  occurs 
within an organism, and biomagnification occurs across trophic (food chain) levels. 

46 

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•  Animal cruelty due to lack of respect 

for animal welfare 

•  Energy  and  water  consumption  in 

food production and processing 

•  Packaging waste  

•  High 

consumption  of 

cleaning 
agents  and  other  chemicals  in  food 
processing  and  kitchens  might  have 
a 
the 
occupational  health  of  kitchen 
personnel  and  on  the  environment 
through waste water 

negative 

impact 

on 

•  Procurement  in  bulk,  use  of  reusable, 
recyclable  and  recycled  containers  and 
packaging,  use  of 
reusable  cutlery, 
crockery, glassware and tablecloths 

•  Use  of  environmentally  friendly  paper 

products 

•  Selective  waste  collection  and  staff 

training 

•  Minimisation  of  the  use  of  hazardous 
chemicals in food processing and the use 
of environmentally friendly cleaning and 
dishwashing products 

•  High water and energy consumption 

•  Procurement  of  water  and  energy 

of kitchen appliances 

efficient kitchen appliances 

•  CO2  and  other  pollutant  emissions 
as  a  result  of  modes  of  transport 
the  catering 
used 
services 

to  carry  out 

•  Improvement  of  transport  routes  and 
reduction  of 
the 
in 

energy  efficiency  and 
emissions  by  vehicles  used 
catering services 

4.4.3.  Food – GPP criteria 

4.4.3.1.  Core criteria – Food 

Specifications 

[X]  %  of  [either  a  defined  product  group  such  as  dairy,  meat,  vegetables,  or  a  list  of 
specific  products  e.g.  potatoes,  tomatoes,  beef,  eggs]  must  be  organically  produced 
according  to  Regulation  (EC)  2092/91  of  24  June  1991  on  organic  production  of 
agricultural  products  until  31  December  2008,  and  Regulation  (EC)  834/2007  as  of  1 
January 2009. 

Verification 

Proof  must  be  supplied  that  the  food  has  been  certified  as  organically  produced  by  the 
competent body. 

Award criteria 

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Additional points will be awarded for: 

1.  Organic  food:  additional  share  of  products  coming  from  organic  sources  above  the 
minimum requirement in the specification. 

Verification: as above  

2. Packaging: Percentage of products that:  

•  are  supplied  in  secondary  and/or  transport  packaging  with  more  than  45%  recycled 

content 

•  are not supplied in individual portions (single-unit packages). 

Verification: bidders will have to provide a signed declaration indicating which of these 
criteria  it  is  able  to  meet.  The  contracting  authority  will  verify  compliance  during  the 
contract period, and appropriate penalties will be applied for non-compliance. 

Implementation notes  

The contracting authority will have to specify how the percentage will be judged, either in 
volume, weight, or € spent.  

4.4.3.2.  Comprehensive criteria – food 

Specifications (Food products) 

1. [X] % of [either a defined product groups such as dairy, meat, vegetables, or a list of 
specific  products  e.g.  potatoes,  tomatoes,  beef,  eggs]  must  be  organically  produced 
according  to  Regulation  (EC)  2092/91  of  24  June  1991  on  organic  production  of 
agricultural  products  until  31  December  2008,  and  Regulation  (EC)  834/2007  as  of  1 
January 2009. 

Verification:  

Proof  must  be  supplied  that  the  food  has  been  certified  as  organically  produced  by  the 
competent body. 

2. Of the remaining non-organic produce, [X] % [either a defined product group such as 
dairy, meat, vegetables, or a list of specific products e.g. potatoes, tomatoes, beef, eggs] 
must  be  produced  in  accordance  with  the  criteria  of  Integrated  Production  or  equivalent 
systems. 

Verification: 

Products  carrying  the  regional/national  Integrated  Production  label  will  be  deemed  to 
comply. Alternatively, the bidder will have to provide appropriate evidence of compliance 
with  each  of  the  requirements  laid  down  in  regional/national  Integrated  Production 
standards. 

Award criteria 

Additional points will be awarded for: 

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1.  Organic  food:  additional  share  of  products  coming  from  organic  sources  above  the 
minimum requirement in the specification. 

Verification: as above 

2.  Integrated  production:  additional  share  of  products  stemming  from  Integrated 
Production products above the minimum level demanded in the specifications. 

Verification: as above  

3.  Aquaculture  products:  Proportion  of  fish  which  are  caught  or  produced  through 
sustainable practices and methods as defined in a relevant label for sustainable fishing and 
aquaculture. 

Verification: fish products carrying a label for sustainable fishing or aquaculture practices 
will be deemed to comply with the criteria as will other appropriate means which clearly 
indicate compliance with the sustainable fishery or aquaculture criteria of a relevant label 
for sustainable fishing and aquaculture. 

4.  Animal  welfare  standards:  Proportion  of  animal  products  which  are  produced  with 
higher welfare standards according to national guidelines. 

Verification:  Products  presenting  appropriate  evidence  of  meeting  relevant  national 
voluntary  standards,  such  as  certification  from  a  recognised  body,  will  be  presumed  to 
comply. Alternatively, the bidder will have to provide appropriate evidence of compliance 
with welfare standards.  

5. Packaging: Percentage of products that: 

•  are  supplied  in  secondary  and/or  transport  packaging  with  more  than  45%  recycled 

content 

•  are not supplied in individual portions (single-unit packages) 

Verification: bidders will have to provide a signed declaration indicating which of these 
criteria  it  is  able  to  meet.  The  contracting  authority  will  verify  compliance  during  the 
contract period, and appropriate penalties will be applied for non-compliance. 

4.4.4.  Catering services – GPP criteria 

4.4.4.1.  Core criteria – Catering services 

Specifications 

Food criteria 

1. [X] % of [either a defined product groups such as dairy, meat, vegetables, or a list of 
specific  products  e.g.  potatoes,  tomatoes,  beef,  eggs]  supplied  by  the  catering  company 
must  be  organically  produced  according  to  (EC)  2092/91  of  24  June  1991  on  organic 
production  of  agricultural  products  until  31  December  2008,  and  Regulation  (EC) 
834/2007 as of 1 January 2009. 

Verification: Suppliers presenting the Nordic Swan ecolabel certificate for restaurants will 
be presumed to comply with the criteria if they specify the percentage of organic food that 
will be used in the relevant contract. Alternatively suppliers must indicate how they intend 

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to meet the obligation within the proposed offer. Proof must be supplied that the food is 
certified as organically produced by the competent body. 

2. [in case the contracted company defines the menus] The main fruit, vegetables and fish 
that are used shall, whenever possible, be selected according to the season based  on  the 
geographical location in which the assignment is performed. The recommended guidelines 
are  found  in  the  seasonal  calendar  in  Annex  X  [to  be  developed  by  the  contracting 
authority]. 

Award criteria 

Additional points will be awarded  

1.  Organic  food:  additional  share  of  products  coming  from  organic  sources  above  the 
minimum requirement in the specification 

Verification: as above 

2. Packaging: Percentage of products that: 

•  are  supplied  in  secondary  and/or  transport  packaging  with  more  than  45%  recycled 

content 

•  are not supplied in individual portions (single-unit packages). 

Verification: Suppliers presenting the Nordic Swan ecolabel certificate for restaurants will 
be presumed to comply with the criteria if the certificate covers the above requirements. 
Alternatively bidders will have to provide a signed declaration indicating which of these 
criteria  it  is  able  to  meet.  The  contracting  authority  will  verify  compliance  during  the 
contract period, and appropriate penalties will be applied for non-compliance. 

Contract performance clauses 

1. Waste generation 

•  In order to reduce waste generation, food and beverages must be served using reusable 

cutlery, glassware, crockery and tablecloths. 

•  Waste produced during the catering services will be collected separately according to 
the  collecting  system  of  the  public  administration,  which  includes  the  fractions  of 
[define here the specific waste fractions to be separately collected, depending on local 
administrative rules].  

2. Transport  

•  Vehicles  used  for  carrying  out  the  catering  services  shall  at  least  fulfil  the  exhaust 
emission requirements of EURO III (this means that the vehicle shall be from at least 
2000/2001 or has been retrofitted to comply with such emission levels).  

Implementation notes  

Seasonal  products  are  those  products  that  are  grown  outdoors  in  the  region  where  the 
procurement is carried out. Each contracting authority will have to attach to the tender in 
an  Annex  a  self-developed  or  already  existing  seasonal  food  “calendar”  of  the  region, 
where it is marked in which months the main food products (mainly vegetables and fruit 

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but  also  fish)  are  grown  outdoors/fished  in  the  region.  However,  products  need  not 
actually come from the region. 

4.4.4.2.  Comprehensive criteria – Catering services 

Selection criteria 

The  contractor  must  prove  its  technical  and  professional  capacity  to  perform  the 
environmental aspects of the contract through: 

•  Certification under an environmental management system (EMS) (such as EMAS, ISO 

14001 or equivalent, [insert other national or regional official systems]), or 

•  evidence  of  an  environmental  policy  covering  work  instructions  and  procedures  to 

carry out the service in an environmentally friendly way, or 

•  evidence  of  previous  experience  in  applying  environmental  management  measures  in 

similar contracts,  

•  the Nordic Swan label for restaurants (in Nordic Countries). 

Specifications 

Food criteria 

1.  [X]  %  of  [either  a  defined  product  group  such  as  dairy,  meat,  vegetables,  or  a  list  of 
specific  products  e.g.  potatoes,  tomatoes,  beef,  eggs]  supplied  by  the  catering  company 
must  be  organically  produced  according  to  (EC)  2092/91  of  24  June  1991  on  organic 
production  of  agricultural  products  until  31  December  2008,  and  Regulation  (EC) 
834/2007 as of 1 January 2009. 

Verification: Suppliers presenting the Nordic Swan ecolabel certificate for restaurants will 
be presumed to comply with this criterion, if they specify the percentage of organic food 
that will be used in the relevant contract. Alternatively suppliers must indicate how they 
intend  to  meet  the  obligation  within  the  proposed  offer.  Proof  must  be  supplied  that  the 
food is certified as organically produced by the competent body. 

2. Of the remaining non-organic produce, [X] % of [either a defined product groups such 
as dairy, meat, vegetables, or a list of specific products e.g. potatoes, tomatoes, beef, eggs] 
supplied  by  the  catering  company  must  be  produced  in  accordance  with  the  criteria  of 
Integrated Production or equivalent systems. 

Verification:  Suppliers  must  indicate  how  they  intend  to  meet  the  obligation.  Products 
carrying the regional/national Integrated Production label will be deemed to comply with 
the  criteria.  Alternatively,  the  bidder  will  have  to  provide  appropriate  evidence  of 
compliance  with  each  of  the  requirements  laid  down  in  regional/national  Integrated 
Production standards. 

3. [In case the contracted company defines the menus] The main fruit, vegetables and fish 
that are used shall, whenever possible, be selected according to the season based  on  the 
geographical location in which the assignment is performed. The recommended guidelines 
are found in the seasonal calendar in Annex X [to be developed by the procurer]. 

Paper products 

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4.  Paper  products  such  as  kitchen  paper  or  paper  napkins  must  be  made  from  recycled 
fibres or virgin wood fibres coming from forests that are managed so as to implement the 
principles and measures aimed at ensuring sustainable forest management.  

Verification: products carrying the European Ecolabel, Nordic Swan, Blue Angel or other 
national  ecolabel  will  be  presumed  to  comply;  other  appropriate  evidence,  such  as  a 
technical dossier from the manufacturer or test report will also be accepted. 

Award criteria 

Additional points will be awarded  

1. Organic Food: additional share of products coming from Integrated Production sources 
above the minimum requirement in the specification. 

Verification: as above 

2. Integrated Production: additional share of products from Integrated Production sources 
above the minimum requirement in the specification 

Verification: as above 

3.  Aquaculture  products:  Proportion  of  fish  (as  compared  to  the  total  volume  of  fish 
products purchased) to be supplied by the catering company which are caught or produced 
through  sustainable  practices  and  methods  as  defined  in  a  relevant  label  for  sustainable 
fishing and aquaculture. 

Verification:  Suppliers  must  indicate  how  they  intend  to  meet  the  obligation  within  the 
proposed  offer.  Fish  products  carrying  a  label  for  sustainable  fishing  or  aquaculture 
practices will be deemed to comply with the criteria as will other appropriate means which 
clearly  indicate  compliance  with  the  sustainable  fishery  or  aquaculture  criteria  of  a 
relevant label for sustainable fishing and aquaculture. 

4. Animal welfare standards: proportion of animal products to be supplied by the catering 
company  which  are  produced  with  hgher  welfare  standards  according  to  national 
guidelines  

Verification:  Suppliers  must  indicate  how  they  intend  to  meet  the  obligation  within  the 
proposed offer. Products presenting appropriate evidence of meeting the relevant national 
voluntary  standards,  such  as  certification  from  a  recognised  body,  will  be  presumed  to 
comply. Alternatively, the bidder will have to provide appropriate evidence of compliance 
with welfare standards. 

5. Packaging: Percentage of products that: 

•  are supplied in secondary/or transport packaging with more than 45% recycled content 

•  are not supplied in individual portions (single-unit packages) 

Verification: Suppliers presenting the Nordic Swan ecolabel certificate for restaurants will 
be  presumed  to  comply  with  the  criteria  if  the  certificate  covers  these  requirements. 
Alternatively bidders will have to provide a signed declaration indicating which of these 
criteria  it  is  able  to  meet.  The  contracting  authority  will  verify  compliance  during  the 
contract period, and appropriate penalties will be applied for non-compliance. 

6. Equipment: the following criteria must be met: 

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Refrigerators and freezers used in the provision of the service are free of ozone-depleting 
substances (HCFCs) and HFCs. 

The  equipment  used  meets  one  or  more  of  the  following  energy  efficiency  standards 
where  such  standards  exist:  Energy  Star,  EU  energy  label  (classification  A),  or  [other 
national standards] or equivalent. 

The  equipment  used  is  water  efficient  according  to  the  EU  label  (classification  A)  or 
equivalent standards  

Verification: Suppliers must provide a list with the equipment they own identifying those 
with  relevant  efficiency  labels,  or  providing  alternative  appropriate  evidence  that  the 
criteria are met.  

7. Cleaning products: The cleaning products to be used in carrying out the service must 
meet the following criteria: 
(insert Core criteria from Cleaning Products and Services Product Sheet) 

Verification:  (insert  Core  criteria  verification  from  Cleaning  Products  and  Services 
Product Sheet) 

Contract performance clauses 

1. Waste generation 

•  In order to reduce waste generation, food and beverages must be served using reusable 

cutlery, glassware, crockery and tablecloths avoiding the use of one-use articles. 

•  Waste produced during the catering services will be collected separately according to 
the  collecting  system  of  the  public  administration,  which  includes  the  fractions  of 
[define here the specific waste fractions to be separately collected]. 

2. Staff training 

The  catering  staff  must  be  trained  on  subjects  such  as  waste  minimisation,  waste 
management  and  selective  waste  collection  and  product 
(origin, 
environmental  quality  of  the  products).  The  contractor  will  present  a  training  plan  once 
the  contract  is  awarded  and,  at  the  end  of  the  contract,  a  certificate  stating  the  training 
made both to new and permanent staff. 

information 

3. Service management  

[if  selection,  criteria  are  not  included]  The  contractor  shall  endeavour  to  ensure  that, 
where  possible,  food  supplied  is  produced  in  a  manner  that  minimises  adverse 
environmental impacts. Therefore within the first 6 months of contract, the contractor will 
have structured and documented environmental procedures for at least the following areas:

•  Evaluation of the most significant environmental aspects or the service provided. 

•  Food selection, manipulation and conservation. 

•  Waste minimisation and selective collection. 

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•  Reduction of energy and water consumption in food preparation and transport. 

•  Training. 

4. Transport 

Vehicles  used  for  the  delivery  of  produce  shall  at  least  fulfil  the  exhaust  emission 
requirements of EURO III (this means that the vehicle shall be from at least 2000/2001 or 
has been retrofitted to comply with such emission levels). 

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