EU Green Public Procurement (GPP) Webinar Helpdesk Webinar: 'Tackling plastic pollution through public procurement'

The upcoming EU Green Public Procurement (GPP) Helpdesk webinar will address the pressing issue of plastic pollution and explore the role of public procurement in driving solutions.

Every year, approximately 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced worldwide. Around 12% is incinerated, only 9% is recycled, and the remainder ends up in landfills or polluting the environment, including our oceans. These figures highlight the urgent need for action on multiple fronts.

One powerful lever available to public authorities is public procurement. By rethinking how products and services are purchased, governments and institutions can shift markets away from linear “take-make-dispose” patterns and towards circular solutions. Procurement requirements that specify recycled materials, encourage reuse, and prevent the use of single-use plastics are strategic tools that can help curb the plastic crisis.

This webinar will present concrete examples of how contracting authorities can limit plastic waste and pollution through procurement decisions.

Agenda

The webinar will feature contributions from distinguished speakers who will provide policy insights and practical examples of approaches to reduce plastic waste through procurement:

• Welcome and Introduction
  Ivan Azevedo, Policy Officer, Unit B.1, Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission

• Overview of the Sustainable Public Procurement of Plastics report
  Mervyn Jones, Senior Adviser, Circular Economy, Rijkswaterstaat

• The French Anti-Waste and Circular Economy Law and targets for the integration of reused and recycled materials in public contracts
  Marline Weber, Sustainable Procurement Project Manager, Ministry for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion of France

• Procurement criteria that support the circulation of plastics
  Tuuri Tiia, City of Espoo, Finland