Sustainable procurement is a crucial lever for environmental and climate protection. While carbon footprints and energy efficiency often take center stage, other essential aspects such as circular economy principles and the avoidance of environmentally and health-hazardous chemicals frequently remain overlooked. This is precisely where our international project ChemClimCircle 1 stepped in, which was successfully concluded in September 2024. The project promoted sustainable public procurement by integrating climate protection, resource conservation, and chemical management aspects into procurement criteria. The consortium conducted comprehensive research and developed practical solutions, including a training program and a procurement guide for municipalities. Dialogue among experts from environmental authorities and procurement departments helped refine and further develop the outcomes.

Starting in March 2025, the follow-up project ChemClimCircle 2 will build on these achievements. With numerous additional partner organizations from the Baltic Sea Region, we will continue the established approach. By 2028, we will test and operationalize the ChemClimCircle methodology for procurement officers in public administrations. Together with experts, we will develop a monitoring framework to assess the sustainability of the entire procurement process: from needs assessment and criteria definition to tender processes, award decisions, and contract fulfillment. Additionally, an environmental impact assessment specifically tailored to ChemClimCircle procurement will be designed.

The project will test this approach in 50 procurement initiatives across 13 municipal and regional administrations in the Baltic Sea Region.