Communauté d'Agglomeration Mulhouse, Sud Alsace
Mulhouse Alsace Community (M2A) is the main inter-communal structure of the Mulhouse region, located in the counties of Upper Rhine and Alsace in France. It is made up of 32 municipalities and has a population of just over 253,000 inhabitants.
Sustainable procurement activities
M2A took the first steps towards green public procurement by implementing a policy and since the end of 2004, it became a participant in the Campaign. With the purchase of wood, for example, M2A focuses on European wood or exotic wood that have been certified. This means that wood is only sourced from sustainably managed forests and when the exploitation of forests brings direct benefits to local communities. The idea of bearing social and environmental considerations in mind goes in line with the principles of sustainable development.
The social and economic dimensions of sustainable development are already apparent in the region:
- The introduction of clauses on the purchase of eco-labeled products in procurement policies
- The integration of environmental and energy saving criteria for lighting in public and in buildings.
In addition to being part of the “Green Public Procurers’ of Alsace” Club, which operates as a network of local authorities and key government departments in the region, M2A also signed the Green Public Procurers’ of Alsace Charter in April 2009. As a member of the club and a signatory to the charter, M2A has committed to:
- Membership involvement through presentations of actions, participation in a working group, drafting experience reports, sharing experiences and innovations
- The promotion of green public procurement to other groups or partners
- Participation in training organized within the framework and attendance of meetings
- The dissemination of information via websites, mailing lists and other forms of communication mediums
Some of the actions already implemented in Mulhouse include training staff on green procurement, reducing consumption of water and other resources and products, improving waste-disposal and using office equipment in a more environmentally friendly way.
