The following links have been extracted from ICLEI's searchable link database. They include a selection of the links on sustainable, green or eco-procurement, which have been restructured. If you have a link you would like to promote, please feel free to add to the database.

• Practical guidance
• National initiatives
• International organisations
• Eco-labels across Europe

 Practical Guidance

• EC GPP Training Toolkit
  A toolkit designed to provide any European public authority with advice and information on the straightforward implementation of GPP, including a management model for gradual implementation, advice on the legal framework, and purchasing recommendations for 11 high-priority product groups. ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/index_en.htm
  
  
• The European Handbook on Green Public Procurement
  The publication written by the European Commission: "Buying green! A handbook on environmental public procurement" was published in August 2004 and offers useful advice to public authorities on how to incorporate environmental criteria into the tendering process. The Handbook is available in 20 European languages!
  
  
• Procure IT Fair: Campaign for sustainable purchasing of computers
  ProcureITfair raises awareness of the working conditions and environmental pollution in the production of computers and asks politicians and public purchasers to use their (buying) power to demand compliance with international labour rights and ecological standards in the global supply chain of computers.

• EUROCITIES: Cities as Responsible Purchasers in Europe
  EUROCITIES initiative on promoting the integration of social and environmental criteria in public procurement amongst European cities. The website and Guide are available in several languages: EN, DE, FR, ES,SE
  www.carpe-net.org
  
  
• A Guide to the public purchasing of Fair Trade products
  The 12-page Guide provides clear and simple advice for European public authorities wishing to buy Fair Trade products. Specifically, the Guide contains: an introduction to Fair Trade, advice on minimising legal uncertainties in procurement, actual text that can be used directly in public tenders, and suggestions for other complementary activities. The Guide is available in EN and DE
  www.buyfair.org
  
  
• LEAP GPP Toolkit
  The toolkit provides guidance for public authorities to systematically, effectively and efficiently deal with green procurement as part of and Environmental Management System. In addition, a (tested) model to carry joint GPP is available as well as a set of European case studies. The toolkit is available in EN, ES, PT, GR, SE
  www.leap-gpp-toolkit.org
  
  
• Better Public Transport for Europe - A Good Practice Guide
  The guide sets out how local authorities have improved the environmental and quality standards and increased efficiency in urban public transport through preparing for and undertaking competitive tendering. www.managenergy.net/products/R469.htm
  
  
• The World Buys Green - Survey on National Green Purchasing Practices
  This international survey (from 2001) summarizes green purchasing activities in 7 countries, including Austria, Denmark, The Netherlands, Sweden, Hungary, Japan and North America. In addition, a number of conclusions for replicating the experiences are drawn.
  [pdf-file]
  

• Green Purchasing Good Practice Guide: How local authorities spend their budgets responsibly
  The Green Purchasing Good Practice Guide (from 2000) collates lessons from Dunkerque (France), Ferrara (Italy), Göteborg (Sweden), Copenhagen and Kolding (Denmark), Pori (Finland), and Vorarlberg (Austria). Its aim is to give advice to purchasers in local authorities and other public institutions who did not join the pioneer front, but would like to profit now from experiences already made.
  
  
• Sustainable Procurement Cupboard
  The Cupboard provides a framework for procurement professionals to find case studies, tools, primary documents, and contacts to deliver on multiple public sector targets. www.procurementcupboard.org
  
  
• Sustainable Procurement Information Network (SPIN)
  SPIN is dedicated to supporting local authorities in their efforts to procure sustainably, and provides a 'one-stop' website containing the very best information relating to the sustainable procurement agenda. www.s-p-i-n.co.uk

National Initiatives

• Swedish Website for Ecologically Sustainable Procurement (Se, En)
  www.msr.se
  Swedish Website with political and practical information on green purchasing. Its host, the Committee for Ecologically Sustainable Procurement, has been appointed by the Swedish Government for the period 1998-2000. The Committee is charged with the task of actively promoting public procurement as a means of achieving ecologically sustainable development.
  
  
• UK Quick Wins (En)
  Buy Sustainable - Quick Wins
  The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has designed a set of sustainable specifications for a range of commonly-purchased products (so-called Quick Wins), such as IT equipment, white goods, paper (including tissue), etc. The products assessed were chosen for their environmental / financial impact, scope for environmental improvement and political or example-setting function.

• EcoBuy Vienna Initiative (De)
  EcoBuy Criteria
  The City of Vienna's EcoBuy Vienna (Ökokauf Wien) initiative presents sustainable procurement criteria for 22 different product and service categories. The criteria catalogues are available online and are formulated in such a way that they can be easilyincluded in tender documents. The initiative was started in 1998, with criteria developed and reviewed by a commission of experts [all in German].

• Belgian Sustainable Procurement Guide (Nl, Fr, De, En)
  www.guidedesachatsdurables.be
  National guidance available in Dutch, French, German and English, including purchasing criteria for a wide range of product and service groups, split into three levels - basic, medium and advanced

• Danish National Procurement Service (Dk)
  www.ski.dk
  The state-owned National Procurement ltd in Denmark offers strategic and green purchasing advice for local authorities.
  
  
• Green Purchasing Network Japan (Jp, En)
  www.gpn.jp
  The Green Purchasing Network (GPN) was established in February 1996 to promote green purchasing among consumers, companies and governmental organizations in Japan. As of June 1998, it has about 1,500 member organizations, including corporations, local autonomous bodies, consumer groups, environmental NGOs, and cooperative associations. GPN promotes the ideas and practices of green purchasing, draws up purchasing guidelines for each type of product, publishes environmental Data Books on various products, holds seminars and study meetings, and awards commendations to organizations that have shown remarkable performance in implementing green purchasing.
  
  
• Interessengemeinschaft Ökologische Beschaffung, Schweiz (De, Fr)
  www.igoeb.ch
  A link in German language on the Interest Group for Ecological Purchasing, Switzerland. The website offers - beside addresses and publication orders - a set of guidelines on IT, vehicles and road construction.
  
  
• Barcelona Sustainable City Council Guide (En)
  The Sustainable City Council Guide (published by the City of Barcelona, 2007) presents a collection of guidelines, advice and useful information for all local workers in order to actively involve everyone in achieving an increasingly more sustainable city council. More specifically, the Guide includes the most outstanding sustainable procurement achievements and presenting the environmental, social and ethical considerations that have been taken into account in the public procurement, such as paper, cleaning services, fair trade products and sustainable timber.
  [pdf-file]
  
  
• US green purchasing information websites (En)
  www.newdream.org
  The Centre for a New American Dream's Institutional Purchasing Programme is an initiative to support institutional purchasers, such as local governments, with green purchasing activities. Information on practical examples, green purchasing product criteria and policies are available on the website.
  www.pprc.org
  The Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC) has compiled information that will assist purchasers in their efforts to establish or maintain an environmental purchasing program. Included is information that can assist in identifying "green" products, setting up an environmental purchasing program, general and specific resources that are available to purchasers, guides for locating green products, and examples of procurement programs that can be used as a guide for purchasers building or improving their own programs. A number of these resources also provide concrete examples identifying the overall cost savings in using environmentally preferable products - achieved due to longer life of the product, reduced operating costs and/or reduced maintenance costs.
  
  

• CORA (De)                              
  German network for Corporate Accountability
  www.cora-netz.de
  The German government changed the German Procurement Law in April 2009. Now it is explicitly stated tthat ecological and social criteria can be included in the contract clause of a tender. The network for corporate accountability CORA has developed a national action plan for Germany. The plan can be downloaded here [pdf]

• GPPinfoNET (It)                              
  Green Public Procurement Information Network
  www.gppinfonet.it
  GPPinfoNET aims at overcoming obstacles that limit the diffusion of green public procurement (GPP), so as to favour the reduction of environmental impacts associated to the purchase of goods and services, prepare the ground for the introduction and implementation of National Action Plans for GPP and promote the implementation of GPP at national and European level.

International Organisations

• The International Green Purchasing Network (IGPN)
  The IGPN is an organisation which promotes Green Purchasing around the globe by coordinating those who take the initiative in implementing Green Purchasing toward sustainable consumption and production. The network consists of international organizations, businesses, governmental organisations, local authorities and NGOs
  www.igpn.org
  
  
• European Commission - Green Public Procurement
  The site provides useful information on the legal framework for GPP in Europe, together with practical guidance for implementation, and links to key organisations and projects
  europa.eu.int/comm/environment/gpp/
  
  
• UNEP
  The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) leads two strands of work related to sustainable procurement. These are:
  •    Sustainable Public Procurement – accelerating the implementation of sustainable public procurement policies in developing countries
  •    United Nations Sustainable Procurement – using better procurement as a tool for delivering a more sustainable United Nations
  
  
  
• OECD
  The OECD has been working on the topic of sustainable procurement since 1994, and has produced a number of reports and publications available for download or purchase on their website
  www.oecd.org
  
  
• The Global Compact
  The Global Compact asks companies to embrace, support and enact, within their sphere of influence, a set of core values in the areas of human rights, labour standards, the environment and anti-corruption. The GC is a purely volunatary initiative and should be considered as general guidelines to be applied to the entire procurement process
  www.unglobalcompact.org
  
  
• Interagency Working Group on Environmentally and Socially Responsible Procurement
  An initiative started by multilateral development banks, United Nations organisations and a variety of non-governmental organisations
  www.sustainableprocurement.net
  
  
• World Bank Procurement Policy 
  The World Bank's Procurement Policy includes Procurement Guidelines, Consultant Guidelines Operational Directive 11.00, "Procurement" Eligibility for Procurement in Bank Operations, IDA and the Interim Trust Fund, Listing of Debarred Firms, Multi-lateral Development Banks and Other Procurement Links
  www.worldbank.org
  
  
• International Trade Centre (UNCTAD/WTO)
  International Trade Centre (UNCTAD/WTO) Compendium of Public    Procurement Systems identifies key aspects of existing and future legal provisions affecting the degree of transparency and effectiveness of legal frameworks for government procurement
  www.intracen.org/ipsms
  
  
• WTO public procurement site
  www.wto.org
  WTO activities in the area of procurement
  
  
• WWF Global Toxics Initiative
  WWF Global Toxics Initiative - Global Initiative to eliminate and reduce the use of toxic chemicals
  www.worldwildlife.org
  
  
• Transparency International
  Transparency International is a civil society organisation dedicated to curbing both international and national corruption
  www.transparency.org
  
  
• European Fair Trade Association (EFTA)
  EFTA is a key player in harmonising and coordinating Fair Trade activities in several fields in an international context via its work with other Fair Trade Networks
  www.eftafairtrade.org

Eco-Labels across Europe

• The EU "Flower"- the European Ecolabel Scheme. Covers a very wide range of different products on the market.  ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel

• Global Ecolabelling Network
  The Global Ecolabelling Network is an association of 14 national and regional ecolabel organisations. The site provides a product list, sorted by categories, which displays to which sort of products which ecolabel has developed criteria
  www.gen.gr.jp

• The Nordic Swan, Scandinavia. Eco-labeling program covering 60 product group categories and over 1.200 products
  www.svanen.nu

• The Blue Angel (Blauer Engel), Germany. The first national Eco-label, covering by now nearly 4.000 products, mainly consumer products. www.blauer-engel.de

• Umweltzeichen, Austrian Eco-label. www.umweltzeichen.at

• NF Environment, France. Ecolabel focusing mainly on chemical products (painting and varnishs, etc.). www.marque-nf.com

• Milieukeur, The Netherlands. Marks agricultural products and foodstuffs according to environmental criteria.                          
  www.milieukeur.nl

• AENOR, Spain. Medio-Ambiente eco-labelling programme, with a product range including paper products, solar plates for solar lighting, photocopy machines, cleaning products for cars, etc.
  www.aenor.es

• Energy Star. In Europe, the Energy Star label is applied to energy- efficient office equipment (monitors, computers and operating systems, fax machines, copiers, printers, etc.) www.eu-energystar.org

• TCO- Labeling programme for computers, monitors and other IT-devices, according to energy-efficiency, environmental and ergonomic criteria. www.tcodevelopment.com

• FSC- Forest Stewardship Council. Certifies wood- products, including paper, from sustainably managed forestry
  www.fsc.org

• MSC- Marine Stewardship Council. Labels fish and seafood from environmentally friendly fishery
  www.msc.org

• FLO- Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International. Association of 20 Labelling Initiatives, certifying Fair Trade producers and traders all over the world
  www.flo-cert.net

• IFAT. Distributes the FTO-Mark (Fair Trade Organization)
  www.ifat-la.org

• Natureplus Quality label for building materials: insulating materials, timber materials, roof tiles, linoleum, wooden flooring, paint, etc. www.natureplus.org