Background report to the guide for the use of the EU Ecolabel criteria in the green public procurement of graphic paper, tissue paper and tissue products

Green public procurement (GPP) is a powerful tool to achieve environmental objectives by means of incorporation of green requirements into public sector purchasing contracts. Public authorities, by promoting “green” purchases, incentivise an environmental outcome and foster market innovation as well as the transformation towards a sustainable economy. In order to “green” the market, it is essential for producers to be able to make certifiable and credible green claims about their products and for customers to know what to ask for. While the EU Ecolabel policy can provide environmental references or standards for the former, the EU Green Public Procurement policy can provide for the latter. The EU GPP recommendations in this document are based on the EU Ecolabel criteria and intend to provide authorities with guidance on how to exploit the use of ecolabels in the procurement process. Accordingly, this report aims to bring these two policies together in order to find synergies between on the supply side EU Ecolabel policy and on the demand side EU GPP policy – specifically for the procurement of graphic paper, tissue paper and tissue products.In addition to a brief introduction to the EU Ecolabel policy, to the EU GPP policy and to procurement procedures as a whole, research is presented to support JRC recommendations to public procurers on exactly which green criteria to set when trying to procure environmentally friendly graphic paper, tissue paper and tissue products. The recommended environmental criteria focus on: (i) fibre sourcing; (ii) pulp bleaching; (iii) emissions to water and air; and (iv) energy consumption. For GPP criteria recommendations, both product groups, i.e. (i) graphic paper and (ii) tissue paper and tissue products, are addressed separately to the extent that reflects technological differences. Where relevant, further information is provided about why the criteria are relevant, the meaning of test results and what other ISO 14024 type I ecolabels may be considered equivalent.