Overcoming obstacles for circular public procurement - a transition pathway

An adjustment to a circular economy is a prerequisite to reduce resource use, mitigate climate- and environmental impact aa well as to fulfil our international commitments to minimize climate change. There is a need for multiple activities in all sectors of society to engage in upcoming challenges. Public procurement is here seen as a powerful tool.

Circular procurement has been identified as one of the most important steps to be taken which can give positive results in the near future.There exist numerous obstacles that need to be tackled to go from linear material flows and consumption patterns to a circular and shared economy.

A clear problem is the lack of support from central procurement authorities when it comes to practical guidance as the current procurement legislation is not based on the concept of circularity.

Three obvious obstacles often noted are comparatively low awareness among consumers, substantial investments when reorienting product systems and less experience to cooperate within business chains.Despite these obstacles there are many possibilities at hand to manage circular procurement in a successful manner provided better insights in potential obstacles among existing laws and regulations.

Here, there is a need for a thorough analysis on the way obstacles actually exist and in what contexts to practically handle them throughout the entire procurement process – both in the preparation-, procurement- and realization phase.