Fostering Sustainable Public Procurement
We are what we buy, but what about what our government buys?
In the age of consumerism, our personal values and identity become synonymous with the types of products and services we purchase and consume.1 Individual consumers are purchasing eco-friendly, fair trade, ethically produced goods as a way of expressing their personal values.
Buying a dishcloth made of recycled fabric from your local farmer’s market has become just as much a way of showing that you care about the environment, labor rights, and supporting small business… as that you needed a new dishcloth.
Let’s apply this perspective at a governmental level. What do our governments’ procurement processes and choices say about citizens’ values?
Governments buy a lot more than dishcloths. They buy paper, computers, medical supplies, lawnmowers, catering services, and a whole host of other diverse goods and services as part of their normal operations. All this buying adds up and makes public procurement one of the world’s largest business sectors. Public procurement is said to account for approximately 12% of GDP in OECD countries and 30% of GDP in developing countries.2 The bottom line (no pun intended) is that governments around the world wield huge purchasing power, and that power can determine what types of goods and services are on the market and how they are produced.
References
1. The Guardian. (2002, December 19). We are what we buy, says sociologist. Retrieved December 21, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/education/2002/dec/19/highereducation.uk2
2. UN Environment Programme. (n.d.). Sustainable Public Procurement. Retrieved December 22, 2020, from https://www.unenvironment.org/explore-topics/resource-efficiency/what-we-do/sustainable-public-procurement
3. Ibid.
4. European Commission. (2020, September 14). Green and Sustainable Public Procurement. Retrieved December 21, 2020, from https://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/versus_en.htm
5. Grandia, J. (2016). Finding the missing link: examining the mediating role of sustainable public procurement behavior. Journal of Cleaner Production, 124, 183–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.02.102
6. Ibid.
7. Igarashi, M., De Boer, L., & Pfuhl, G. (2017). Analyzing buyer behavior when selecting green criteria in public procurement. Journal of Public Procurement
About the Author
Maria Gheorghe
Maria C. Gheorghe graduated with a B.A. Honors from the University of Manitoba. She is currently doing her graduate studies at this same university and researching how behavioral economics can be applied to promote growth in the social enterprise sector. She has worked for both provincial and federal governments in Canada and is passionate about how behavioral insights (ie. nudging) can be applied to public policy.
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