Growing awareness of environmental issues and the need to develop more sustainable practices have profoundly transformed public procurement in Belgium. Public authorities have gradually incorporated sustainability criteria into their purchasing procedures, recognising the importance of promoting environmentally-friendly economic development.
The emergence of environmental criteria
Over the past few years, Belgium has undertaken a series of reforms to integrate environmental criteria into public procurement. European Union Directive 2014/24/EU, which has been transposed into Belgian law, has been a major catalyst for this development. It allows contracting authorities to take into account not only initial costs, but also life-cycle costs, including environmental impacts.
Environmental criteria can cover a wide range of aspects, such as :
- Energy efficiency of buildings and equipment.
- Reducing CO2 emissions through environmentally-friendly transport solutions.
- The use of recyclable and sustainable materials.
- Waste management and volume reduction.
- Preserving biodiversity.
The benefits of sustainability in public procurement
Incorporating sustainability criteria has a number of advantages:
- For public authorities, this means more efficient management of resources and lower long-term costs. Energy savings, for example, can lead to substantial savings over the lifetime of infrastructure.
- For companies, these criteria open up new market opportunities. Suppliers who invest in sustainable practices can stand out from their competitors and gain access to public contracts that value these efforts. In addition, green innovation can boost business competitiveness and encourage fruitful public-private partnerships.
The challenges of implementation
However, integrating sustainability into public procurement is not without its challenges. Public authorities need to develop specific skills to evaluate tenders according to environmental criteria. This may require ongoing training and adaptation of internal processes.
In addition, companies often face higher initial costs to comply with environmental requirements. However, these investments generally pay for themselves through future savings and access to new markets.
TOWARDS MORE SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT
In conclusion, Belgium has made significant progress in integrating sustainability and environmental criteria into its public procurement. This trend is essential if we are to meet current and future environmental challenges, while stimulating business innovation and competitiveness.
At Aria Partner, we understand the importance of these issues, and we are committed to helping businesses and public authorities make the transition to more sustainable practices.
Our expertise will help you navigate complex regulations and develop winning, environmentally-friendly strategies. Together, we can make sustainability a strategic asset for your public contracts.
The impact of sustainability and environmental criteria in public procurement in Belgium