Green Procurement Research Articles

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Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through renovation of the existing building stock is high on national and international agendas, but a broader understanding that includes building inventory and the circular economy is not often included. By 2028, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) plans to consolidate university campuses and rehabilitate up to 45 000 m2 of buildings. There are some signs of circular economy at the university in institutionally established practices such as waste sorting, and green procurement, but there exists a greater potential. In 2021, the authors organised a living lab at the university, aiming to investigate whether further measures could be implemented to reduce the consumption of university inventory, such as furniture and computer equipment. We found that reuse, in contrast to the centralised administrative provision of inventory, encouraged practices of care. The experiments in the living lab addressed the dominant homogeneity and standardised character of university fixtures and fittings, provoking enthusiasm for previously discarded and unwanted objects and offering opportunities for new caring relationships. The paper asks, in what ways caring practices are performed in efforts to reduce consumption and achieve sustainability goals in complex organisations such as universities. Data was collected during experiments organised as part of the living lab. The caring practices that we identified are context-aware, empowering, egalitarian, and avoid prioritising some kinds of practices and objects over others.

Excelling Green Supply Chain Management Practices Through Maturity Model: A Case Study of Fish 96 Company

This research aims to improve GSCM practices at Fish 96, an SME in tilapia aquaculture located in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. It identifies and addresses some critical business issues regarding reducing the DOA rate, improving operational efficiency, and reducing environmental impacts. The literature review forms the theoretical basis of GSCM practices such as green procurement, manufacturing, distribution, and reverse logistics. A new GSCM maturity model is developed and validated with the case study of Fish 96, which eval_uates the company's current maturity levels and structured improvements. It assesses that Fish 96 stands at the initial stage in the journey of GSCM. Most practices are either nonexistent or at an initial point of implementation. The suggested maturity model includes five levels: Nonexistent, Aware, Intermediate, Advanced, and Sustainable, which represent a clear roadmap for Fish 96 to improve its GSCM performance. The research recommends adopting broad green practices across all supply chain dimensions, emphasising systematic strategies and enhanced supplier engagement by focusing on efficiency measures. With these recommendations, Fish 96 will contribute to reducing operational costs while reducing environmental impacts and improving social outcomes, thus improving the company's long-term sustainability and competitiveness.

The Implementation of Environmental Criteria into the Public Procurement System in Russia

Introduction: based on the analysis of the achieved level of formal institutionalization of “green” public procurement in the Russian legislation, the paper substantiates the need to introduce environmental criteria. Purpose: to investigate the specifics of the implementation of environmental criteria into public procurement in Russia. Methods: the analysis of literary and scientific sources, synthesis. Results: the author examines the features of “green” public procurement through the prism of the current legislation regulating this process. Customers, putting forward requirements for environmental safety, including the effectiveness of goods purchased for state needs, provide the state with higher-quality products. In addition, such innovations encourage manufacturers and suppliers of goods and services to develop their activities taking into account environmental and energy-efficient trends. It is expected that the introduction of environmental criteria in procurement will lead to a reduction in the use of primary resources and reduce negative impacts on the environment. However, it is too early to talk about the formation of a national green procurement system. All this hinders the normal development of the public “green” procurement system. Conclusions: the development of the Russian “green” procurement system today requires national incentives since it has great potential in solving many internal national and regional problems. Based on the results obtained, the recommendations are formulated for the gradual integration of the norms and practices related to the greening of the procurement process into the contract system.

Green public procurement as an effective way for sustainable development: A systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis

AbstractGreen public procurement (GPP) has emerged as a strategic tool for sustainable development. However, the drivers and barriers to effective GPP implementation remain unclear. Additionally, the growing volume of GPP research necessitates interlinking with sustainability concepts, such as sustainable development, to guide future research. This paper presents a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis of GPP research between 2003 and 2023 to identify key themes, trends and research gaps. A dataset of 201 documents retrieved from the Web of Science database was analysed using CitNetExplorer and VOSViewer. By analysing prior literature on the effect of GPP on the achievement of sustainable development, we have found, among others concerns, that: (1) richer qualitative analysis on GPP is needed; (2) there is a gap in understanding localised factors influencing GPP in developing countries; and (3) the transformative role of digitalisation in promoting social and environmental outcomes in GPP is an essential factor. These findings will inform policymakers, practitioners and researchers on the effective implementation of GPP for sustainable development.

Government green procurement and corporate ESG performance

This study utilizes data from China's A-share listed companies from 2009 to 2022 and manually collects government green procurement lists published on the Chinese government procurement website. By matching this data with listed companies, we employ a multi-period Difference-in-Differences (DID) model to examine the impact of a firm's inclusion in government green procurement lists on its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance. We find that government green procurement significantly improves firms' ESG performance. In the mechanism analysis, we find that executive green perceptions and media and analyst attention amplify the positive impact of government green procurement on firms' ESG performance. Through the heterogeneity analysis, we find that government green procurement promotes ESG performance more significantly when the listed company is a state-owned enterprise, and this promotion is more obvious in central state-owned enterprises. In addition, we find that government green procurement enhances ESG performance more significantly when the company is located in a region with higher levels of market integration. Further research find that government green procurement effectively inhibit “greenwashing” behavior and reduce the probability of negative events. Our findings provide important micro-empirical evidence for understanding the effects of market-based policy instruments on corporate ESG performance and contribute positively to the practice of improving corporate governance capabilities.

<b>Accelerating Firm’s Operational Performance through GSCM Practices and Lean Management: A Case of the Textile Sector of Karachi</b>

Sustainable performance remains a debate among the business community however, achieving it remains a challenge. Globally, firms have incorporated different initiatives to gain efficiency and effectiveness, but developing nations are still in transit. Operationalization of green initiatives to gain operational performance was rare in Asian literature and practice. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine the role of green supply chain management practices that impact a firm’s operational performance and the mediating role of lean management in the textile sector of Karachi. A quantitative method was used in this research study and data were collected from 184 respondents from the textile sector of Karachi through a convenience sampling technique. The data were analyzed by partial least structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) through Smart PLS 3.0. The results indicated that lean management significantly mediates the relationship between green manufacturing, green procurement, and operational performance. Whereas eco-design without lean management does not positively affects operational performance. This study recommends local companies adopt green practices religiously to compete internationally and to educate workers and suppliers about the importance of using these practices.

Environmental resilience of the largest European public transport providers during the COVID-19 pandemic

The environmental commitment of public transport authorities plays a role in addressing the challenges ahead. After the COVID-19 pandemic, we can analyze the strength of green commitments during that turbulent time. Green public procurement (GPP) is a government tool dedicated to mitigating the environmental impact of public acquisitions. These actions can be monitored as an indicator that captures efforts for green actions by organizations. GPP adoption rates among public transport suppliers are comparable across countries because they operate in the same sector and share characteristics that facilitate comparison. In this study, the largest public transport suppliers in 38 European cities are compared from 2010 to 2023. A subsample of 13,280 contract notices was employed for the public transport sector from the Tender Electronic Database and GPP adoption was found to be higher on bus vehicle acquisitions than on tramway/metro vehicle acquisitions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a marked GPP fall. These findings also indicate that while GPP adoption rates are higher among the 38 large public transport suppliers compared with medium and lower ones, the largest ones are not the front-runners in terms of GPP adoption. Our results suggest that environmental priorities are not as significant as one might expect.

Supply Chain Management Practices and Organizational Performance: The Moderating Role of Competitive Edge

Organizational performance is a cornerstone of any thriving institution, serving as a critical measure of how effectively an organization meets its goals and fulfills its mission. Higher performance which is the desire of many organizations is characterized by their strategic vision, cohesive culture, and resilient processes, which collectively drive sustainable success. Non-achievement of organizational goals by textile firms can manifest as a result of discrepancies between the organization’s strategic objectives and the supply chain’s operational goals. The research therefore sought to assess the role supply chain management practices on organizational performance, moderated by the competitive edge of textile firms in Kenya. The study specifically sought to determine the effect of green procurement, reverse logistics, and outsourcing on organizational performance moderated by competitive edge. The study was guided by Just in Time Theory, Theory of Constraints, and the Resource Based View Theory. Explanatory research design was used and a sample of 216 heads of logistics and procurement departments was used, for a total of 52 textile firms in Kenya. The findings showed that green procurement (β1=0.282, p<0.05), reverse logistics (β2=0.287, p<0.05) and outsourcing (β3=0.331, p<0.05) had a positive and significant effect on organizational performance. Competitive edge enhances the relationship between green procurement (β=-0.069; p<0.05), reverse logistics (β=-0.137; p<0.05), outsourcing (β=-0.122; p<0.05) and organizational performance. Boosting competitive edge makes the supply chain efforts more effective in improving firm performance. Organizations should leverage on competitive edge to enhance the impacts of green procurement, reverse logistics, and outsourcing on performance.

Enhancing Knowledge on Energy Refurbishment of Buildings and Green Procurement through Living Labs

Buildings account for a significant portion of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, underscoring the urgent need for energy refurbishment and green procurement strategies. This study explores the potential of Living Labs, a collaborative and user-centered approach, to bridge knowledge gaps and foster innovation in these areas. The research employed a comprehensive methodology, including stakeholder surveys and statistical analyses, to evaluate knowledge enhancement in various domains such as green policies, mentoring, funding possibilities, and green public procurement. The results demonstrated statistically significant improvements in knowledge across different fields and stakeholder groups. This study contributes to the objectives of the European Green Deal by highlighting the role of Living Labs in advancing knowledge critical to achieving energy efficiency and sustainability targets. Based on these findings, several recommendations are proposed to further leverage the effectiveness of Living Labs in promoting the energy refurbishment of buildings and green public procurement.

The impact of green public procurement on corporate green innovation: evidence from machine learning and text analysis

Based on a database of over 650,000 green public procurement (GPP) contracts, we apply machine learning and text analysis methods to identify GPP. Our study examines the impact of GPP on green innovation using Chinese companies listed on the A-share market. The study has the following findings. (1) GPP significantly promotes green innovation by alleviating financing constraints and incentivizing green practices. (2) Enterprises in the maturity or growth stage, non-heavily polluting firms, and companies in regions with stringent environmental regulations are more likely to benefit from GPP. Additionally, GPP initiatives from local governments, centralized procurement, and university-based programs provide stronger incentives for green innovation. (3) Demand-side GPP and supply-side subsidies for green innovation have coordination effects. Corporate green innovation is positively influenced by the “Demand-side procurement First, Supply-side subsidies Later (DFSL)” and the “Demand-side procurement and Supply-side subsidies Simultaneously (DSS)” policies.

Green public procurement and corporate environmental performance: An empirical analysis based on data from green procurement contracts

Green public procurement (GPP) is regarded as a vital tool for achieving energy conservation and emission reduction. This policy aims to guide enterprises towards cleaner production by creating market demand for green products on the demand side. However, it remains unclear whether GPP can genuinely improve corporate environmental performance. This study reviews relevant policy documents and constructs a wordlist of “green procurement contract" using the Word2vec model. By employing text analysis, we identify public procurement contracts that meet green standards. Subsequently, we match these contracts with data from China's A-share-listed companies to empirically test the impact of GPP contracts on corporate environmental performance. The findings reveal that GPP significantly enhances corporate environmental performance, primarily through conceptual governance effects, source governance effects, terminal governance effects, and supervision governance effects. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that this environmental incentive effect is particularly significant among non-state-owned enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises. Additionally, the effect is more pronounced in regions with high government environmental awareness and moderate environmental enforcement intensity. Further analysis shows that GPP also improves corporate social responsibility performance and promotes corporate ESG performance, thereby fostering sustainable development. Moreover, the study points out that increasing the transparency of information disclosure, enhancing procurement efficiency, and maintaining the stability of procurement relationships all contribute to strengthening the environmental performance incentive effect of GPP. This article helps to deepen the understanding of the “proactive government” promoting the development of green economy and also provides theoretical reference for the breakthrough of corporate green transformation under the target of “dual carbon.”

Hiding when you're not green: An empirical analysis on green public procurement

IMPACT This article highlights the significant influence of respondent bias on green public procurement (GPP) practices. After surveying the largest contracting authorities in the Czech and Slovak Republics, the authors found that non-respondents to GPP surveys typically adopt fewer green practices. This finding underscores the need for improved monitoring and institutional pressure to enhance GPP implementation. The article presents actionable insights for increasing GPP uptake which will be valuable for practitioners in public procurement, sustainability management and policy development. The authors advocate for tailored control and incentive mechanisms, emphasizing the importance of organizational performance monitoring. This article is particularly relevant for professionals in countries with developing GPP frameworks or those operating within imperfect institutional environments. By addressing these biases and enhancing monitoring, practitioners will be able to drive more effective and sustainable procurement practices.

Green procurement in the construction industry: unfolding new underlying barriers for a developing country context

Despite the construction industry’s detrimental effects on environmental sustainability, the concept of green procurement (GP) is still relatively new in the developing world. The barriers hindering GP adoption need detailed investigation as studies in the context of developing countries are still limited and the underlying dimensions remain a known-unknown. This study appraised the critical barriers to GP adoption in the Malaysian construction industry. Twenty (20) barriers were identified from the detailed literature review and a field survey was conducted with 150 professionals. The ranking analysis results indicated the top five barriers are: high initial cost; lack of expertise and regulations; lack of government regulations; lack of top management commitment and lack of awareness among construction stakeholders. A factor analysis further identified five major underlying dimensions. The study showed that both government and organisational commitments are crucial in promoting GP adoption. This study adds to incremental knowledge in GP literature by analysing the critical barriers and the associated underlying dimensions to GP adoption in a developing country, which could help practitioners and policymakers in evaluating the organisation’s or industry’s readiness to adopt GP practices along with devising apt measures to mitigate the barriers to shift to sustainable and environmentally friendly construction.

Current and potential materials for the low-carbon cement production: Life cycle assessment perspective

Given the carbon-intensive nature of cement production, conducting a comprehensive environmental evaluation using life cycle assessment (LCA) modeling is paramount to achieving eco-friendly cement standards. This study meticulously compiles and evaluates LCA findings from diverse analyses of current and potential supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) within the blended cement sector. It underscores the impact of the functional unit (FU) within the LCA approach, supply chain considerations, and technical and regulatory factors on the sustainability of blended cement mixtures. Most of LCAs studied herein show that integrating SCMs into the cement matrix typically reduces land use, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, thereby lowering the global warming potential (GWP) of ordinary portland cement (OPC) samples from 831 to 980 kg of CO2-eq to 768-481 kg of CO2-eq per ton of cement. However, in some instances, environmental indicators like abiotic depletion potential-elements (ADP-E) and human toxicity potential (HTP) rise due to increased mining, electricity, and transportation demand for SCMs. Regarding the environmental potential of alkali-activated cementitious materials and low-carbon clinker formulations, we found that limitations arise in fully replacing OPC due to global raw material availability constraints, rendering them economically unfavorable and impeding their widespread adoption. Among the SCMs examined in this study, clays, which are more widely available compared to industrially sourced materials like fly ash, slag, and silica fume, exhibited a more favorable environmental profile when evaluated using a mass-based FU. Incorporating compressive strength into the FU resulted in greater environmental benefits from high-strength blendedcement composites. However, this approach might lead to inaccurate results because higher strength does not always correspond to a lower environmental impact. Thus, establishing a FU that accurately reflects the environmental impact of blended cement and its composites (e.g., concrete and mortar) is crucial. Despite the potential of various pozzolanic materials to reduce clinker content in cement mixtures, their wide utilization remains restricted due to the absence of widescale market-based initiatives, green procurement strategies, and effective policy measures, which hampers their industrial and public acceptance. Consequently, governmental support is essential for developing and integrating sustainable cement solutions.

Green procurement practices and barriers in hospitals in the bono region of Ghana

Green procurement practices and barriers in hospitals in the bono region of Ghana

Life cycle assessment of plastic and paper carrying bags in the Philippines

Plastic waste mismanagement is a pertinent environmental concern among developing countries. The Philippines has a significant plastic waste concern as the country is among the top emitters of plastic wastes to the ocean. To manage plastic wastes, the government enacted policies. resulting to paper carrying bags becoming a prominent alternative. Switching from one carrying bag to another, however, requires clear assessment on the environmental implications as environmental trade-offs can occur. To provide the needed clarity, this study assessed the environmental implications of plastic and paper carrying bags through a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. This study developed a model with the novelty of a) supply chain integration, b) augmented Environmental Design of Industrial Products (EDIP) impact assessment, and c) inventory categorization. From the augmented EDIP assessment, paper carrying bags had a single score impact of 0.73 whereas plastic carrying bags had a single score of 0.63. In terms of geographic emissions, this work revealed that paper carrying bags emit 50.28% of its emissions outside the country whereas plastic carrying bag emit 34.72%. Policy recommendations derived from the findings are provided in this paper. Recommendations include carbon capture and storage, green procurement, circular management, and waste management system improvement. Policy makers may infer from the recommendations in managing environmental issues from the use of carrying bags.

Green Public Procurement in Public Administration: Perceptions and Challenges in Practice

ABSTRACT The implementation of green public procurement (GPP) in the Maltese public administration was perceived as an important step that supports the achievement of environmental policies. Institutions are in place for the application of GPP. However, there are difficulties in practice, and more needs to be done in terms of training and capacity development. This study concludes that managerial decisions are taken to legitimize actions, so that the administrator appears to be doing the right thing in the eyes of the stakeholders. Institutions intentionally adopt GPP to adhere to the norms and values of society. Whether GPP has a positive effect on the environment is a secondary objective.

Challenges and Strategies for Green Transformation in Logistics Procurement Business: Case Study of SF Express

This study explores the challenges and coping strategies logistics enterprises face in green transformation in procurement management operations. By analyzing the current situation of logistics enterprises, it is found that there are many problems in the traditional procurement model, such as focusing on profit and price while neglecting product quality and long-term partnership. At the same time, the cognitive level of logistics enterprises in green logistics procurement is low, and green supplier selection is influenced by price and profit. This study proposes strategies for establishing and improving green procurement management systems and policies, developing green procurement standards, and setting up evaluation mechanisms to facilitate logistics enterprises' transition towards green. Through case analyses, it is found that some enterprises have begun implementing green procurement and achieved positive results. Finally, this study emphasizes that the government has strengthened its policy support and supervision of green logistics procurement to promote logistics enterprises to make greater progress in green transformation.

A systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis of green procurement

A systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis of green procurement

Analyzing barriers to sustainable healthcare waste disposal: a hybrid decision-making framework

PurposeIn the recent post-pandemic era, the globe has been anxious for the sustainable disposal of healthcare waste to protect public health, protect the environment and enhance future preparedness. Developing countries, in particular, have struggled to dispose of healthcare waste (HCW) to eradicate the hazardous effects of medical waste generated during and after the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Hence the purpose of the research paper is to develop a hybrid decision-making framework to identify various barriers for sustainable disposal of healthcare waste use of Grey-Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (G-DEMATEL) and Analytical Network Process (ANP).Design/methodology/approachA hybrid framework of Grey-Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (G-DEMATEL) and Analytical Network Process (ANP) has been used to rank barriers and sub-barriers in the disposal of healthcare waste.FindingsThe study’s findings suggest that lack of segregation practices, absence of green procurement policy, obsolete technologies and resistance to adopting change management are the topmost causal barriers influencing the remaining barriers. Lack of commitment among healthcare administrations, lack of standard performance measures and resistance to adopting change appear to be the topmost crucial barriers.Practical implicationsThe study’s finding enables all stakeholders to prioritize the barriers systematically for better performance and save resources during the process. The policymakers can use the results to design a clear regulatory framework.Originality/valueThe literature has highlighted the factors and their association with the disposal of healthcare waste mainly in isolation. The results are validated against the Grey-Analytical Hierarchy Process (G-AHP) to ensure the robustness of the proposed framework. This paper is one of the preliminary attempts to propose a framework of the interrelationships of the factors that have a direct role in survival for management education.