S-Tiles - law corner

LAW CORNER

EUROPEAN UNION - Sustainable development offers the EU a positive long-term vision of a society that is more prosperous and more just, and which promises a cleaner, safer, healthier environment [COM(2001)264 final]. Achieving this in practice requires that economic growth supports social progress and respects the environment, that social policy underpins economic performance, and that environmental policy is cost-effective.
The Commission Communication on the SIXTH ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION PROGRAMME [COM(2001) 31 final], which covers the years 2001-2010, has identified public procurement as an area that has considerable potential for ‘greening’ the market.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION INTERPRETATIVE COMMUNICATION [COM(2001) 274 final] on the Community law applicable to public procurement and the possibilities for integrating environmental considerations into public procurement.

UNITED STATES - With the introduction of the COMPREHENSIVE PROCUREMENT GUIDELINE (CPG) a big step towards green procurement has been made. A key component of the CPG program is the EPA's list of designated products and recommended recycled content for each product. The CPG web site contains a brief description for each of the designated products, the EPA's recommended recycled content ranges, and a list identifying manufacturers, vendors, and suppliers for each item. This program has been authorized by the Congress under Section 6002 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and by Executive Order 13101.

JAPAN - In May 2000, “The Law for Promoting Environment-friendly Goods by Government and others” was established in Japan. This law is also referred to as the GREEN PROCUREMENT LAW and provides guidelines to governmental organizations, private companies and consumers on how to contribute to Green Procurement.