ChemClimCircle Project

ChemClimCircle addresses an important challenge in policy integration which is not yet on the local policy agendas: the linkage between Chemicals, Climate and Circularity issues in public procurement. To function safely in a circular economy, materials need to be circular AND climate-neutral AND tox-free. Ensuring this in procurement processes within municipalities is one key for the possibility for a circular future.

Within ChemClimCircle, partners:

  • elaborate the “ChemClimCircle concept for procurement”: assess interlinks, conflicts of objectives and dependencies between circularity, chemicals risks and climate neutrality aspects in procurement;
  • develop comprehensive guidance and training modules for municipalities (procurement specialists, decision makers and end-user departments);
  • develop an internal management strategy for municipalities for ChemClimCircle procurement: interview key actors, map procurement processes in the institutions and assess how the ChemClimCircle aspects could be coordinated inside the institution;
  • develop an external management support for Eastern BSR municipalities involving all entities involved in GPP in LT and LV to Round tables;
  • develop strategies for dialogue and networking with stakeholders: map target groups, initiate contacts and create room for larger action;
  • organize 3 international think tank workshops with PP, AO and externals to discuss outputs & findings and receive input;
  • promote the ChemClimCircle approach to procurement in BSR;

The project partnership consists of three “guinea-pig” municipalities directly being involved in the development of the project outputs and testing them at their institution and a group of 7 municipalities as Associated Organisations, learning and contributing from the project actions.

  • Stockholm – the Environmental Department acts as key recipient and developer of the outputs in coop. with its procurement department; sub-ordinated structures are integrated into testing, surveys and training. Stockholm as one of frontrunners in integrated environmental thinking is testing internal coordination of the ChemClimCircle procurement approach.
  • Taurage, Lithuania – the project is attributed to the Sustainability Advisor at the mayor’s office. Taurage is small (40,000 inh.) but has the ambition to become the greenest municipality in Lithuania.
  • Smiltene, Latvia (19,100 inh.) has been involved in the Circular Public Procurment project and wants to go on learning GPP implementation.

A group of AO municipalities (Gentofte, Västeras, Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, Siauliai, Hamburg) participate in the project at different level of intensity – follow the developments, feedback guidelines & training materials and prepare own pilot actions for a future core project.

The expert partners are experienced in GPP, Circularity & Chemicals & Climate issues as well as in guidance and training material development:

  • Turku University of Applied Sciences, Finland – author of the NonHazCity guidelines on chemical-smart procurement contributes to development of the ChemClimCircle guidance and training material.
  • Stockholm Environment Institute Tallinn Centre, Estonia (RI) – brings in the waste management & circularity aspect as well as environmental management schemes and standards. It leads GoA1.1.
  • Eco-Design Competence Centre, Latvia (NGO) – its leading expert has been involved in the CircularPP project and brings in lessons learned for guideline development. ECC leads GoA1.2, assist Smiltene and facilitate Round tables with external stakeholders in Latvia.
  • ECAT-Lithuania (NGO) – brings into the project experience as trainers on GPP & waste management. It assists Taurage in development of its Blueprint ChemClimCircle strategy for Eastern BSR and facilitates the discussion process in Lithuania.
  • BEF Germany (NGO) is the think tank behind the proposal and leads the WP1 to achieve the foreseen objectives and outputs. It also leads GoA1.5. BEF Germany is involved in Hamburg for the GPP extension to Sustainable Public Procurement and connects Hamburg municipality to ChemClimCircle.
  • POMInno, Poland (RI, environmental consultant) acts as think-tank partner and bridges to Polish stakeholders, in particular municipalities.

Join Us:

We invite potential partners to join this ambitious journey to green public procurement across the BSR. Please fill in the intention formular here. Together, we can create a sustainable future, one greener procurement decision at a time.