Despite the fact that ‘green’ purchasing is undertaken by many authorities within the EU, it is often done on an ad-hoc basis with a great deal of effort invested in making relatively minor improvements. To help overcome this, Leicester City Council is leading on a European project to help develop more systematic and efficient action.

The Local Authority EMAS and Procurement (LEAP) project hopes to bring together authorities around Europe to help develop the market for green products through the combined buying power of large organisations.

One example of the impact authorities can have in driving the market is the success achieved in the USA, where a federal obligation for all computers purchased by government departments to be Energy Star compliant (a system which increases the energy efficiency of monitor screens), led to a situation whereby now virtually all PCs sold on the market are compliant.

A set of tools, including a model joint procurement scheme will be developed, and 2005 will see an extensive testing phase where other authorities will have the opportunity to join in.

The other project partners are:

London Borough of Lewisham, UK
London Borough of Southwark, UK
London Borough of Sutton, UK
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, UK
Municipality of Holargos, Greece
Muncipality of Amaroussion, Greece
Municipality of Kalithea-Rhodes, Greece
City of Goteborg, Sweden
Barcelona Provincial Council, Spain
City of Almada, Portugal
Global to Local, UK

For more information on the project, log on to the LEAP website