Ecodesign in Demand: A Demonstration Project
A demonstration project that brings together a number of partners from the public and private sector with the focus on public sector procurement of ecodesigned office furniture will be led by EDC and the Sustainable Procurement Team from the Welsh Assembly Government.
This demonstration project, which is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government, aims to create demand for ecodesigned products. It has an estimated start date of May 2009. Partners include three Welsh Assembly Government departments, a number of office furniture design and manufacturers as well as EDC.
The Welsh Assembly Government already have a sustainable procurement team leading the way (as part of Value Wales) who are committed to sustainable procurement, having a number of successful schemes and initiatives in place. They have worked in the past with other organisations such as Forum for the Future on developing procurement tools and guidelines and Oxfam to promote ethical supply chains. Value Wales view sustainable procurement as good procurement practice and have a ‘Sustainable Procurement Board’ with representatives from across the Welsh Public Sector.
Key points for the project are:
- create demand for ecodesign, ecodesigned products through public sector procurement
- send a clear signal of government leadership in the move towards a low carbon economy
- help safeguard existing jobs and encourage economic resilience through the creation of new ‘green jobs’
- help maintain the competitiveness of Welsh business in current economic climate
- specify the ecodesign criteria and establish how they can be more effectively embedded in public procurement guidelines and practice
- develop a transferable framework for ecodesign-led procurement, thus creating demand for ecodesigned products from other Welsh businesses / sectors, e.g. food and drink
- increase eco-literacy and build capacity of public sector procurement team and procurement specifiers through knowledge transfer and training
- increase eco-literacy and build capacity in designers, manufacturers, re-furbishers and other key stakeholders
- overcome some of the difficulties related to SMEs interfacing with public procurement
Further information about this project and confirmation of the private sector partners will be published by EDC in the next few months.
Click on the link to read the Design Week Magazine article ‘Welsh Assembly considers sustainable design procurement’ written by Emily Pacey.
To learn more about the Sustainable Procurement Team, Value Wales, Finance Department, Welsh Assembly Government please visit https://www.buy4wales.co.uk/PRP/index.html.
15 April 2009
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