Enabling ASEAN through Circular Economy Practices in Green Public Procurement (GPP)

The public sector is increasingly acknowledging the need for a strategic approach in addressing the triple planetary crisis—climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Green public procurement (GPP) can play a pivotal role in addressing these challenges as it calls on governments to procure goods and services with the least environmental impact. GPP is estimated at $11 trillion, which accounts for 12% of the global gross domestic product, offering substantial leverage in fostering the circular economy.

However, numerous challenges hinder the effective implementation and advancement of GPP in Southeast Asia. These challenges include the absence of standardized guidelines, limited capacity and resources, inadequate infrastructure and supplies, diverse cultural and socio-economic contexts, and market competitiveness. Addressing these challenges will necessitate collaborations among all regional stakeholders. Such cooperation is essential to bridge policy gaps, fully realizing GPP's potential and its transformative impact on the circular economy.

This webinar will look into the link between GPP and the circular economy and their shared objective of addressing the triple planetary crisis and promoting sustainable consumption and production. It aims to provide the global framework for GPP and the regional framework of the Green Public Procurement Action under the ASEAN Sustainable Consumption and Production Framework, while sharing tangible examples of current practices.

The webinar series is hosted by the ASEAN Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform and co-hosted by the EU SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component.