In a capacious reform towards sustainability in public procurement reaching over the full implementation of the EU Directives, the German Council for Sustainable Development sees a great chance for an activating sustainability policy as well as for the German competetiveness. The Council released six recommendations which are now available as a brochure and online.

Contributing to the current debate on the modernisation of the public procurement, the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) claims a capacious reform. Therefore the Council has released six concrete recommendations. In Germany, public authorities annually approve construction, supply and service contracts worth roughly € 360 billion, which amounts to 17% of the gross domestic product (GDP). Considering this, the public hand plays a considerable economic role in important markets for goods and services.

The RNE criticises the merely minimalist, technical implementation of the EU Directives in German law. Besides the full implementation of the Directive, it recommends a comprehensive approach which contributes also to German competetiveness. The Council encourages to realise the possible reduction of CO2 emissions for example in the field of public real properties as well as an exemplary sustainability check to clarify the advantages of sustainable procurement. It would be expedient to conduct this sustainability test for the goods paper, government cars and energy for heating buildings. The RNE further recommends to appoint a German Government commissioner for sustainability in public procurement in order to consolidate the approaches of the German Government in the realm of public procurement. To guarantee transparency, the RNE recommends the German Government to compile reports on the social responsibility of public procurement regularly in a sustainability report as known in sustainability managements in business.