Third international meeting of the InCEPPP project

The partners of the InCEPPP project from the Czech Republic (BIC Brno e INCIEN CZ), Spain (BIOAZUL) y Eslovakia (INCIEN SK) had their third face-to-face meeting in Prague on May 4 and 5. During the two days, they have been able to continue working on the development of methodologies, manuals and training on public and private circular hiring/purchasing.

After the publication of the “Methodology on circular public and private procurement” in Spain and Slovakia, the consortium participated in its launch in the Czech Republic, in a face-to-face event organized jointly by INCIEN Academy, the Czech “Circular Hotspot” in which we presented the new methodologies and tools that we are preparing. It was a close event in which we had the opportunity to talk about circularity in an international context and discuss good practices in each country together with the participants.

In the coming months we will share the details about the possibility of participating in the training on circularity in purchases we are preparing for autumn, where participants will learn about circularity as well as strategies to train other professionals interested in Circular Economy and circularity in the field of public and private procurement. Participating in these events:

• You will understand the basic concepts of circularity.
• You will understand clear tools on how to obtain circularity in purchases both at the level of public procurement and in your company.
• You will learn tools to apply this training within your organization or train interested organizations.

Methodology on circular public and private procurement

The methodology describes the basic characteristics of the circular economy and the current state of global and European environmental limits. The transition from a linear economy of “make-use-dispose” to a circular economy can be achieved thanks to principles such as reducing and re-evaluating our needs, reusing and repairing individual products, new forms of use such as renting or sharing. The methodology also introduces circular public procurement in relation to responsible public procurement and recommends new circular business models. At the same time, it discusses the benefits and problems associated with circular contracting and purchasing, defines the basic steps for contracting authorities, and provides specific advice.

The legislative framework in Spain for the application of circular principles in public procurement is also presented. Likewise, the Methodology deals with four sectors: water, wood, furniture and waste. Then, the theoretical part is complemented with examples of good practices in Spain and other European countries, because inspiration is important in this regard.

Some key findings of the methodology

1. Circularity and sustainability can be applied in any sector, but knowledge is usually lacking and experts are not consulted. Therefore, experts should be invited to consult the objectives, options and specific aspects of each contract when preparing public contracts.
2. For a public contract to be successful, cooperation (and joint search for solutions) between the contracting authority and the supplier(s) is needed. Such cooperation is also one of the key principles of the circular economy in general.
3. To implement the circular economy, it is necessary to change both traditional consumption patterns and current consumer attitudes. The circular economy is not about increasing consumption, which is “greener”, but about focusing on quality instead of quality and minimizing our needs.

More information:

• InCEPPP portfolio.
• Methodology on circular public and private procurement.