Ensuring that Public Procurement contributes to a Sustainable Future

Aiming to create a future where every public purchase contributes to a greener and more sustainable planet. This is the ambitious goal of the Action Plan of the National Strategy for Green Public Procurement 2030 – ECO360 (PA ECO360), recently approved by Council of Ministers Resolution no. 162/2024. This plan not only reinforces Portugal’s commitment to sustainability, but also establishes a clear path for the implementation of green practices in all spheres of public administration.

Council of Ministers Resolution no. 162/2024 of 12 November was published in the Diário da República, approving the Action Plan for the National Strategy for Green Public Procurement 2030 – ECO360 (PA ECO360). This plan aims to ensure the implementation of the National Strategy for Green Public Procurement 2030 (ECO360), approved by Council of Ministers Resolution 13/2023 of 10 February.

Council of Ministers Resolution no. 132/2023, of 25 October, established ecological criteria for contracts signed by direct and indirect state administration entities, including the state business sector, introducing mandatory, recommendable or possible ecological criteria.

The ECO360 PA identifies priority products and services and defines specific measures for each action vector:

Facilitation of Assessment Tools (M1.4): Creation of databases to expand the use of assessment methodologies based on Life Cycle Analysis and Environmental Footprint of Products, including indicators such as Carbon Footprint and Water Footprint.
Financial Incentives (M3.1): Provision of financial incentives to support public entities in adopting ecological criteria, aligning financial interests with environmental protection. This includes the creation of the Green Public Procurement Award (ECO360 Award) to reward sustainable public procurement practices.
Capacity Building for Buyers and Suppliers (M4.1): Training for public buyers and suppliers, promoting sustainable, innovative and circular public procurement, and strengthening the transformative role of the Public Administration.
ECO360 Portal (M4.3): Development of a digital portal to support the operationalisation and monitoring of the implementation of ECO360.