ChemClimCircle-2 - Fostering implementation of the ChemClimCircle approach to Green Public Procurement in the Baltic Sea Region

ChemClimCircle-2 project aims to combine climate protection, circularity and chemicals reduction objectives in public procurement. The project will pilot, document and evaluate the ChemClimCircle approach in ca. 50 procurement use cases at 10 municipal and 3 regional authorities in the Baltic Sea Region both in terms of the innovative procurement process and the environmental impact.

Every year, the public sector in the EU spends around 12% of its GDP (ca. 2 trillion €) on the purchase of services, works and supplies. This gives Green Public Procurement (GPP) enormous potential to drive progress toward climate goals.

However, measuring the success of GPP remains a challenge. Current methods of evaluating environmental impacts of GPP does not give satisfactory solutions yet: CO2 emissions are estimated based on life cycle assessments that focus mainly on energy consumption. 

To fully capture the environmental benefits of GPP, especially in relation to climate protection, circularity, and chemical use reduction (the “three C’s”), we need new, more comprehensive evaluation methods. Yet, translating complex factors like hazardous substance reduction and circular resource use into CO₂ metrics is still a major hurdle.
The ChemClimCircle-2 project will integrate chemicals, climate, and circularity (the three “Cs”) into a holistic Green Public Procurement (GPP) framework through an extensive series of internationally harmonized piloting and testing rounds across eight countries.

Throughout the project, approximately 50 procurement use cases will be piloted across 10 municipalities and 3 regional authorities. These practical testbeds will trial the ChemClimCircle approach not only for procurement process innovation but also for measurable environmental impact. A dedicated monitoring concept and impact assessment criteria will be developed as part of the project. These tools along with a tailored learning programme will be integrated into the ChemClimCircle Navigator for Green Public Procurement, the project’s final product and practical solution for public procurement experts.

The Navigator is a practical, user-friendly tool designed to guide public procurers and end-users through the ChemClimCircle (CCC) approach in Green Public Procurement (GPP). It brings together all the key elements developed in the project into one operational model, making the process structured, manageable, and easy to apply.

It offers step-by-step guidance and hands-on assessment tools to support every stage of CCC-compliant procurement.

The Navigator includes the main solutions developed and tested in the project:

• The CCC procurement concept
• A step-by-step guide to applying the CCC approach in real procurement processes
• Monitoring and evaluation tools to track progress and impact
• An environmental impact assessment method, covering circularity, chemical safety, and climate relevance
• A comprehensive training package, including online courses with lectures and practical exercises for procurers and end-users

Project partners

1. Lithuanian Public Procurement Office, Vilnius, LT
2. MC Baltics, LT
3. Vilnius City Administration, LT
4. Taurage district municipality administration, LT
5. ECAT, LT
6. City of Stockholm, SE
7. Västerås municipality, SE
8. City of Helsinki, FI
9. City of Turku, FI
10. Turku University of Applied Sciences (Turku UAS), FI
11. Gentofte municipality, DK
12. BEF Germany, DE
13. Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, DE
14. District of Herz. Lauenburg, DE
15. World Future Council, DE
16. Stockholm Environment Institute Tallinn Centre, EE
17. Tallinn Strategic Management Office, EE
18. Cesis municipality, LV
19. Vidzeme Planning Region, LV
20. Ecodesign Competence Center (ECC), LV
21. POMInno Ltd, PL
22. Poznań Municipality, PL