A coalition of 26 businesses and civil society groups representing more than 11,500 companies is pressing the European Commission to turn green purchasing from an ambition into a legal requirement, arguing that the EU’s vast public buying power is still not being used to accelerate decarbonisation.
In a letter sent on 18 August and coordinated by the Italian climate think tank ECCO, the group says public authorities across the bloc spend about €2.5tn a year on procurement, ...
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roughly 16% of EU GDP. That scale, it argues, should make procurement one of Brussels’ most powerful industrial policy tools, yet price still dominates too many decisions and environmental criteria are often applied unevenly from one member state to another.
The intervention comes as the Commission prepares a revision of procurement rules expected on 9 September and as EU institutions continue work on the Industrial Accelerator Act, a separate but related proposal designed to strengthen European industry and increase demand for low-carbon, European-made products. According to the European Parliament’s research service, that legislation aims to lift manufacturing’s share of EU GDP to 20% by 2035, from 14.3% in 2024, and would extend “Made in EU” and low-carbon preferences across selected strategic sectors.
The coalition says the current patchwork leaves companies in an awkward position: they are urged to cut emissions, but public purchasing does not always reward the firms that invest in cleaner production. It wants the Commission to move away from lowest-price-only awards and make the broader “most economically advantageous tender” approach the default, giving authorities more room to weigh carbon performance, supply-chain standards and innovation alongside cost.
It also argues that any new requirements should be phased in gradually and built around clear minimum criteria, with additional scoring for bidders that go further. To avoid creating another reporting burden, the letter suggests aligning procurement rules with existing EU climate frameworks, including methodologies linked to the emissions trading system and the carbon border adjustment mechanism.
The signatories further want public contracts to exclude suppliers associated with poor labour conditions or abuses in their supply chains, saying climate policy and responsible sourcing should not be treated as separate questions.
The push reflects a broader shift in Brussels, where policymakers are increasingly treating procurement as a lever for industrial competitiveness as well as climate policy. The Council approved the Net-Zero Industry Act in 2024 to strengthen Europe’s manufacturing base for clean technologies, while the Commission’s Industrial Accelerator Act proposal, published in March, is intended to stimulate demand for products such as steel, cement, batteries, photovoltaic panels, heat pumps, wind turbines and hydrogen-linked technologies.
Supporters of greener procurement say the logic is straightforward: if governments consistently favour cleaner materials, vehicles and equipment, suppliers will have a stronger commercial case for investing in decarbonisation. In transport, the European Hydrogen Observatory notes that public procurement can also help build markets for clean vehicles and associated infrastructure.
The coalition’s message is essentially that Europe already has the spending power to shape the market; what it lacks, its members say, is a ruleset bold enough to use it.
Source: Noah Wire Services
