Sustainability in the construction industry has become an increasingly important topic in recent years. The publication of Buying Greener: Green Public Procurement Strategy and Action Plan 2024 – 2027 by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment and the Office of Government Procurement demonstrates the increasing importance of Green Public Procurement (GPP). GPP involves public bodies procuring goods, services, and works with a reduced environmental impact throughout their life cycle, compared to conventional alternatives. While much of the recent policy focus of Green Procurement has been on Green Public Procurement (GPP), the private sector is increasingly adopting these practices due to growing client demand, market trends, and long-term advantages. Benefits for both the public and private sectors can include:
Cost savings and economic benefits:
- Risk mitigation: Adopting Green Procurement helps companies comply with evolving environmental regulations, avoiding potential penalties and future-proofing their assets against stricter climate policies.
- Reduced energy and water bills due to improved efficiency.
- Lower maintenance and replacement costs due to durable, high-quality materials.
- Reduced waste disposal costs. Green Procurement promotes the use of recycled and locally sourced materials, efficient material usage, and practices such as waste reduction, reuse, and recycling on-site. This conserves natural resources and helps divert waste from landfills.
- Improved operational efficiency: Better management of resources like fuel, water, and energy, along with streamlined processes, which can lead to significant cost reductions.
Environmental benefits:
- Reduced Carbon Footprint: Green Procurement emphasises using materials with lower embodied carbon, such as timber frame and cross-laminated timber, and reducing reliance on high-carbon materials like cement and concrete. This directly contributes to Ireland’s climate action targets.
- Minimised Waste and Resource Depletion: Green Procurement promotes the use of recycled and locally sourced materials, efficient material usage, and practices like waste reduction, reuse, and recycling on-site. This conserves natural resources and diverts waste from landfills.
- Improved Energy and Water Efficiency: Green Procurement encourages the specification of energy-efficient technologies, better insulation, natural ventilation and lighting, and efficient water management systems (e.g., rainwater harvesting). This leads to lower operational energy and water consumption in completed buildings.
- Reduced Pollution: By selecting environmentally responsible suppliers and minimizing harmful chemicals, Green Procurement contributes to cleaner air and water quality.
- • Enhanced Biodiversity: Considerations for biodiversity can be integrated into design and material choices, supporting local ecosystems.
While the benefits are extensive, we also note the well-documented challenges related to regulatory compliance—particularly the lack of harmonised European standards or Irish-specific equivalents— which continue to limit the widespread use of recycled materials. However, this also presents a significant opportunity to strengthen support through targeted financial and regulatory incentives, thereby advancing the adoption of recycled materials.
Integrating green procurement into a project requires careful coordination to balance environmental considerations with the specific needs of each project, whether public or private. Throughout the project lifecycle, effective project management can ensure:
- Early Integration: Project managers can ensure that environmental sustainability is considered from the very beginning of a project’s needs assessment and business case development. Integrating these requirements from project inception is essential to ensuring all possible avenues for Green Procurement are explored.
- Criteria Application: A project manager can actively apply and manage the inclusion of Green Procurement criteria in tender documents, ensuring that relevant environmental and sustainability standards are met throughout the procurement process and the correct design team is engaged.
- Supplier Engagement: Project managers can work with design teams to engage with suppliers, encouraging innovative green solutions and ensuring that proposed goods and services meet the Green Procurement objectives.
- Monitoring and Reporting: Project managers can play a critical role in monitoring and reporting on the environmental impacts and achievements of the procured goods and services, contributing to the overall sustainability implementation data.
- Compliance and Training: Project managers can ensure that their teams are aware of and adhere to Green Public Procurement and private procurement policies and guidelines, facilitating necessary training and fostering a culture of Green Procurement within their projects.
- Risk Management: By identifying and mitigating potential environmental risks associated with procurement, project managers can ensure projects are not only compliant but also contribute positively to Ireland’s sustainability goals.
By embracing green procurement, project managers can ensure that their projects deliver not only economic value but also contribute significantly to Ireland’s environmental protection and climate action commitments, paving the way for a more sustainable future. Should you wish to discuss the use of Green Procurement methods on your project, our Project Management team would be happy to talk to you.