This wrap-up has been compiled by the Programme
Priority   3 Climate-neutral societies
Objective  3.1 Circular economy
ChemClimCircle:
Wrap-up of project achievements
Many municipalities around the Baltic Sea have not yet integrated circular economy principles, chemical safety, and climate neutrality into their green procurements. The Interreg project ChemClimCircle helped change that: it equipped municipalities, suppliers and service providers with tools and training to make public procurement circular and green, providing non-toxic, climate-neutral products and services.
Highlights
ChemClimCircle
ChemClimCircle created a set of tools to help municipalities around the Baltic Sea enhance their procurement strategies and integrate criteria such as circularity, non-toxicity, and climate neutrality into public tendering.
In a nutshell, the project developed:
- Practical guide with supplementary report on ChemClimCircle procurement
- 5-module training programme
- Management strategies for municipalities on integrating the ChemClimCircle approach into procurement
- Roadmap of management support for circular, climate-neutral and toxic-free procurement in Eastern Baltic Sea region
Project
Details
Project type
Small project
Project duration
October 2022 – September 2024
Contribution to the EUSBSR
PA Innovation
Budget in million
EURO
Involved
Countries
Lead partner
Project partners
Practical guide
The practical guide helps public organisations apply the ChemClimCircle approach, which combines three pillars: low toxicity (Chemicals), climate neutrality (Climate), and circularity (Circular). It explains how to integrate these principles throughout procurement and gives recommendations for seven key categories: packaging, textiles, plastic-containing products, food and catering, furniture, cleaning products and services, and electrical and electronic appliances.
The guide supports municipalities in advancing climate goals, reducing exposure to harmful chemicals, while encouraging recycling of tox-free materials.Â
The ChemClimCircle approach was tested in practice by partner municipalities in Stockholm (Sweden), TauragÄ— (Lithuania) and Smiltene (Latvia) through actual procurement cases.
Training programme
A five-module training programme for municipal staff and management is based on the practical guide and the experiences of partners, covering the following modules:
- Module 1: Introduction to the ChemClimCircle approach and green public procurement;
- Module 2: How strategies and policies pave the way for the ChemClimCircle approach;
- Module 3: Step-by-step guidance on integrating the ChemClimCircle approach into procurement – from planning, criteria development and publishing up to contracting and follow-up;
- Module 4: Case studies illustrating seven procurement categories;
- Module 5: Tools for self-assessment and impact assessment.
The training modules were piloted in Stockholm (Sweden), TauragÄ— (Lithuania), and Smiltene (Latvia).
Management strategies
The management strategies report recommends how municipalities can embed sustainability – chemicals, climate, and circularity — into their procurement processes. The proposed approach encompasses every stage: from needs and market analysis, through the setting of criteria to follow-up during the contract period, evaluation, and transferring lessons learned into future procurements. It offers flexible models for both large and small municipalities, outlining structures for managing sustainability criteria and defining the role of sustainability coordinators.
The strategies draw on experiences from partners in Stockholm, Tauragė, and Smiltene, and associated organisations e.g. Västerås, Helsinki, Gentofte, Riga, and Tallinn. They also discuss impact assessment methods and include practical examples from real procurement cases.
ChemClimCircle Roadmap
The ChemClimCircle roadmap provides additional guidance for municipalities in the eastern Baltic Sea region that are less advanced in green public procurement. It outlines how they can connect the green public procurement processes with their strategic goals and organisational structures. It presents key steps for integrating climate, circularity and chemical risk management into public procurement.
The roadmap is based on real-life experiences collected during roundtables held with municipalities and experts in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland. Â
Interreg pays off
ChemClimCircle solutions in use
The small ChemClimCircle project has already led to a larger-scale Interreg project ChemClimCircle-2, which further expands the ChemClimCircle approach and its solutions.Â
In the meantime, various components of the ChemClimCircle approach are already in use:
- The Union of the Baltic Cities is incorporating training modules, case studies and assessment matrix into their activities;
- Lauenburg (Germany) have shown strong interest in adopting ChemClimCircle methods, for example, in terms of establishment sustainability coordination structures;
- Networks between municipalities in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have been established
To increase the reach, the project also joined the Procura+ network, a platform for European public authorities and regions that connect, exchange and act on sustainable and innovative procurement.
In numbers
25 organisations cooperating across borders
50 organisations directly benefitting from project solutions
Project Wrap-Up
 Thanks to the Interreg funding and working as if there were no borders, this project ChemClimCircle brought considerable improvement in the green public procurement concept in the Baltic Sea region. Now, municipalities and other public organisations across the region can finally apply a circular, toxic-free and climate-neutral approach to their procurement processes – paving the way for a more sustainable and healthier future.
