Bremen joins forces to pilot circular, climate-friendly and chemicalsmart public procurement

As part of ChemClimCircle-2, the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (hereinafter Bremen) is testing how public procurement can drive the transition towards circular, climate-friendly and chemical-smart supply chains. The pilot cases include the procurement of office IT devices and fertilizers and rely on multi-stakeholder-cooperation to demonstrate how sustainability criteria anchored in Bremen’s procurement regulation (Verwaltungsvorschrift für die Beschaffung der Freien Hansestadt Bremen) and Climate Action Plan (Aktionsplan Klimaschutz) can be translated into practical purchasing decisions. Across all pilots, criteria such as durability, repairability, recyclability, reusability, low emissions and the avoidance of hazardous substances form the strategic backbone of procurement planning.

Case 1: Circular product design of office IT

Three federal states, one service partner, one framework agreement: Over the next four years, Bremen and other administrations in northern Germany raise the bar for circular office IT. The framework agreement for notebooks, desktop PCs, monitors and IT equipment is administered by the joint IT service company Dataport and aims to expand sustainability requirements beyond traditional energy efficiency criteria.

While previous tenders focused on energy consumption and responsible supply chain management, one focus of the new tender is to systematically integrate circularity criteria for product design and packaging. Circularity criteria address both recycled resources that replace raw materials in the production process and end-of-lifecycle solutions to avoid electronic waste. During the use phase, the service life is extended by focussing on durability and repairability of the hardware components as well as availability of spare parts.

Case 2: Greening green areas by responsible use of fertilizers

Not only are nitrogenous fertilizers used in agriculture to improve harvests, they are also widely applied to public green areas such as parks and sports facilities. Since the production of mineral fertilizers is energy intensive and vulnerable to disruptions in global trade routes, municipalities may benefit from circular and more economic alternatives. After all, fertilizers are only one way to preserve the function of soils and enable plant growth. When it comes to soil quality, sometimes less (fertilizing) is more.

Bremen’s case focuses on improving the use of fertilizers through organic alternatives and technical innovations in cultivation practices. In multi-stakeholder dialogues, best practices in organic fertilizing, procurement and soil measurement are discussed to prepare future tenders. The case illustrates that interfering with biological and chemical cycles needs careful analysis and tailored solutions rather than standardized products and uniform procedures. When expertise is scattered throughout the region, tenders may benefit from expert and market dialogues to preserve ecosystem services while saving money in public procurement.

From pilot cases to systemic change

Together, the pilots demonstrate Bremen’s comprehensive approach: safeguarding health through chemical-smart procurement, reducing climate impacts and embedding circular economy principles into municipal purchasing. By translating strategic objectives into the procurement cycle, including concrete framework agreements and product criteria, Bremen provides practical and transferable examples for other public authorities seeking to leverage procurement as a driver of systemic change.

Contact details:
Markus Allbauer-Jürgensen
Officer for green public procurement, Free Hanseatic City of Bremen
markus.allbauer-juergensen@umwelt.bremen.de

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