Every day, public authorities purchase products and services that shape the places where we live. These decisions influence not only public spending but also the environmental footprint of our communities.

For many years, sustainable public procurement has focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions or promoting circular economy principles. At the same time, growing evidence has shown that many products also contain harmful chemicals that can affect human health and limit their safe reuse and recycling. While each of these challenges has received increasing attention, they are still too often addressed separately. Yet a truly sustainable future requires all three objectives to work together.

This is the challenge that ChemClimCircle-2 (CCC-2) sets out to address.

Rather than developing another set of recommendations, the project helps public authorities put integrated green public procurement into practice. Through the ChemClimCircle (CCC) approach, climate protection, circularity and chemical safety are brought together within a single procurement process, enabling purchasers to make decisions that consider the full environmental impact of products and services.

Turning this ambition into everyday practice requires more than guidance documents. Procurement professionals need practical tools, training and confidence to apply new criteria in real procurement procedures. To support this transition, CCC-2 will test the approach in around 50 procurement cases across municipalities and regional authorities throughout the Baltic Sea Region. Each pilot will generate practical experience, helping identify what works, where challenges arise and how the methodology can be further improved.

The knowledge gained through these pilots will form the foundation of the ChemClimCircle Navigator for Green Public Procurement - a digital platform combining practical guidance, monitoring methods, impact assessment criteria and a comprehensive learning programme. Designed as a long-term resource, the Navigator will help public authorities implement integrated green procurement well beyond the lifetime of the project.

Through a strong network of project partners and associated organisations, the results will be shared across the Baltic Sea Region, supporting wider policy uptake and encouraging public authorities to embed circular, climate-neutral and toxic-free procurement into their everyday decision-making.