The New Zealand Government is committed to achieving positive environmental outcomes through sustainable procurement by buying low emissions and low waste goods, services and works.
This will help the government’s goal of transitioning to a net zero emissions economy by 2050 and significantly reducing waste by 2020.
These expectations are set out in Rule 20 of the Government Procurement Rules (4th edition), which requires that mandated agencies deliver minimum requirements in designated contract areas. These are detailed below:
Rule 20: Transitioning to a net zero emissions economy and designing waste out of the system
| Designated contract area | Minimum requirement | Guidance and resources |
|---|---|---|
| Office supplies | When purchasing office supplies from the All-of-Government office supplies contract, agencies need to purchase items that produce low amounts of waste and/or are recyclable. | Office supplies |
| Light vehicles | When purchasing vehicles from the All-of-Government motor vehicles contract, agencies need to choose a battery electric vehicle (BEV), or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) if a BEV is not appropriate for the proposed use, unless there are operational requirements or other circumstances that prevent them from doing so. The New Zealand Government has a goal that, where practicable, its fleet should be emissions free by 2025/26. | Reducing government fleet emissions |
| Stationary/process heating systems | When purchasing heating systems for a government building, agencies need to ensure that they are buying a low emission heating option. Agencies must not purchase coal boilers and should not invest in any other kind of fossil-fuelled boiler (such as natural gas or LPG) | Reducing emissions from stationary heating [PDF, 176 KB] |
There are lots of resources available to help you develop and implement strategies for sustainable procurement. Try the European Commission’s buying green handbook and ISO standards on sustainable procurement.
You can also follow a link to a list of suppliers of emissions expertise and services to the Carbon Neutral Government Programme.
Buying green! A handbook on green public procurement 3rd Edition [PDF, 2.87 MB]
Suppliers of emissions expertise and services – Ministry for the Environment Manatū Mō Te Taiao
You can also check out our guidance on:
Use procurement to reduce emissions and waste.
Reduce waste by buying and using fewer supplies.
Reduce emissions and by choosing lower emissions options.
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