Green and Sustainable Public Procurement—An Instrument for Nudging Consumer Behavior. A Case Study on Romanian Green Public Agriculture across Different Sectors of Activity

Abstract

Green Public Procurement (GPP) became an efficient instrument to achieve the objectives of environmental policy expressed by the European Commission in its Communications. At the same time, it must be addressed by the public authorities as a complex process, in which all purchased goods and services must integrate perfectly into an entire puzzle-like system of legislation, the construction field, innovation, healthcare, food, and education. Scientific references published in the Web of Science (WoS) mainly between 2017 and 2020 were investigated, and they analyze the implications of green public procurement in various fields, as presented by scientific communities. This article brings as a novelty in this context the identification of some barriers in the adoption of these processes, so that they can be overcome. Based on good practices and international standards and trends, the article shows how aspects related to the implementation of green procurement in society can be taken into account. In the second stage, we added a case study on Romanian green agriculture and discussions regarding inter-correlation between different fields and GPP.

Sustainable public procurement in Portugal: The case of two public school canteens

“…The logic of cooperation and mutual benefits to the market and to the public procurer can drive substantial changes in the supply chain (e.g., improve management practices, optimize costs, reduce food waste) and create significant opportunities to optimize innovation mechanisms in the procurement approach (Amann et al, 2014; Bucea‐Manea‐tonis et al, 2021; Soldi, 2018). However, to achieve this, it is necessary to facilitate rules and procedures, strengthen the training of teams and procurement managers, and avoid the administrative burden and potential financial constraints (e.g., higher cost of meals co‐shared with the families), as well as other problems related with the ‘local trap’(Born & Purcell, 2006; Sonnino, 2010).…”

“…These problems were at the root of an increasing number of initiatives across Europe that are driving innovative experiments motivated by environmental, economic, health, well‐being, and social values. These initiatives create new insights into supply chain management, business models, and organizational frameworks of food governance, within an holistic approach (Amann et al, 2014; Bucea‐Manea‐tonis et al, 2021; Morgan, 2008; Soldi, 2018; Sonnino, 2019). Recent literature on this topic focuses on regional or national levels, embracing a single‐country perspective (Cerutti et al, 2016; Galli et al, 2014; Lehtinen, 2012; Testa et al, 2012), or adopts a multi‐country perspective comparing the criteria used within EU countries for public purchasing of food products and catering services (Brammer & Walker, 2011; Neto & Caldas, 2018; Soldi, 2018).…”

Resources Management for a Resilient World: A Literature Review of Eastern European Countries with Focus on Household Behaviour and Trends Related to Food Waste

“…Using descriptive statistics and semantic similarities (for example the keyword Eastern Europe includes Eastern EU countries, Eastern European countries, and also individually taken countries which are located in those areas, such as Romania, Bulgaria, and Poland; the resources management keyword also comprises foodrelated resources, such as fresh water, fertilisers, and oil), the combination of one or two terms plus the time horizon were kept in mind (publishing year; decade-based range, very important for the trends generation), some examples being presented in Table 1. The systematic literature review revealed that misconceptions accompanying us during the first stage of this research suffered change, faced with the number of interesting documents finally found, a visible signal that the need for the understanding of concepts such as food waste, circular economy, and waste management in Eastern European countries started years ago, increased significantly from 2015, and remains an on-going process due to the specificity of the region and driven by COVID-19 dynamics [46][47][48][49]. The highest share of expenditures on food in 2020 belonged to Eastern European countries: Romania (26.4%), followed by Lithuania (21.7%), Estonia (21.6%), and Croatia (21.4%), whereas the lowest rates belonged to Luxembourg (9.5%), Ireland (9.8%), and Switzerland (9.7%) [50][51][52][53].…”

Challenging Novelties within the Circular Economy Concept under the Digital Transformation of Society

“…However, current business conditions on the market impose the need for constant adjustment and a continual search for ways to raise competitiveness for companies. This is precisely because of the overproduction and oversaturation of the market [11][12][13]. Consequently, companies find it challenging to differentiate and position themselves in consumers' minds (i.e., market positioning).…”