Low carbon procurement: An emerging agenda

Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management

Volumn 19, Issue 1, 2013, Pages 58-64

  Correia, Fernando ^a   Howard, Mickey ^a   Hawkins, Beverley ^a   Pye, Annie ^a   Lamming, Richard ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF EXETER BUSINESS SCHOOL   (United Kingdom)

^b UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Carbon management; Policy agenda; Public procurement

Indexed keywords

EID: 84876099074     PISSN: 14784092     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.pursup.2012.11.004     Document Type: Article

References (93)

1. Accenture, 2012. CDP supply chain report 2012. A new era: supplier management in the low-carbon economy, Carbon Disclosure Project.
2. AEA, 2009. CDP Public procurement program 2009. Central Government Report, London: Carbon Disclosure Project.
3. Andersen M., Skjoett-Larsen T. Corporate social responsibility in global supply chains. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal 2009, 14(2):75-86.
4. van Asselt H., van der Grijp N., Oosterhuis F. Greener public purchasing: opportunities for climate-friendly government procurement under WTO and EU rules. Climate Policy 2006, 6(2):217-229.
5. Bolton P. Protecting the environment through public procurement: The case of South Africa. Natural Resources Forum 2008, 32(1):1-10.
6. Bolwig, S., Gibbon, P., 2009. Emerging product carbon footprint standards and schemes and their possible trade impacts. Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy Roskilde.
7. Borg N., et al. Release the power of the public purse. Energy Policy 2006, 34(2):238-250.
8. Browne M., et al. Life cycle assessment in the supply chain: a review and case study. Transport Reviews: A Transnational Transdisciplinary Journal 2005, 25(6):761-782.
9. BSI PAS 2050:2008. Specification for the Assessment of the Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2008, British Standards Institution, London.
10. Carbon Trust Carbon footprinting-the next step to reducing your emissions 2010, The Carbon Trust, London, UK.
11. Carter C.R., Rogers D.S. A framework of sustainable supply chain management- moving toward new theory. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management 2008, 38(5):360-387.
12. CEC A Sustainable Europe for a Better World: A European Union Strategy for Sustainable Development (Commission's proposal to the Gothenburg European Council) 2001, Commission of the European Communities, Brussels.
13. CEC Public Procurement for a Better Environment 2008, Commission of the European Communities, Brussels.
14. Chan M.-K. Carbon Management. A Practical Guide for Suppliers 2009, University of Cambridge Program for Sustainability Leadership. Business in the Community, Cambridge, UK.
15. Cholette S., Venkat K. The energy and carbon intensity of wine distribution: a study of logistical options for delivering wine to consumers. Journal of Cleaner Production 2009, 17(16):1401-1413.
16. DECC,2008. Climate change act 2008. Department of Energy and Climate Change. Available from: (accessed 03.09.10). http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/legislation/cc_act_08/cc_act_08.aspx.
17. DEFRA Procuring the Future. Sustainable Procurement National Action Plan: Recommendations from the Sustainable Procurement Task Force 2006, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, London.
18. DEFRA & DECC Guidance on how to measure and report your greenhouse gas emissions 2009, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), London.
19. Dufey A. Biofuels Production, Trade and Sustainable Development: Emerging Issues 2006, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), London.
20. EC EUROPE 2020. A Strategy for Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth 2010, European Commission, Brussels.
21. EC, 2010b. Green public procurement. European Commission: Environment. Available from: (accessed 11.08.10). http://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/index_en.htm.
22. Edwards J.B., McKinnon A.C., Cullinane S.L. Comparative analysis of the carbon footprints of conventional and online retailing: a 'last mile' perspective. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management 2010, 40(1/2):103-123.
23. Edwards-Jones G., et al. Testing the assertion that 'local food is best': the challenges of an evidence-based approach. Trends in Food Science & Technology 2008, 19(5):265-274.
24. 2003, Greenleaf Publishing, Sheffield, UK. C. Erdmenger (Ed.).
25. Erridge A. Competitive tendering and partnership in the public sector. Working in Partnership: Best Practice in Customer-supplier Relations 1998, Gower Publishing, Ltd., Aldershot, England and Vermont, USA, pp. 21-38. B. Burnes, B.G. Dale (Eds.).
26. Erridge A., Greer J. Partnerships and public procurement: building social capital through supply relations. Public Administration 2002, 80(3):503-522.
27. European Parliament, 2002. Decision no. 1600/2002/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 July, 2002 laying down the Sixth Community Environment Action Program. Official Journal of the European Communities, L 242. Available from: (accessed 11.08.10). http://ec.europa.eu/environment/newprg/index.htm.
28. Finkbeiner M. Carbon footprinting-opportunities and threats. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2009, 14(2):91-94.
29. Goldemberg J., Coelho S.T., Guardabassi P. The sustainability of ethanol production from sugarcane. Energy Policy 2008, 36(6):2086-2097.
30. HM Government, 2010. Climate change: taking action. Delivering the Low Carbon Transition Plan and preparing for a changing climate, HM Government.
31. HM Government, 2011. The carbon plan: delivering our low carbon future, London: Department of Energy and Climate Change. Available from: 〈http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/What%20we%20do/A%20low%20carbon%20UK/1358-the-carbon-plan.pdf〉 (Accessed 09.03.11).
32. HM Government The UK low carbon industrial strategy 2009, HM Government. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Department of Energy and Climate Change, London.
33. HM Government, 2009b. The UK low carbon transition plan. National Strategy for Climate and Energy, London: HM Government. Available from: (Accessed 25.03.10). http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/publications/lc_trans_plan/lc_trans_plan.aspx.
34. Hogan L., Thorpe S. Issues in Food Miles and Carbon Labeling 2009, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Canberra, Australia.
35. Huang Y.A., Weber C.L., Matthews H.S. Categorization of Scope 3 emissions for streamlined enterprise carbon footprinting. Environmental Science & Technology 2009, 43(22):8509-8515.
36. ICLEI, 2007. Procura+ Campaign. Available from: (accessed 11.08.11). http://www.procuraplus.org.
37. IGPN, 2008. About IGPN: Outline. IGPN-International Green Purchasing Network. Available from: (accessed 11.08.11). http://www.igpn.org/about/index.html.
38. Johnson E. Disagreement over carbon footprints: a comparison of electric and LPG forklifts. Energy Policy 2008, 36(4):1569-1573.
39. de Koning A., et al. Uncertainties in a carbon footprint model for detergents; quantifying the confidence in a comparative result. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2010, 15(1):79-89.
40. Li L., Geiser K. Environmentally responsible public procurement (ERPP) and its implications for integrated product policy (IPP). Journal of Cleaner Production 2005, 13(7):705-715.
41. MacGregor J., Vorley B. Fair Miles? The Concept of 'Food Miles' Through a Sustainable Development Lens 2006, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), London.
42. Marks & Spencer, 2010. Our Plan A Commitments 2010-2015. Marks and Spencer Group plc.
43. Matthews D. Strategic procurement in the public sector: a mask for financial and administrative policy. Journal of Public Procurement 2005, 5(3):388.
44. Matthews H.S., Hendrickson C.T., Weber C.L. The importance of carbon footprint estimation boundaries. Environmental Science & Technology 2008, 42(16):5839-5842.
45. McCrudden C. Using public procurement to achieve social outcomes. Natural Resources Forum 2004, 28(4):257-267.
46. MoD, 2010. Sustainable procurement strategy. Ministry of Defense.
47. Moens, G., Trone, J., 2010. Public procurement. In commercial law of the european union. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, pp. 247-258. Available from: (accessed 15.08.10). http://www.springerlink.com/content/x610585429537482.
48. Müller, B., 2007. Food miles or poverty eradication? The moral duty to eat African strawberries at Christmas. Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.
49. Murray J.G. Local government and private sector purchasing strategy: a comparative study. European Journal of Purchasing & Supply Management 2001, 7(2):91-100.
50. New S., Green K., Morton B. An analysis of private versus public sector responses to the environmental challenges of the supply chain. Journal of Public Procurement 2002, 2(1):93-105.
51. NHS, 2009. Saving carbon, improving health: NHS carbon reduction strategy for England, Cambridge: NHS Sustainable Development Unit. Available from: (accessed 06.05.10). http://www.sdu.nhs.uk/page.php?area_id=2.
52. NHS Confederation, 2010. The new EU remedies directive: prudent procurement is of the essence, Brussels: NHS European Office. Available from: (accessed 26.06.12). http://www.nhsconfed.org/Publications/Documents/Euro_Briefing_5_final.pdf.
53. NHS-SDU, 2010. P4CR procuring for carbon reduction. Available from: (accessed 16.08.10). http://www.sdu.nhs.uk/page.php?page_id=159.
54. OECD, 2007. Improving the environmental performance of public procurement: report on implementation of the council recommendation. OECD-Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Environment Directorate. Environment Policy Committee. Working Party on National Environmental Policies. Available from: (accessed 11.08.10). http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/oecd/16091914/2007/00000007/00000009/0207091ec001.
55. OECD Promoting Sustainable Consumption. Good Practices in OECD Countries 2008, Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development, Paris.
56. OGC, 2009a. Implementation of the remedies directive: OGC guidance on the 2009 amending regulations. Part 2: The new rules on the Standstill Period. Office of Government Commerce. OGC Policy and Standards Division.
57. OGC, 2009b. Implementation of the remedies directive: OGC Guidance on the 2009 amending regulations. Part 3: the new remedies rules. Office of Government Commerce. OGC Policy and Standards Division.
58. Olofsdotter M., Juul J. Climate Change and the Food Industry-Climate Labeling for Food Products: Potential and Limitations 2008, Øresund Food Network and Øresund Environment Academy, Copenhagen, Denmark.
59. P&G, 2011. Supply chain environmental sustainability scorecard. P&G Suppliers. Available from: (accessed 26.06.12
60. Paterson, J., 2010. Letter from IBM Chief Procurement Officer to suppliers on supply chain and environmental responsibilities. IBM Global Procurement. Available from: (accessed 19.07.10). http://www-03.ibm.com/procurement/proweb.nsf/ContentDocsByCtryTitle/United+States~Letter+from+IBM+Chief+Procurement+Officer+to+suppliers+on+supply+chain+and+environmental+responsibilities?OpenDocument&Parent=Global+Procurement.
61. Perera O., Chowdhury N., Goswami A. State of Play in Sustainable Public Procurement 2007, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and The Energy Resources Institute (TERI), Manitoba, Canada.
62. Peters G.P. Carbon footprints and embodied carbon at multiple scales. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 2010, 2(4):245-250.
63. Plassmann, K. Methodological complexities of product carbon footprinting: a sensitivity analysis of key variables in a developing country context. Environmental Science & Policy. Corrected Proof. Available from: (accessed 01.06.10), in Press. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VP6-5005SRK-1/2/2add545d44d085d9837dc652a2e75612.
64. Preuss L. Addressing sustainable development through public procurement: the case of local government. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal 2009, 14(3):213-223.
65. Preuss L. Buying into our future: sustainability initiatives in local government procurement. Business Strategy and the Environment 2007, 16(5):354-365.
66. Pricewaterhouse Coopers, 2009. Carbon disclosure project 2009. Global 500 report, London: Carbon Disclosure Project.
67. Rittel H.W.J., Webber M.M. Dilemmas in a general theory of planning. Policy Sciences 1973, 4(2):155-169.
68. Röös E., Sundberg C., Hansson P.-A. Uncertainties in the carbon footprint of food products: a case study on table potatoes. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2010, 15(5):478-488.
69. Sainsbury's, 2009. 140 years of making a difference: corporate responsibility report 2009.
70. Saunders C., Barber A. Carbon footprints, life cycle analysis, food miles: global trade trends and market issues. Political Science 2008, 60(1):73-88.
71. Schlich E., Fleissner U. The ecology of scale: assessment of regional energy turnover and comparison with global food. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2004, 10(3):219-223.
72. Seuring S., Müller M. From a literature review to a conceptual framework for sustainable supply chain management. Journal of Cleaner Production 2008, 16(15):1699-1710.
73. Smith A., et al. The Validity of Food Miles as an Indicator of Sustainable Development: Final Report Produced for DEFRA, Oxon 2005, AEA Technology Environment, UK.
74. Snider K.F. Procurement leadership: from means to ends. Journal of Public Procurement 2006, 6(3):274.
75. Spence L., Bourlakis M. The evolution from corporate social responsibility to supply chain responsibility: the case of Waitrose. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal 2009, 14(4):291-302.
76. Srivastava S.K. Green supply-chain management: a state-of-the-art literature review. International Journal of Management Reviews 2007, 9(1):53-80.
77. Sundarakani B. Modeling carbon footprints across the supply chain. International Journal of Production Economics 2010, 128(1):43-50.
78. Tesco Corporate Responsability Report 2010 2010, Tesco PLC, Cheshunt, UK.
79. Thomson J., Jackson T. Sustainable procurement in practice: lessons from local government. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 2007, 50(3):421.
80. UNDESA, 2008. The Marrakech process: task forces-sustainable public procurement. Available from: (accessed June 01.06.10). http://esa.un.org/marrakechprocess/tfsuspubproc.shtml.
81. UNDESA, 1992. Agenda 21. Section I: social and economic dimensions. Chapter 4: changing consumption paterns. UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Division for Sustainable Development. Available from: (accessed 25.08.10). http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/res_agenda21_04.shtml.
82. Walker H., Brammer S. Sustainable procurement in the United Kingdom public sector. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal 2009, 14(2):128-137.
83. Walker H., Phillips W. Sustainable procurement: emerging issues. International Journal of Procurement Management 2009, 2(1):41-61.
84. Walker H., Preuss L. Fostering sustainability through sourcing from small businesses: public sector perspectives. Journal of Cleaner Production 2008, 16(15):1600-1609.
85. Walker H., Di Sisto L., McBain D. Drivers and barriers to environmental supply chain management practices: lessons from the public and private sectors. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management 2008, 14(1):69-85.
86. Walmart, 2010. Walmart announces goal to eliminate 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from global supply chain. Walmart Corporate. Available from: (accessed 20.08.10). http://walmartstores.com/pressroom/news/9668.aspx.
87. Weidema B.P. Carbon footprint. A catalyst for life cycle assessment?. Journal of Industrial Ecology 2008, 12(1):3-6.
88. Weng, C.K., Boehmer, K., 2006. Launching of ISO 14064 for greenhouse gas accounting and verification. ISO Management Systems, March-April, 14-16.
89. Williams A. Comparative study of cut roses for the british market produced in Kenya and the Netherlands. Précis Report for World Flowers 2007, Cranfield University, Bedford, UK.
90. Wittmeyer C.L. Public procurement paradox: the unintended consequences of forest product eco-labels in the global marketplace. Journal of Law and Commerce 2003, 23:69.
91. WBCSD W.R.I. Corporate value chain (scope 3) accounting and reporting standard. World Resources Institute. World Business Council for Sustainable Development 2011.
92. WBCSD W.R.I. Product life cycle accounting and reporting standard. World Resources Institute. World Business Council for Sustainable Development 2011.
93. WBCSD W.R.I. The greenhouse gas protocol. A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard, Conches-Geneva 2004, World Business Council for Sustainable Development. World Resources Institute, Switzerland and Washington DC, USA.