Useful Links

• Consumer's Choice Council
  http://www.consumerscouncil.com/
  An association of 66 environmental, consumer, and human rights groups from 25 countries that supports ecolabelling and seeks to ensure that consumers have the information they need to purchase greener, more socially just products.
  
  
  
• Energy Star
  www.energystar.gov
  A program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that sets energy-efficiency standards for computers, monitors, printers, and other appliances and certifies green buildings.
  
  
  
• Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  www.epa.gov/oppt/epp
  Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) helps the U.S. federal government "buy green". The database includes green contract language and specifications, voluntary standards and guidelines, and other practical information.
  
  
  
• Eurocities
  http://www.eurocities.org/carpe-net/site/rubrique.php?id_rubrique=2
  The CARPE (Cities As Responsible Purchasers in Europe) project brings together Eurocities members - Paris, Stockholm, Seville, … - in exploring opportunities for adopting social and environmental criteria in their procurement practices.
  
  
  
• European Union Coalition for Green and Social Procurement
  http://www.eeb.org/activities/product_policy/Index.html
  NGO coalition that aims to strengthen environmental and social provisions in EU procurement policies, including consideration of environmental, health and labor impacts.
  
  
  
• European Union Eco-Label
  http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/index_en.htm
  A voluntary scheme to help consumers in Europe identify officially approved green products.
  
  
  
• Forest Stewardship Council
  http://www.fsc.org/
  FSC is a non-governmental, not for profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.
  
  
  
• Global Compact
  http://www.unglobalcompact.org/AboutTheGC/TheTenPrinciples
  The Global Compact asks companies to embrace, support and enact, within their sphere of influence, a set of core values in the areas of human rights, labor standards, the environment, and anti-corruption.
  
  
  
• Global Ecolabelling Network
  http://www.globalecolabelling.net/
  The Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN) is a non-profit association of third-party, environmental performance recognition, certification and labelling organizations founded in 1994 to improve, promote, and develop the "ecolabelling" of products and services.
  
  
  
• Good Environmental Choice label
  http://www.greenprocurement.org/
  The Good Environmental Choice (GEC) label is awarded to products which meet specific environmental standards based on life cycle assessment by a third party.
  
  
  
• Green Public Procurement Training Toolkit
  http://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/index_en.htm
  The Green Public Procurement Training Toolkit designed for use by procurement trainers or for integration in general public procurement training courses.
  
  
  
• Green Purchasing Workbook
  http://www.eeb.org/activities/product_policy/Index.html
  NGO coalition that aims to strengthen environmental and social provisions in EU procurement policies, including consideration of environmental, health and labor impacts.
  
  
  
• Green Seal
  www.greenseal.org
  An independent organization that certifies and promotes green products and services and works with manufacturers, industry, purchasing groups, and governments to green the production and purchasing chain.
  
  
  
• ILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy
  http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/multi/tripartite/index.htm
  The MNE Declaration seeks to encourage the positive contribution that multinationals can make to economic and social progress and to minimize and resolve the difficulties arising from their operations.
  
  
  
• INFORM
  www.informinc.org
  Research organization that provides information on ways to reduce the environmental impacts of the U.S. economy through improved product design and greener purchasing.
  
  
  
• International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI)
  http://www.iclei-europe.org/index.php?id=4594
  Procura+ is an initiative designed to help support public authorities across Europe in implementing Sustainable Procurement. This Campaign was established in 2004 by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability to help drive the mainstreaming of sustainable public procurement throughout Europe.
  
  
  
• Nordic Council
  http://www.grip.no/Innkjop/English/nordic_brochures.htm
  The Nordic Council of Ministers has produced two brochures on the subject of green public procurement. One aims at local politicians and public sector managers. The other is aimed at procurement officers (Brochures - in English)
  
  
  
• North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation
  www.cec.org/programs_projects/trade_environ_econ
  The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) is an international organization created by Canada, Mexico and the United States under the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation.
  
  
  
• OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises
  http://www.olis.oecd.org/olis/2000doc.nsf/LinkTo/NT00002F06/$FILE/JT00115758.PDF
  The Guidelines are recommendations addressed by governments to multinational enterprises operating in or from adhering countries. They provide voluntary principles and standards for responsible business conduct in a variety of areas including employment and industrial relations, human rights, environment, information disclosure, etc.
  
  
• The Blue Angel
  http://www.blauer-engel.de/en/index.php
  The Blue Angel is the oldest environment-related label for products and services in the world. It was created in 1978. The Blue Angel (Blauer Engel) is a German certification for products and services that have environmentally friendly aspects.
  
  
  
• The Swan Label
  http://www.svanen.nu/Default.aspx?tabName=ProductListEng&menuItemID=7068&pgr=26&Fritext=
  Swan is the official Nordic ecolabel, introduced by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The Swan logo demonstrates that a product is a good environmental choice. It is available for around 60 product groups such as cleaning products.
  
  
  
• UNEP Sustainable Consumption Unit
  http://www.unep.fr/scp/procurement/activities.htm
  United Nations Environment Program is promoting sustainable public procurement by facilitating global consensus on the integration of sustainable development considerations in procurement at all levels.
  
  
  
• World Trade Organisation
  http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/gproc_e/gproc_e.htm
  There are three main aspects of the WTO's work on government procurement: Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) signed by WTO members, work on transparency in government procurement and multilateral negotiations on services procurement.