Sustainable Procurement (SPP): Socially Responsible Procurement

What is SPP?

Socially Responsible Procurement (MVI in Dutch) is a strategy where governments consider environmental, social, and economic sustainability effects in their procurement. The goal is to contribute to a sustainable society through public contracts.

Legal framework

The Dutch Procurement Act 2012 provides space for sustainable procurement through technical specifications, selection and award criteria, contract conditions, and lifecycle costing. EU directives explicitly support labels, lifecycle costs including environmental externalities, and social conditions.

Key instruments

MVI criteria tool (mvicriteria.nl)

Sustainability criteria per product group: minimum requirements, award criteria, and contract conditions.

CO2 Performance Ladder

A widely used instrument with 5 levels, often applied as award criterion or fictitious price discount.

Environmental labels

EU Ecolabel, FSC/PEFC, Energy Star, Cradle to Cradle, ISO 14001.

Circular procurement

Key component of MVI: use of renewable and recycled materials, design for reuse, Product-as-a-Service models, and waste streams as raw materials.