Embedding circular economy principles into public procurement of net zero solutions

Public procurement can play a critical role in the delivery of local authorities’ pathway to Net Zero as well as supporting suppliers’ alignment to this ambition. However, research by Energy Systems Catapult found that public procurement local government’s processes and local authorities’ culture needed substantial change to be aligned with Net Zero ambition. A Connected Places Catapult’s report points out that much more needs to be done around government policy, stakeholder engagement and capacity building for procurement in the UK to become a key driver of innovation and sustainable growth. 

Our project explores how local authorities can embed circular economy principles into procurement of Net Zero solutions. Our focus is on the development of an implementation framework that aids local authorities in the East Midlands region to understand and follow circular economy principles to foster industry innovations in the transportation sector. 

The project is funded by the Innovation Launchpad Network+ and hosted by Connected Places Catapult. We a will benefit from a multidisciplinary team from the Business School and the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham.