Public procurement represents 10% of French GDP. As such, it is a strategic lever for reducing the impact of French imports on forests. Buyers have the ability to contribute to the exemplary nature of public services, to give credibility to France’s commitments and to encourage economic operators to turn to more sustainable and responsible supply models.
In order to meet the obligations of Article 272 of Law No. 2021-1104 of August 22, 2021 on the fight against climate change and strengthening resilience to its effects, and its implementing decree No. 2022-641 of April 25, 2022 , the Ministry for Ecological Transition, in concert with the other SNDI pilot ministries (Ministry of Economy, Finance and Recovery, Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation) offers a guide for public purchasers.
"Committing to a zero deforestation public procurement policy" is a practical guide that provides public buyers with information on the issue of imported deforestation and recommendations by market, by raw material and by market stage.
A questionnaire for suppliers is proposed in the appendix to the guide in order to measure the risk of imported deforestation related to purchases within the framework of a collective catering market, for information purposes. This information could, for example, precede a progress approach.
The dedicated sheets by market and by raw material can be downloaded independently from each other in the following sections to scroll down.
COLLECTIVE CATERING
RECOMMENDATIONS RELATED TO COLLECTIVE CATERING
To date, agriculture is the main cause of the disappearance and degradation of forest ecosystems, particularly tropical ones, in the world.
The SNDI targets the following raw materials at risk in connection with catering: soya, palm oil and cocoa. Soy used in livestock and poultry feed leads to meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products also being at risk. Crude palm oil is mainly introduced in processed dishes. As far as cocoa is concerned, it is found in beans but especially in processed chocolate products.
MOBILITIES
RECOMMENDATIONS RELATED TO MOBILITY
The 2021 finance law made it possible to exclude biofuels based on soybean oil from the tax incentive mechanism from 1 January 2022 (as is already the case for biofuels based on palm oil and palm oil by-products since January 1, 2020). The main issue of deforestation for the mobility markets is found in tires with the problem of rubber and hevea.
It should also be noted that the law relating to the fight against waste and the circular economy of February 10, 2020 provides that public buyers will have to target their purchases on retreaded tires for both heavy vehicles and light vehicles, unless a first consultation proves unsuccessful.
BUILDING AND FURNITURE
RECOMMENDATIONS RELATED TO THE BUILDING AND FURNITURE MARKETS
The current legislative framework encourages the development of the use of wood in construction markets. Article 144 of the energy transition law for green growth of August 17, 2015 provides that public procurement takes into account the environmental performance of products, in particular their biosourced nature; and article 39 of the climate and resilience lawindicates that from January 1, 2030, the use of biosourced or low-carbon materials must be used in at least 25% of major renovations and constructions subject to public procurement. Moreover, wood intended for the construction sector is no longer solely responsible for the pressure on the massifs: wood intended to serve the energy sector is becoming a new cause of pressure on forests, particularly in the United States, Europe and Russia. Beyond the legality for which the risk is covered for wood originating from a country for which a voluntary partnership agreement has been signed, the question of product sustainability and respect for forests arises.
STATIONERY
RECOMMENDATIONS RELATED TO SUPPLY CONTRACTS
Supply contracts, taken in a very broad sense by also involving the equipment of agents, can concern raw materials and products such as leather (product derived from beef), palm oil in cleaning products for example , or paper.
RESOURCES
USEFUL TOOLS AND LINKS FOR THE RESPONSIBLE BUYER
The main sites
• SNDI platform : detailed information on raw materials, mapping to visualize risky soybean imports from the municipality of origin.
• Rapidd : platform of the network of public purchasers integrating sustainable development.
For catering markets:
• Soy manifesto: manifesto "for the mobilization of French actors to fight against imported deforestation linked to soy"
• My canteen : platform of recommendations to develop collective catering proposals in the light of regulatory changes and in particular the Agriculture and Food law adopted in 2018.
• Optigede : the OPTIGEDE platform makes it possible to distribute the tools available and to share good practices and feedback on the circular economy and waste. Sustainable food and food waste are among the topics covered.
Tools
To facilitate the implementation of this guide, buyers are offered:
• a table summarizing all the recommendations;
• a questionnaire to be completed, for the information of suppliers, to help assess the risk of imported deforestation and highlight areas for improvement.