At an online conference on "Recycled plastic products in public purchasing: tendering, evaluation and contract design" on March 24, staff from the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) presented key project results from the UBA research project "Examination of concrete measures to increase demand for recycled plastics and recycled plastic products" to 60 participants. The recommendations for simplified procurement of recyclate-containing products, presented by scientists Ria Müller and Eva Wiesemann, reportedly included pre-formulated tender texts as well as testing facilitated by suggestions for suitable evidence and manageable scoring matrices. According to the recommendations, this could be used as a basis for adapting existing tender documents for office supplies, chairs, waste garbage cans, traffic guidance elements, infiltration trenches or tanks and other products in line with the obligation to give preference, especially with regard to the recycled content. UBA plans to publish a handout on this, which will also provide manufacturers and retailers with information on how the preferential duty will affect them, in the second quarter of 2021.

 

Sources:

• EU Recycling Magazine 05/2021
• Photo: O. Kürth