Public procurement represents a powerful policy instrument for accelerating the transition towards a circular economy. Through this analysis, CE-PRINCE partners assessed existing procurement frameworks at both EU and national levels to identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities for implementing and improving circular principles in public tenders.
The study was based on a harmonised methodology developed jointly by project partners, enabling a structured comparison of procurement criteria across countries. The assessment applied nineteen circular economy principles derived primarily from ISO 59004:2024 and complemented by the European Commission’s Circular Economy Action Plan. These principles encompasses design for circularity, circular sourcing, maintenance and repair, reverse logistics, recycling, life-cycle assessment, and performance-based procurement approaches.
The analysis revealed that Green Public Procurement criteria at European level – despite being voluntary – provide the most comprehensive and mature framework for integrating circular economy principles, particularly through life-cycle thinking, recycled content requirements, durability, repairability, and waste prevention measures. National systems generally align with EU priorities, although significant differences remain in the depth and consistency of circular integration across countries and sectors.
Among the participating countries, Austria and Germany demonstrated comparatively broad integration of circular principles, particularly in construction and manufacturing sectors, while Italy showed a strong institutional framework through its mandatory Minimum Environmental Criteria (CAM). Slovenia, Croatia, and Hungary displayed varying levels of circular integration, highlighting opportunities for further development and harmonisation. Poland currently relies primarily on EU GPP criteria without dedicated national criteria for the analysed sectors.
The construction sector emerged as the most advanced in terms of circular procurement integration, showing strong incorporation of design for circularity, process optimisation, and ecosystem regeneration principles. Manufacturing and tourism-related services also demonstrated strong environmental orientation, although systemic circular business models such as remanufacturing, sharing models, and reverse logistics remain largely underrepresented across all governance levels.
One of the key findings of the analysis is that current procurement frameworks are environmentally mature but still structurally incomplete from a circular economy perspective. While environmental protection, certification schemes, and process efficiency are strongly represented, mechanisms supporting value retention and systemic circular transformation remain limited.
Based on these findings, the CE-PRINCE partnership identified several strategic priorities for implementing circular principles in the GPP frameworks, including:
- strengthening durability, repairability, and life-extension requirements,
- integrating reverse logistics and take-back obligations,
- expanding performance-based and service-oriented procurement models, and
- improving measurable circularity indicators and life-cycle performance metrics.
The results of Deliverable 2.2.1 will directly support the development of upgraded transnational circular procurement criteria under Deliverable 2.2.2 and upcoming pilot public tenders to be tested in partner countries.
Through this work, CE-PRINCE continues to contribute to the transition towards more sustainable, resource-efficient, and circular public procurement systems across Central Europe.