What is green procurement?
Written by Shivangi Singh, Senior Content Writer · October 17, 2026
What it looks like in practice
- Preferring recycled or renewable materials and products that can be repaired or recycled.
- Choosing energy-efficient equipment and vehicles, and weighing running costs, not just purchase price.
- Reducing packaging and transport distance, and consolidating deliveries.
- Asking suppliers for emissions data, environmental certifications and take-back schemes.
- Writing environmental requirements into specifications and giving them weight in the award decision.
Green public procurement
Governments are large buyers, so many have formal green public procurement rules that set minimum environmental criteria for tenders. Suppliers to the public sector increasingly need to evidence compliance to win.
Why companies do it
It reduces regulatory and reputational risk, often cuts total cost through lower energy use and waste, and is now expected by customers and investors. In India, green purchasing is seen as a lever to cut greenhouse gas emissions at scale.
Start with the categories where volume and impact are highest, add clear criteria to your RFPs and scorecards, and track the share of spend that meets them.
Shivangi is a Senior Content Marketer specializing in B2B SaaS, procurement, and enterprise technology. She creates research-driven content that helps procurement leaders and business decision-makers navigate AI, digital transformation, sourcing, and spend management. Her work focuses on turning complex industry developments into clear, practical, and actionable insights.