Newly released public procurement criteria improve recycling rate of construction plastics
The public procurement criteria for construction plastics have been published in the national Criteria Bank. The preparation of procurement criteria for packaging and cover plastics is an important step towards improving the recycling rate of plastics used in construction. Construction is one of the major applications of plastics. Approximately one-fifth of all plastic in Finland is used in construction.
It has been forecast that without specific measures, the volume of plastic waste will increase by almost one-fifth from the current level by 2030. Plastics are also constantly accumulating in buildings due to maintenance, additional installations and repairs. Most plastic waste is currently incinerated and turned into energy, which generates emissions. Even in construction, the greatest amount of plastic waste is generated from packaging materials.
Operators holding competitive tendering for construction contracts can utilise the procurement criteria created in the All Plastic Circle – from Pilots into Practice project in their building construction projects, and the criteria can also be applied in reconstruction. The criteria have been created in a market dialogue with companies and other stakeholders in order to identify good practices and to map out the readiness of the market. The criteria are also available in the Criteria Bank maintained by Motiva at Kriteeripankki.fi(external link, opens in a new window). You can also find them at the end of the article as an attachment.
Instructions on the use of the criteria for those making construction purchases will be published later. The instructions will also provide tips for conducting market dialogue. The instructions will be made available on the project website and in the Criteria Bank.
Public procurement can influence recycled plastics market
In Finland, more than EUR 45 billion is spent on public procurement, including services and various goods, every year. This represents approximately 20% of the gross domestic product. Indeed, public procurements have a significant impact on the market through demand and set procurement criteria. Procurements’ quality criteria and minimum requirements can be used to encourage companies to act sustainably and emphasise aspects such as circular economy solutions.
The procurement criteria for construction plastics strive to increase the market for recycled plastic from two directions. Increasing the separate collection of plastic waste will facilitate the domestic availability of raw material for companies manufacturing recycled plastic products. Increasing awareness of the range of products containing recycled plastics and requiring the use of recycled plastics in products will promote the demand for products made from recycled plastics.
The criteria now published focus on promoting the recycling of plastic films. In this context, plastic films refer to polythene-based (PE) plastics used in the packaging of construction products and the covers used inside buildings.
Public procurements accelerate realisation of goals of Green Deal for Plastics in Construction
The procurement criteria are based on the Green Deal for Plastics in Construction(external link, opens in a new window). Several actors in the sector have already committed to the green deal jointly prepared by actors in the construction and plastics sectors. The agreement aims to:
- increase the separate collection of plastic films used in the construction supply chain and construction and improve the preparations for their recycling
- improve the reuse and recycling of plastic films
- increase the use of plastics made of recycled materials in the construction supply chain and construction
- optimise and reduce the consumption of plastic films in an environmentally sustainable manner
- increase the use of plastic films in the production of plastic films so that by the end of 2027, 40% of the raw materials used in the production process are recycled plastic films.
"We used the measures of the green deal as a basis for our criteria work, which also allows us to promote the expansion of the agreement. The aim of the project Closed Plastic Circle – from Pilots into Practice is to grow the market for recycled plastics, and this can be accelerated through public procurement,” says Tiia Tuuri, Development Manager at the City of Espoo. Construction contractors can also take advantage of the objectives and measures mentioned in the green deal in their own procurement and supply chains.
Based on the survey carried out in the project, many municipalities consider the circulation of materials on construction sites important. With the help of concrete guidelines and procurement criteria, we can help experts in charge of construction-related procurements to demand the best practices from companies in the industry. The criteria models for sustainable procurement published in the Criteria Bank facilitate the work of municipalities and harmonise requirements nationally.
Separate collection of plastic film waste the most important requirement
The most important construction procurement criterion developed in the project is the separate collection of plastic films and increasing the recycling rate. Organisation of separate collection of plastic film should be a minimum requirement for all construction contracts.
“By separately collecting plastic films on construction sites, valuable material can be recovered for reuse. Recycled plastic film can be used as a raw material in the manufacture things such as new plastic film products,” says Mari Hiljanen, lecturer at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.
There are four criteria in total:
- Separate collection of plastic film and increasing the recycling rate
- Use of recycled materials in plastic films – cover plastics
- Use of recycled materials in plastic films – packaging plastics
- Applicable Green Deal for Plastics in Construction
According to the Criteria Bank, the criteria are divided into two levels: basic and pioneer. There are both basic- and pioneer-level criteria for separate collection, and the other criteria are pioneer-level. In particular, pioneer-level criteria should be taken into account in the market dialogue and then applied and formulated project-specifically.
“Espoo is a pioneer in promoting the circular economy in construction. Requiring separate collection of construction plastic films in the city’s construction contracts is one way of putting the matter into practice. We want to set an example with our own operations,” says Maija Lehtinen, Managing Director of Premises Department. She wants to encourage other companies to introduce the criteria in their operations as well.
Collecting data provides valuable information to increase recycling rates
At the moment, the recycling rate of plastics in the construction sector is really low, only a few per cent. One of the objectives of the criteria is to increase awareness of the circulation of plastics to support the management of the circular economy and to set more precise quantitative recycling targets at the next stage. At the pioneer level, contractors are required to have more precise calculations of the recycling rate of plastics and other information required in the reporting for the green deal.
Biggest challenge is to demand products made from recycled plastic in procurement
The green deal aims to ensure that 40% of materials used in new plastic films are recycled plastic by 2027. The aim is to accelerate the achievement of this goal through procurements. However, during the co-creation of the criteria and the market dialogue, it became clear that the market is not yet ready for setting quantitative targets in connection with the requirements of the construction contract. The challenges are related to the fact that the share of recycled plastics is, at the moment, difficult to verify due to the lack of uniform standards. There also is no certificates to indicate the share of recycled plastics in the product description. There is not yet enough information in product descriptions or market places about the materials used in packaging or other construction plastics, especially when it comes to the share of recycled plastics.
"When information is not yet comprehensively available, it is difficult for the contractor to demonstrate to the developer that recycled materials are used. We wanted to include the share of recycled plastics in the created criteria package, and we formulated the criterion in such a way that the first stage requires the contractor to increase the amount of available information. After that, at a later stage, quantitative targets can be added to the requirements by product group,” Tiia Tuuri says regarding the further development needs for the coming years. Green deal reporting will also provide more data in the coming years, and these data can then be utilised.
The aim is not to completely eliminate the use of plastic film, but to ensure that plastic films that will no longer be used as they are will be recycled and used again. It is also important to assess whether the use of plastic films can be optimised or reduced in an environmentally sustainable way. The primary function of packaging, such as plastic films, is to protect the actual product and thereby reduce waste.
Criteria were formed in cooperation with municipalities and construction sector operators
Future users of the criteria, industry companies and other stakeholders were involved in the project as the work progressed. The criteria were created iteratively and they could be commented on at many different stages. During the work, several draft criteria were refined into the final four criteria. These criteria include a criterion for separate collection, and of this criterion there are two versions of different levels.
“The greatest benefit of having such a large number of parties contribute to the project is that the interest in the implementation of the criteria has been high as early as the publication stage. Plastics companies have been very interested in the criteria work, and we have been to several events to present the topic. It is good that companies have had the opportunity to adjust their plans so that they anticipate the coming requirements. The common practices and criteria of different municipalities will also facilitate the operations of companies,” says Tiia Tuuri.
Learn about the procurement criteria from the downloadable attachment
Downloadable files
Downloadable files
The City of Espoo, HSY and Metropolia University of Applied Sciences developed sustainable procurement criteria for construction plastics in cooperation with other cities and stakeholders as part of the project Closed Plastic Circle – from Pilots into Practice. The project is co-funded by the European Union.