Creating demand through circular procurement

Today, almost half of our climate impact is linked to the way we extract resources and produce goods and food. We really need to rethink – and that’s fast. In order not to exhaust our planet’s resources while fuelling the climate crisis, we need to, among other things create large-scale demand for recycled materials.

Since 2018, Ragn-Sells Sweden has actively worked to inspire Swedish municipalities to change the way they conduct their procurement to create large-scale demand for recycled materials.

- When more and more municipalities demand recycled material, new loops are established. Prioritising recycled products in their procurement is the fastest way to make society circular, says Linnéa Sellberg, Project leader and owner representative at Ragn-Sells.

So how do Ragn-Sells work to nudge the Swedish municipalities in the right direction?

For four years in a row the company has sent out a survey to all 290 municipalities where 200+ have responded each year. And the result has gone from 8 municipalities in 2018 saying that they give priority to recycled materials, to 25 in 2021 that confirm that this is something they prioritise in their procurement.

- Every year, Sweden’s 290 municipalities procure goods and services worth 350 billion SEK. That’s a tremendous amount of taxpayer money. So, what if we could turn this into a powerful tool for change, says Linnéa Sellberg.

Read the article at www.ragnsells.com