Harnessing Public Procurement for the Green Transition

Japan

Framework, scope, action-plans

The Act on Promotion of Procurement of Environmental Goods by the Government (Green Purchasing Act) was last revised in 2022.

It is mentioned in the Plan for Global Warming Countermeasures and National action plan.

The details of Japan's GPP policy are stipulated in its basic policy, which is to be reviewed annually and will be revised as necessary. This review will be carried out by establishing a review committee in consideration of the national environmental policy.

The Ministry of environment ensures co-ordination between environmental and GPP measures.

Implementation

Japan has adopted mandatory requirements for specific purchasing categories: As a specific purchasing category, Designated Procurement Items are set in the basic policy. Mandatory requirements apply for central government: Every fiscal year, the national government and other organisations must prepare a policy for promoting the procurement of Eco-Friendly Goods in accordance with the Basic Policy. The policy will be made public.

Japan also adopted GPP targets for specific purchasing categories: The national government and other organisations set targets for each specific purchasing category defined in the basic policy. These targets apply Regarding the existence of GPP criteria: The types of environmental goods, etc. that the national government and other organisations should promote procurement with particular emphasis and their standards are stipulated in the basic policy as Designated Procurement Items and GPP standards.

Measurement and impact

Contracting authorities in Japan report through excel files, emails, or paper-based forms: The national government and other organisations aggregates the number of Designated Procurement Items procured in Excel, reports it to the Ministry of the Environment every year, and publishes it on the website. These data collections are, of course, continuing, but aggregated data is "quantity" data, not cost.

Japan produces an estimated effect of CO₂ emissions by GPP based on the aggregation and analysis results of Japan's GPP but does not consider this as a standardised methodology to evaluate CO₂ emissions in public tender.

At the national level, Japan has an aggregated evaluation of impact of GPP: Aggregated evaluation of Estimated effect of CO₂ emissions by GPP is carried out every year and made public.