Italy commits to improve and promote the Minimum Environmental Criteria (MEC) in public procurement for supplies of products, services and works. Italy commits to applying MEC to 100% of the tender value for the purchase of goods and services related to energy consumption and for at least 50% for other procurements. MEC’s, adopted by Ministerial Decree, gives general guidelines to institutions for a rationalisation of purchases and provides them with "environmental considerations" linked to the different phases of procurement. From 2011, MEC was implemented for the following goods and services: furniture (for offices, schools, reading rooms); construction (construction and renovation of buildings); urban waste management (management of public green); energy services (lighting, heating and cooling of buildings, public lighting and illuminated signs); electronic (electrical and electronic office equipment and related supplies, telecommunications equipment); textiles and footwear; catering (canteen service and food supplies); cleaning services. With this commitment, Italy aims to increase circular waste management, resource and energy efficiency.
The commitment falls under focus area 4 of the Batumi Initiative to shift consumer behaviours toward sustainable consumption patterns.
Implementing partners include Ministry for Economic Development, Ministry of Finance, National Center for Public Administration Purchases, Agency for New Technologies and Sustainable Economic Development, regional authorities, and environmental agencies.
The commitment is relevant to SDG 12.