Enabling Circular procurement: policy updates and value chain collaboration

Date/Time
Date(s) - 9 April 2026
10h00 - 11h30

CONTENT

• EU Public procurement directives and its upcoming revision
• Real-world examples: what circular procurement looks like in practice (including cases from textile sector and ICT)
• Methodologies for collaboration between public buyers and suppliers (e.g. market dialogues, communities of practice)

CONTEXT

Public procurement is increasingly recognised as a powerful policy instrument for achieving strategic objectives. Over recent years, procurement has shifted from a focus on procedural compliance towards an approach that emphasises accountability for delivering public value. In this context, the European Commission is currently revising the 2014 EU Public Procurement Directives to ensure that the legislative framework is fit for purpose and responsive to emerging challenges. The revision addresses legal uncertainty, coherence, administrative burdens, and the uneven uptake of strategic procurement across Member States. The revised rules are also expected to facilitate the uptake of circular procurement practices, enabling stronger focus on quality and long-term benefits. Scaling up circular procurement requires collaboration among value chain actors to enable circular solutions and move beyond linear procurement models. In this perspective, contracting authorities can act as brokers and facilitators of such collaboration through different instruments (i.e market engagement). After providing an overview of EU policy development on procurement (ongoing revision of the EU Public Procurement Directives) this webinar will highlight the role of value chain collaboration in circular procurement. Representatives of the Interreg North-West Europe Circular Shift project will present key takeaways from the needs assessment report and practical examples and good practices from local contexts on circular procurement. Participants will gain practical knowledge, inspiration, and opportunities for peer exchange to support the implementation of circular procurement practices. 

AGENDA

1. Introduction: ISE Mission webinar context
2. Key elements of EU legislation on circular procurement: EU Public Procurement Directives
3. Circular procurement and value chain collaboration: Key takeaways from the Circular Shift project
4. From policy to practice: Case study on circular procurement: T-shirts for five German municipalities 
5. Q&A 
6. Closing

INVITED SPEAKERS

Núria Cases, ACR+

Julie Poppe, City of Mechelen

Municipality of Bremen

REGISTER HERE

For questions or additional support, contact: fl@acrplus.org, zbo@acrplus.org