Promoting Green Purchasing The rapid growth in green procurement initiatives in Canada and the United States, along with the increasing interest in Mexico, represent opportunities for a CEC role, not only as a catalyst of action and coordinator of efforts among the relevant stakeholders in North America, but also to promote faster dissemination of lessons learned. Particularly for Mexico, greater cooperation may foster faster and more effective implementation of green procurement policies and development of markets for green goods and services.
Thus far, CEC activities have concentrated in activities directed at removing the barriers identified in the strategic plan with regards to information, tools, and the availability of products and services.
The 2008 project work will focus on a centralized resource on green procurement as well as identify information and tools to assist and promote green procurement across North America. Activity in Mexico is expected to grow rapidly given the recent changes in legislation and its higher political profile. Mexico is also seen as having an opportunity to leapfrog, particularly in terms of avoiding consumer confusion arising [+] from multiple standards. These results indicate that the CEC could aim to move away from direct development of tools and concentrate on collecting information to develop and maintain a centralized information base on green procurement activities North America. Resources will continue to be targeted at the Mexican pilot project, with an aim to conclude this activity in 2008, as well as supporting wider integration of emerging Mexican initiatives with those ongoing and developing in Canada and the United States, through NAGPI.
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