What factors influence the uptake of GPP (green public procurement) practices? New evidence from an Italian survey

Green public procurement (GPP) is becoming a cornerstone of environmental policies both at European Union and Member State levels. Drawing upon a database of public authorities located in three Italian regions, this paper assesses the determinants and drawbacks of green procurement adoption. In particular, using an econometrical approach we tested the following propositions: (i) the existing awareness on GPP practices, tools and regulations does support public authorities to develop GPP strategies; (ii) the support of external experts in purchasing function does support public authorities to develop GPP practices; (iii) the small dimension of public authority is an obstacle to adopting GPP practices; (iv) ISO 14001 certified public authorities are more likely to develop GPP practices. The econometric analysis shows that the dimension of public authorities and the level of awareness of the existing tools for supporting GPP have a positive and significant effect on the probability that they adopt GPP practices. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.