Global Consortium for Sustainability Outcomes - Sustainable Public Purchasing

ASU is part of the Global Consortium for Sustainability Outcomes (GCSO), a global network of universities dedicated to scaling sustainability solutions with like-minded partners around the world. 

Cities worldwide are experiencing massive growth. As these cities grow, corresponding government purchasing needed to support its operations increases as well, leading to significant increases in carbon emissions. Government purchasing, or “public purchasing,” substantially contributes to carbon emissions as city government purchases have a carbon footprint 9x that of public buildings and vehicle fleets combined.

Using an extensive international network, this GCSO-funded project will engage thousands of cities to implement sustainable public purchasing (SPP) practices designed to mitigate carbon emissions and reduce spending. This project brings together experts, advisors, and leaders from international organizations such as the United Nations and ICLEI (see full list below) to shift purchasing markets and reduce carbon emissions in order to enable cities to operate more sustainably.

In one year of GCSO funding, this project will:

• Increase the number of cities utilizing sustainable purchasing practices
• Engage with practitioners worldwide to distribute findings