Navigating through the municipal jungle – A study of circular and sustainable procurement in Swedish municipalities

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to increase the knowledge about how circular economy integrates in the management of public procurement. To achieve this, I study how Swedish municipalities define and integrate circular economy in their policy documents. Through a sample of 79 municipalities with different levels of procurement activities I study if there are differences in how local governments use public procurement as a tool to integrate the different dimensions of circular economy which would contribute to national and local sustainability goals. Theory: This study utilizes key concepts of circular economy theory to bring forward the different nuances of how municipalities include circular economy dimensions into their procurement policy documents. The theoretical tool for anlaysis (circular economy) is an adapted version of Muller et.al. (2024) model. This framework is complemented by general aspects of sustainability, which aim to help draw the line between sustainability and circular economy. Method: The study employs qualitative methods, based on document analysis including procurement policy documents complemented by other governing documents, such as guidelines (riktlinjer). Results Results show that the integration of circular economy into public procurement needs further development, as it is not fully incorporated into the studied policy documents and its full potential is not being utilized. Municipalities tend to associate circular economy primarily with environmental matters, while dimensions linked to social aspects, like "Repair" and "Refurbish," are not as prominently incorporated as economic aspects that aim to use already procured items, or focusing on reducing waste.