Making Sustainability Tangible: Pathways and Tools from Italy and Europe

2 September 2025

The European Green Deal sets the direction. The real challenge lies in turning political ambitions into everyday choices, public tenders, and concrete projects. Spaces that give substance to the transition are essential — and the Forum Compraverde is one of them: a meeting point where institutions, businesses, and experts share experiences, tools, and networks to accelerate change.

The 19th edition of Compraverde Buygreen, held in Rome, offered a rich program that ranged from international conferences to training sessions and first-hand accounts from those leading the way in sustainability:

Conferences: from the Green Deal to sustainable sport
At the heart of the Forum, major European issues — from competitiveness to energy independence — were explored alongside very practical cases: low-impact sporting events, sustainable school catering, and Italian and European experiences in Green Public Procurement (GPP). The message was clear: the transition only becomes real when it is embedded in tenders, procurement, and local policies.

GPP Academy: training as a strategic driver
More than 20 sessions for public and private operators shed light on regulations, Minimum Environmental Criteria, and emerging sustainability practices. Far from theory, the Academy focused on operational tools: guidelines, case studies, and hands-on applications for those tasked with turning “green” into daily procedures.

Experience and networking: the human capital of sustainability
Academics, businesses, public officials, and experts engaged in a cross-cutting dialogue that continues to generate value beyond the event. Because the transition is not only about regulation or technology — it is also about building networks of people able to share visions and solutions.

A legacy that matters
With public procurement accounting for over 17% of the EU’s GDP, Green Public Procurement is among the most powerful levers to steer the market towards sustainability. The Forum demonstrated how environmental criteria, innovation, and cooperation can move from guidelines to widespread practice. Compraverde does not end with its two days: it leaves behind an archive of content, interviews, training materials, and forward-looking perspectives available to all those working to speed up the ecological transition. A permanent platform for dialogue and learning, renewed year after year, and a shared asset for administrations, businesses, and citizens alike.

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EU public procurement reform: what changes for Green Public Procurement?

EU public procurement reform: what changes for Green Public Procurement?

A single Regulation to replace the three 2014 Directives, greater weight for quality, and new provisions for green and strategic procurement. On 9 September, the European Commission presented its proposal to reform the EU framework for public procurement and concessions, introducing changes also in relation to environmental and social criteria, monitoring and European preference. The proposal now enters the legislative process involving the European Parliament and the Council. Here are the main developments for Green Public Procurement and the next steps in the reform.

From Forum Compraverde Buygreen comes Con Criterio, the video podcast exploring how sustainability decisions are made

From Forum Compraverde Buygreen comes Con Criterio, the video podcast exploring how sustainability decisions are made

The ideas and discussions that shape Forum Compraverde Buygreen continue beyond the event itself. This is where Con Criterio – How Sustainability Decisions Are Made, the new video podcast by Fondazione Ecosistemi and EconomiaCircolare.com, comes to life: eleven conversations with experts, public institutions, businesses and researchers exploring how the decisions that drive the ecological transition take shape. An invitation to better understand the processes, expertise and choices that turn sustainability goals into concrete action.

Public Food as a Climate Lever: The Rome Model Cuts Emissions by Up to 33%

Public Food as a Climate Lever: The Rome Model Cuts Emissions by Up to 33%

School meals can become a powerful tool for climate action. This is the key finding of an analysis carried out by Fondazione Ecosistemi in collaboration with the Climate Office of Rome Capital on the city’s new public school catering contract. By increasing plant-based menus, organic products and local supply chains, the Rome model is able to reduce emissions associated with school catering by up to 33%, while generating environmental, social and economic benefits.