Recycling the 10 Rs into circular criteria

Reduce, reuse, recycle - the 3R motto will sound familiar to many. Following the waste hierarchy and going beyond the classic 3Rs, the 10R framework¹ outlines common circular economy actions to keep products and materials in use and reduce waste. This easy-to-grasp framework can also help public procurers identify circular opportunities. 

In 2023, the Strategic Procurement Department of Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) developed a system highlighting how each of the 10Rs can be put into practice through procurement and which techniques can be applied. This system is outlined in the table below. The publicly owned company also developed a roadmap for circular procurement and trained all its procurement experts on this approach. This system helped to increase the share of circular tender criteria used by the ÖBB to 16% in 2023. 

^{1 10 Rs: R0 Refuse, R1 Rethink, R2 Reduce, R3 Reuse, R4 Repair, R5 Refurbish, R6 Remanufacture, R7 Repurpose, R8 Recycle and R9 Recover.}

While the 10R framework can help identify potential circular opportunities in procurement processes, several factors need to be taken into consideration when implementing circular procurement practices. Firstly, the availability of circular solutions can be limited in certain markets or certain product categories, and embedding circular requirements in tenders can inadvertently reduce competition. Yet, there are low-hanging fruits, such as including criteria for repairability, refabrication or recycled materials that can help to mainstream circularity in procurement. 

Furthermore, public procurement does not operate in a silo. Other policy levers and business strategies can support the uptake of circular practices in the market. Investments in circular solutions, infrastructure, and networks to store, distribute, maintain, and repair products and materials, can support businesses with their transition towards more circular practices. As companies adopt new business models, their organisational structures, KPIs, and capacity-building activities should reflect their circular practices and processes. 

Procurement procedures are often tailored to linear products and processes, which can inadvertently hinder the transition to circular practices and innovation. To overcome this challenge, it is essential to rethink procurement requirements through the lens of the circular economy and identify supportive policies and criteria. The lessons learned from innovative pilot projects can help to gain expertise in ambitious circular solutions. 

By rethinking their procurement strategies, public procurers can help reshape linear systems, business models and processes into circular ones.