The Green Purchasing Network (GPN) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the ideas and practices of green purchasing in Japan. Since its establishment in 1996, the GPN has taken a leading role through its activities.

The Network's objectives are:

• To disseminate the concept of, and promote the practice of green purchasing among the central and local governments, businesses, and consumers.
• To provide guidelines and information necessary for practicing green purchasing.

The GPN established the Principles of Green Purchasing. These are:

• Consider Necessity

  Consider whether a product is needed before purchasing it.

• Consider the Life-Cycle of Products and Services

  Consider environmental impacts from the overall life cycle of a product, including those incurred through a service provided – from extraction of raw materials to disposal.

• Consider Supplier Efforts

  Select products and services offered by suppliers who make a conscious effort to care for the environment.

• Collect and Use Environmental Information

  Gather information on products, services, and their respective suppliers, and employ that information when purchasing them.

Support for promoting of green purchasing

The GPN provides training sessions and seminars for both newly appointed and experienced personnel of local governments to promote green purchasing in their municipalities. The GPN also helps local governments with developing their own procurement policy, manual, and training materials.

Green Purchasing Guidelines

Green Purchasing Guidelines are the list of the important environmental aspects that shall be considered when purchasing a product. As of March 2016, the GPN has drawn up Green Purchasing Guidelines in 19 products and service categories.

Eco-products Database

The Eco-products Database is the largest database that discloses environmental information about products and services along the Green Purchasing Guidelines. A number of local governments use this database because more than 15,000 products are listed as of March 2016. The database also indicates which products meet evaluation criteria of the Basic Policy of the Act on Promoting Green Purchasing.

Green Purchasing Award

Since 1998, the GPN has conducted the "Green Purchasing Award" to honour the best practices of green purchasing. This Award has successfully disseminated green purchasing to and encouraged practices of both manufactures and consumers.

Green Purchasing Network (GPN)

5F TMM Bldg., 1-10-5 Iwamoto-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0032 JAPAN

Tel: +81-3-5829-6912

Fax: +81-3-5829-6918

E-mail: gpn (@) gpn.jp