Two and a half years ago, a small batch of remanufactured laptops arrived at the Port of Brussels after a six-week journey by boat from Saudi Arabia. This experiment, run by Paradigm Brussels, tested ways to reduce transport emissions in IT procurement. By replacing air and road transport with maritime shipping and cargo bikes, emissions were cut by 74%, though at the cost of a longer delivery time and a minor additional expense.

Embedding sustainability in procurement

Paradigm Brussels, the central IT purchasing body for the Brussels Region, has been refining its public procurement criteria to make IT purchases more sustainable. Beyond transport, its tenders now include sustainability clauses covering manufacturing, usage, and end-of-life impact.

One major shift was increasing the weight of sustainability criteria in procurement decisions. "Previously, they accounted for just 1-3% of the total score—too little to influence bids" explains Constance Mathieu, Sustainable IT Advisor at Paradigm Brussels. The new 10% weighting has already made an impact, and there are calls to raise it further.

Energy efficiency is another focus. "The best way to encourage lower energy consumption is to integrate it into the total cost calculation" says Mathieu. This ensures energy-efficient devices score higher in the procurement process.

Prioritising durability and repairability

Paradigm aims to extend laptop lifespans from four to six years by prioritising repairability. New tender criteria require suppliers to provide a cost breakdown of spare parts and meet the Ingress Protection (IP) rating standard, which measures resistance to water and dust. If a device is difficult to repair or spare parts are too expensive, it’s less likely to be fixed, explains Thierry Chappe, Sustainable IT Manager at Paradigm.

Balancing ambition with practicality

Applying sustainability principles in procurement isn’t always straightforward. "Generic recommendations don’t translate easily into tenders" says Mathieu. "If we ask bidders for quality management measures, we get 500-page reports that are impossible to compare." Instead, Paradigm relies on quantifiable criteria and closed questions to ensure fair and transparent evaluations.

Beyond procurement criteria, a cultural shift is needed. "We must move away from a cost-first mindset while reassuring teams they’ll still get high-quality equipment" says Chappe. Dialogue with suppliers also plays a role, signalling that sustainability matters and will influence tender evaluations.

Sharing lessons and strengthening collaboration

Paradigm is updating its procurement guide to provide clear, legally sound wording that smaller administrations can adopt. Monitoring contract implementation is also key, ensuring sustainability commitments are upheld over the five-year contract period.

"If people don’t understand the reasoning behind procurement decisions, they may find ways around them" warns Mathieu. That is why Paradigm is prioritising awareness-raising alongside procurement reforms—ensuring sustainability is not just a requirement on paper but a shift in practice.

About Paradigm Brussels and Big Buyers Working Together

The interview was conducted by Wilma Dragonetti, Eurocities Writer at Eurocities with Thierry Chappe, Sustainable IT Manager at Paradigm Brussels and Costance Mathieu Sustainable IT Advisor at Paradigm Brussels.

Paradigm Brussels is a member of the Big Buyers Working Together (BBWT) Community of Practice on Sustainability in ICT. 

Big Buyers Working Together, is an EU-funded project that fosters collaboration between public buyers to enhance sustainable procurement practices.
Join Big Buyers Working Together and the Community of Practice on Sustainability in ICT.