As Kazakhstan pursues its national commitments under the Concept for Transition to a Green Economy and the Strategy on Achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2060, aligning public sector demand with environmental goals has become a priority. Public procurement accounts for a major share of national economic activity—totaling KZT 9.6 trillion annually. Embedding Green Public Procurement (GPP) into the national legal framework provides the government with a powerful lever to stimulate demand for secondary raw materials, incentivize circular business models, reduce industrial waste, and accelerate resource efficiency across key sectors such as construction and waste management.
At the request of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the EU SWITCH-Asia Technical Advisory Sustainable / Green Public Procurement for Transformation has developed a comprehensive framework to integrate environmental criteria into the national procurement system. The outputs of this advisory were presented to national stakeholders in October 2026.
The advisory produced a suite of documents, based on extensive research of Kazakhstan’s GPP landscape, designed to transform the state’s annual purchasing power of KZT 9.6 trillion into a driver for the circular economy.
The core of the technical assistance is contained in two foundational Policy Papers that establish the system’s architecture:
- Comprehensive Green Public Procurement System as a mechanism for implementing the Waste Management Concept of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2026–2030: Outlines the mechanisms for developing secondary raw materials markets. It introduces the "Green Value Share" (GVS) indicator to measure environmental benefits and proposes a "Green Regulatory Sandbox" to support innovative waste-recycling enterprises.
- Legislative recognition of public procurement as an instrument of environmental policy: Provides the legal rationale and a package of amendments for five legislative acts. This paper focuses on formally recognizing public procurement as an instrument of environmental policy, moving beyond simple compliance to a system that rewards environmental performance.
To facilitate the adoption of these policies, the advisory also developed a Policy Brief and a Technical Handbook:
- Policy Brief: This document presents a synthesis of the findings from both Policy Papers. It serves as a roadmap for decision-makers, advocating for a "notional price" formula in tenders to grant a competitive advantage to suppliers using verified green materials.
- Handbook of Construction Materials and Engineering Equipment: This technical document complements the policy framework by providing data for the largest category of public spending. It includes detailed environmental profiles for 41 standard positions of construction materials, aligning national standards with international benchmarks (EU and ISO). Each profile also includes recommended environmental requirements for tender technical specifications.
The presentation of these reports in October 2026 facilitated a dialogue between the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and Parliament representatives. By linking waste management objectives with procurement mechanics, the Technical Advisory provides a structured path for Kazakhstan’s transition toward resource efficiency.
The reports are available for download through the SWITCH-Asia website to assist policy makers and procurement practitioners.
Access the Reports:
- Comprehensive Green Public Procurement System as a mechanism for implementing the Waste Management Concept of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2026–2030 [English]: https://www.switch-asia.eu/resource/comprehensive-green-public-procurement-system-a-mechanism-for-implementing-the-waste-management-concept-of-the-republic-of/
- Comprehensive Green Public Procurement System as a mechanism for implementing the Waste Management Concept of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2026–2030 [Russian]: https://www.switch-asia.eu/resource/kompleksnaia-sistema-zelenykh-gosudarstvennykh-zakupok-kak-mekhanizm-realizatcii-kontceptcii-upravleniia-otkhodami-respubliki/
- Legislative recognition of public procurement as an instrument of environmental policy [English]: https://www.switch-asia.eu/resource/legislative-recognition-of-public-procurement-as-an-instrument-of-environmental-policy/
- Legislative recognition of public procurement as an instrument of environmental policy [Russian]: https://www.switch-asia.eu/resource/zakonodatel-noe-priznanie-gosudarstvennykh-zakupok-kak-instrumenta-ekologicheskoi-politiki/
- Policy Brief: GPP as an Environmental Policy Instrument [English]: https://www.switch-asia.eu/resource/green-public-procurement-as-an-environmental-policy-instrument-for-kazakahstan/
- Policy Brief: GPP as an Environmental Policy Instrument [Russian]: https://www.switch-asia.eu/resource/zelenye-gosudarstvennye-zakupki-kak-instrument-ekologicheskoi-politiki/
- Handbook of Construction Materials and Engineering Equipment [English]: https://www.switch-asia.eu/resource/handbook-of-construction-materials-and-engineering-equipment-for-green-public-procurement/
- Handbook of Construction Materials and Engineering Equipment [Russian]: https://www.switch-asia.eu/resource/spravochnik-stroitel-nykh-materialov-i-inzhenernogo-oborudovaniia-dlia-zelenykh-gosudarstvennykh-zakupok/
Contact:
For more information on EU SWITCH-Asia activities in Sustainable/Green Public Procurement, contact:
Ms. Elodie Maria-Sube, EU Policy Development and Stakeholder Engagement Expert, SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component, [email protected].
Learn more here.
