Hi-visibility clothing for the collection service

IOK includes circular award criteria in contract documents for work clothing

During the Green Deal Circular Procurement, waste management company IOK invested in circular work clothing. They issued contract documents for the purchase and maintenance of hi-visibility clothing for the waste collection service. These documents contained sustainability/circular criteria:

III.20 Sustainability 

IOK Afvalbeheer wants to prevent clothing ending up in landfill at the end of its lifespan, and make sure it is processed in a sustainable manner. Tenderers who demonstrate that clothing which is no longer usable is processed sustainably may be awarded extra points. In this respect, there must be no visible references to IOK Afvalbeheer on reused products. The tenderer must describe, in writing, its proposed take-back and sustainable processing procedure where appropriate for clothing that is no longer usable. The tenderer must also attach documentary evidence that demonstrates that the proposed procedure is actually applied in the manner described.

The following requirements apply to any textile packaging:

• The amount of packaging much be limited as much as possible;
• Packaging must be either reusable, or consist (partly or completely if paper and cardboard) of recycled material and/or materials from renewable sources.

When the contract documents were first issued, IOK received no compliant registrations. The procurement process was then re-launched. The project is currently in the award phase, and the proposed clothing is being tested in the field.

Rob Eyckmans from IOK will gladly share his contract documents and experiences with you subject to a simple request.