Together with other Nordic Cities, The City of Helsinki challenges the market to aim for fair and circular economy-compliant smartphones by the year 2025. The joint statement was issued by the Cities of Helsinki, Malmö, Oslo and Copenhagen.
The Cities’ aims with the joint statement include the following:
• By 2025, we will apply uniform criteria and terms to promote fair and safe work conditions and environmental sustainability along the entire supply chain, including the raw material mining, manufacturing and delivery phases as well as the repair, reuse, recycling and disposal phases of smartphones and their components.
• By 2025, we will acquire second-hand devices insofar as they completely meet our needs in terms of quantity, quality and safety.
• By 2025, we will be able to apply certification and worker-driven monitoring to promote circular economy and responsibility. We will engage in regular dialogue to ensure the continuous improvement of our operations.
Nordic market forum brings industry operators together
The joint statement was drawn up as part of the Make ICT Fair project. Its content was developed in cooperation with product suppliers and retailers and industry organisations, particularly in the Nordic market forum arranged held on 25 November 2020. Opened by Malmö Mayor Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, this participatory event for the market emphasised the importance of cooperation for the achievement of the declaration’s goals.
Goals of new procurement strategy put to practice immediately
As an important public procurer, Helsinki sees its participation in the initiation as important. The City’s goal is to be carbon-neutral by 2035 and, as part of this goal, Helsinki strives to promote circular economy strongly.
“Helsinki’s recently updated procurement strategy puts a stronger emphasis on responsibility and impacts. Our goals must also be reflected more strongly in the mobile device procurements of the City. Indeed, Helsinki will address the matters brought up in the joint statement in its future tenders. In addition, we want to review the City’s own practices regarding the use and decommission of devices,” says procurement director Jorma Lamminmäki.
Participate in the promotion of responsible smartphone procurement
The joint statement is open to public operators sharing the same level of ambition as the participants. The joint demand and goals generated by public procurers help to promote fair and safe conditions for the employees of smartphone supply chains and to create a market for circular economy solutions.
The joint statement is supported by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, Electronics Watch and Procura+ European Sustainable Procurement Network.
Read more:
Nordic Joint Statement
City of Helsinki procurement strategy 2020 (In Finnish)
Carbon-neutral Helsinki 2035 – action plan – Climate Watch (In Finnish)
City of Helsinki circular and sharing economy roadmap – Circular Economy Watch (In Finnish)
Joint Statement of Demand-circularfair smartphones.pdf
Image: Marja Väänänen, City of Helsinki Media Bank.