Public procurement from the triple bottom line lens: the identification of sustainability criteria from the international literature review

André Luiz Trajano Santos () and Augusto Cunha Reis ()
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André Luiz Trajano Santos: Federal Center for Technological Education Celso Suckow da Fonseca
Augusto Cunha Reis: Federal Center for Technological Education Celso Suckow da Fonseca

Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, 2025, vol. 27, issue 5, No 5, 9805-9840

Abstract: Abstract The implementation of Sustainable Public Procurement in the light of the criteria triple bottom line (TBL) is still little explored by researchers on this theme. This review article aims to analyze the integration of the TBL dimensions in public procurement practices in the international literature. This systematic literature review was guided by the PRISMA Protocol, covering n = 105 articles indexed to the scientific databases Scopus and Web of Science, which observe sustainability criteria in public procurement in its scope from 2000 to 2021. Among the reviewed studies, it was identified that only 21.90% (n = 23) presented an integrated approach to the three dimensions of TBL sustainability in its content. In comparison, 35.24% (n = 37) of the studies presented an economic approach, 40.95% (n = 43) a social approach and in greater proportion, 86.67% (n = 91) environmental approach. It identified 26 sustainability criteria in public procurement present in the international literature, of which the eco-labeling (n = 50) stands out in the environmental aspect. In the economic dimension, the life cycle cost and the development of the local economy (n = 14) and the defense and job creation (n = 20) stand out in the social aspect. Thus, in a perspective that public managers should prioritize increasing awareness of their ability to influence the ecosystem of sustainable public procurement to integrate actions focused on the three dimensions of sustainability, this article is the first to systematically review the integration of environmental, economic, and social dimensions proposed by the triple bottom line of sustainability with a focus on public procurement.

Keywords: Sustainable public procurement; Triple bottom line; Sustainable development; Sustainability criteria (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s10668-023-04343-1

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