When purchasing cleaning products and services the contracting authority should seek for products and services having smaller impact on the environment and reducing or preventing risk for health and the environment because of using hazardous substances. While preparing technical specifications for cleaning products or services or defining tender evaluation criteria, the contracting authority should limit the quantity of harmful ingredients and reduce the quantity of used cleaners and packaging waste. You should require to provide consumer with the information that allows to use the product effectively and as less as possible effecting the environment.

Implementing the above mentioned goals, contracting authorities would not only show the good example of green cleaning process, but would also reduce the amount of employees’ skin diseases and other troubles. Municipalities, being huge users of detergents, would reduce companies’ pollution of effluent water and air.

While purchasing cleaning products and services contracting authorities can use the criteria provided by the Order No D1-697 of the Minister of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania, which came into force on January, 1 2008.

The criteria for cleaning products are following:

·        The product doesn’t contain phosphor or chlorine compounds;

·        The product is concentrated;

·        The substances in the product easily disintegrate under aerobic and anaerobic conditions;

·        The amount of volatile organic compounds is less than 10 % of substance capacity;

·        Nitrite and polycyclic musk compounds are not used for fragrant materials;

·        The product is eco-labelled by one of the eco-labels: the EU “Flower”, the Nordic “Swan”, the German “Blauer Engel” and by other eco-label, certified by independent responsible institution, or other relevant documents proving that the product is environment-friendly, such as producer’s technical documents or report of accomplished test by notified institution, are provided.

The criteria for cleaning services are following:

·        The service provider has implemented the system of water and energy saving and has been following it;

·        The service provider uses not less than 50 % of eco-labelled cleaning products;

·        The amount of used chemicals is less than 140 mg per cleaned m² per year;

·        The service provider has implemented one an environmental management system (EMAS, ISO 14001, etc.).