Advancing Circular Economy through Public Procurement

“How can public procurement become a true force for advancing the circular economy, beyond greenwashing and vague sustainability claims?”

This book answers this question and provides a clear doctrinal legal analysis of public procurement as a strategic instrument to foster circular economy objectives. It explores overlapping sustainability concepts, revealing that circularity is frequently driven by economic considerations rather than purely environmental ideals. The focus of analysis lies in the European Union’s Public Sector Directive 2014/24/EU and related national frameworks by investigating each phase of the procurement process and identifying concrete legal opportunities to embed circular criteria. It also provides an in-depth comparative legal analysis of Italy and Belgium, two EU Member States with diverging approaches to public procurement oriented to advance circular economy goals. Furthermore, it proposes concrete legal pathways to integrate circularity into EU sectoral legislation and policy, especially the upcoming legal acts.

Originating from a PhD dissertation defended in July 2025 at the University of Hasselt, the re-arranged manuscript offers a doctrinal legal analysis to serve legal scholars, policymakers, procurement professionals, and anyone interested in leveraging public procurement to achieve circular goals.

Aura Iurascu is a postdoctoral researcher at the Faculty of Law, Centre for Government and Law, Hasselt University (Belgium). Her current research covers public procurement law and environmental law, and builds on her previous doctoral research that focused on the intersection between the circular economy and public procurement. She is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow within the SAPIENS Network, and she obtained her PhD in July 2025 at Hasselt University. Aura has been a licensed lawyer in Italy since 2021, and she integrates her previous public law practice into her academic work.

Digital version available on :

• Strada lex Belgium
• Strada lex Europa

You have a subscription? Activate the digital version for free with the code in the book.