EU and US Discretion in Public Procurement Law : The Role of Eco-Labels and Life-Cycle Costing

This chapter addresses the nature of discretion in public procurement as it relates to the emergence of eco-labels and life-cycle costing (LCC), and the role of these mechanisms in furthering environmental interests through public procurement programs in the European Union (EU) and United States (US). Green public procurement (GPP), of which eco-labels and LCC are a part, can serve as an effective environmental regulatory tool in a mode of alternative environmental governance, allowing public institutions to create markets for environmentally friendly goods, thereby bridging the gap between traditional environmental law and private environmental governance