Green public procurement (GPP) in South African local government is still at its infancy stage. The municipalities of City of Johannesburg (CoJ), Cape Town, eThekwini, Ekurhuleni, Nelson Mandela Bay and Tshwane (all members of International Council for Local Government Initiatives (ICLEI) committed in 2002 at the World Conference on Sustainable Development (WSSD) to pursue some form of GPP, however none of these municipalities has developed a fully-fledged policy on GPP.

GPP is one of the new strategies that are being adopted globally to assist local governments in providing solutions for sustainable development and to embrace the green economy through the implementation of long-term sustainable policies and strategies. The incorporation of green procurement elements into current supply chain policies of municipalities can be the first and most inexpensive step in achieving a successful green procurement programs. Municipalities spend a large portion of their budget on procurement and if they use their purchasing power by choosing to procure environmentally friendly goods and services, they can make an important contribution to sustainable consumption and production. The integration of green criteria in local government procurement would provide opportunities for: improved efficiency, reduced resource use, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cost savings and enhanced environmental and social outcomes. The aim of the research is to determine factors that affect implementation of GPP practices in local government and it concludes that there is a need to confront lack of knowledge and training as critical in driving the implementation of  GPP.