Green Commerce Markets for Sustainable Urban Food Systems

This project’s support for green markets has three axes – social, economic and environmental:

• Support healthy diets for all citizens: Introducing quality badges and signage in Barcelona’s 38 food markets, based on strict standards; making fresh, local and healthy products broadly available; fighting against social inequalities with neighbourhood-focused activities.
• Boost sustainable local economies: Generating opportunities for farmers who produce locally and ecologically, facilitating the distribution of local products and their commercialisation in short circuits.
• Combat the climate emergency: Reducing the carbon footprint with solar and geothermal energy in markets; reducing food waste; and increasing waste recycling and reuse. 

The Green Markets project is aligned with Barcelona’s Sustainable and Healthy Food Strategy 2030, and the strategy of IMMB, the municipal institute of markets. 

It helps achieve several objectives, such as: promoting local and ecologic products and short supply chains: preventing food waste: combating the climate emergency: generating awareness for more sustainable, healthy eating: and fostering fair relations within the food value chain.  

To do so, the practice includes several main components:

• Form a strategy and action plan, identifying and engaging key stakeholders to ensure their involvement and the co-definition of activities.
• Set standards and criteria for food retailers to adopt the official label. Design and distribute Quality badges and signage at Barcelona’s city food markets, highlighting products that are natural, local, self-produced and locally-acquired.
• Periodic revision and verification of the correct application of the criteria and signage.
• Training for traders by sector, and broad communication and awareness campaigns aimed at citizens.
• Actions to improve the sustainability of local markets: reduction of plastic bag use, promotion of the markets’ use of sustainable and renewable energies such as solar and geothermal energy. 

The Green Markets practice integrates actions that simultaneously have a social, economic and environmental dimension. Together, these promote ecological and local products in Barcelona’s city food markets and involve retailers and consumers in a more sustainable dynamic. Complementing these activities, a strong communication and awareness campaign promotes healthy diets and responsible consumption patterns.  This sustainable, integrated approach generates multidimensional benefits in a number of ways:

• It allows more informed decision-making for consumers seeking to promote sustainable consumption patterns and healthy alimentary habits. This supports the overall good health and wellbeing of the local population, considering that 64% of Barcelona’s residents visit city food markets on a monthly basis.
• It strengthens economic ties between urban and rural areas of Catalonia, adding value to locally produced food items. This creates business opportunities for local farmers and food retailers.
• It fosters short value chains, the circular economy, food waste prevention, and the reduction of green gas emissions produced by transportation. Additionally, the use of renewable, solar photovoltaic, energy helps minimise dependency on highly pollutant fossil fuels.  
   

The design and implementation of this practice requires the involvement of a variety of local and regional stakeholders.

• Public authorities: The participation of Barcelona City Council and district areas representatives was fundamental for building the strategy and organising the practice, while providing economic and human resources for its implementation.
• Private stakeholders: Food producers and retailers are the soul of the project and main target groups. Through sectorial guilds, retailers’ participation has been constant and pivotal, as they intervened in the design of the objectives, the definition of products to be promoted, and the definition of criteria and standards to be applied. They have also been direct beneficiaries of the actions, while being agents for the project’s communication. Meetings with local farmers were organised to obtain insights and recommendations, especially on certifications.
• Consumers and neighbours: Participation of citizens and consumers through neighbour district associations is key to the success of this practice. As final beneficiaries, their engagement is essential. Such engagement was conducted through communication actions using physical and digital channels. These include flyers, information sheets, social media, screens located in the city food markets, and specific on-place promotional events. 

The Green Markets model is replicable and adaptable to other cities and regions across the EU, due to the simplicity of its methodology and design. It contributes to several EU and international decisions to tackle common challenges, including:

• Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 3 (enhance healthier habits to prevent nutrition-related diseases), SDG 11 (support positive economic, social and environmental urban-rural links), SDG 12 (food waste prevention, recycling and reuse, and ecological and local products), and SDG 13 (promote renewable energy and short value chains).
• Urban Agenda for the EU, acting on priorities such as circular economy, climate adaptation, and jobs in the local economy (helping local primary sector).
• EU Territorial Agenda 2030, fostering integration between urban and rural areas through economic links based on sustainable criteria (ecological agriculture, short value chain).
• Farm to Fork Strategy and European Green Deal, accelerating transition to sustainable food systems (ensuring food security, nutrition and public health, mitigating climate change and less environmental impact). 

The practice is not linked to specific national legislation, but it does align with “Law 17/2011, of July 5th, on food security and nutrition”. This includes duties to public bodies to develop a “Strategy on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity Prevention” and encourages public and private entities to promote healthy habits and nutrition. 

Its transfer to other cities can provide valuable information to improve activities and help build a shared vision of EU cities’ roles in food security and sustainability. This can also pave the way for a common grid of indicators to assess green food systems and markets, and the role that urban areas can play in fields like food security, sustainability and building more resilient food systems.