further extending the green purchasing requirements to local governments would enhance the effectiveness of the policy in particular since a large share of public expenditure is invested locally in expanding its green purchasing policy the government should make sure that it targets goods and services with the highest potential environmental returns this outcome was achieved with minor increases in public expenditure since the introduction of the green public procurement policy the market shares of ecofriendly products widely used in the public administration have substantially increased figure according to moe s estimates the national government s green purchasing policy resulted in a reduction of c emissions by tonnes in which is equivalent to the amount of c emitted by a town of inhabitants the financial implications of japan s green public procurement policy and the overall costs to the japanese economy of achieving such emission reductions should be assessed and compared with the costs of alternative policy measures