<span style="color: #222222;">Government eMarketplace, GeM is promoting sustainable public procurement of products and services in association with the United Nations Environment Programme. Commerce and Industry Ministry said, since the launch of Green Room Air Conditioners in June last year, GeM has taken a series of path-breaking steps to roll out new features and functionalities on the portal to promote the adoption of environmentally sustainable products and services.<br />''<br />''Speaking at a function in New Delhi yesterday, CEO GeM, P K Singh said that GeM is prioritizing the listing and availability of environmentally sustainable products and services by targeting the largest selling products and services on the portal. He said, GeM has pro-actively created and listed new product and service categories, and implemented new functionalities, namely – forward auction for safe disposal of obsolete machinery, and buyback option for disposal of obsolete assets.<br />''<br />''On the occasion, Country Head, United Nations Environment Programme, Atul Bagai highlighted that public procurement represents a sizable proportion of government's spending. He said, by promoting sustainable public procurement practices, governments have the opportunity to create high-volume and long-term demand of sustainable products and services.</span><br />