Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. Due to being a major international tourist destination and significant cultural, political and economic hub, it is considered an “Alpha–“ global city.

Warsaw promotes innovations which reduce the impact on the environment i.e. all wastewater treatment facilities use their own treated wastewater during the wastewater/sludge treatment process. This reduces the amount of municipal water used by wastewater treatment plants and helps reduce energy demand. Moreover, biogas generated during the wastewater treatment process is used for satisfying the facility’s energy demand - this applies to both heat production and (for "Czajka" wastewater treatment plant) electricity production, satisfying around 40% of its total electricity demand.

The initiation of green public procurement was the city’s participation in the OPEN HOUSE project (2010), which provided the inclusion of building assessment methodology in green public procurement. In the second half of 2014, the Warsaw’s City Hall and its subordinate units applied green clauses in 8 out of 70 cases (11,4 %).

In 2011, Warsaw’s Public Procurement Department presented a concept for establishing the Group for Innovative Green Public Procurement aimed at engaging city offices in the promotion of innovative green public procurement.

Since 2009, two categories of social clauses exist within the Polish legal system: first, regarding contractors, whose employees (at least 50%) are people with disabilities. The second, regarding preferences regarding employment of contractors excluded from the labor market i.e. the disabled, unemployed and refugees. Warsaw’s City Hall is the first to start preparations for the widespread use of social clauses in public procurement. Since 2015, companies planning to participate in municipal tenders are obliged to apply such clauses.

On 26 March 2015, Warsaw joined the Declaration of European Mayors for Climate Action, Towards COP 21 - an instrument of carrying out the objective of a low - carbon economy, applies to joint green public procurement. Warsaw will choose one of three thematic axes in carrying out the joint green public procurement procedure:

• purchase of garbage trucks powered by natural gas,
• joint purchase of renewable energy for municipal units’ own use, and
• purchase of hybrid/electric cars for local government use.

Warsaw is committed to strengthen the role of rail transport. The implementation of railway projects will further decarbonize transport in Warsaw and surrounding municipalities. In addition, the Mazowieckie Railways implemented the Eco Driving project aimed at monitoring and analyzing of the extent of electricity consumption, enabling its precise measurement in railway vehicles in the Mazovian Voivodeship. This data will be used for energy optimization of transport services. Lack of such optimization is costly and accounts for a large portion of CO₂ emissions. In 2020, 40% of bus fleet will be green, including the purchase of 100 electric buses.

Social clauses are to be applied, among others, in tenders relating to street/sidewalk cleaning and maintenance of green areas. Only companies which meet the new criteria will be allowed to take part in tender proceedings.

Warsaw has already made some achievements. Its airport has covered 80% of its roof surface (7 000 m²) with photovoltaic solar panels enabling conversion of solar energy into electrical energy. Panels generate nearly 1MW of electricity. The Municipal Transport Authority introduced green clauses to choose the operator of transport services, who was obliged to offer vehicles meeting specific emission standards. Green jobs are being created in energy-efficient housing, renewable energy, food production, finance and insurance fields.