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November 27, 2023
To effectively address the global issue of food loss and waste, we must first understand its causes and extent throughout the supply chain. The 2021 UNEP Food Waste Index Report revealed the alarming extent of food loss and waste, calling for urgent action. The report highlighted the staggering statistics, indicating that approximately 17% of all food available to consumers goes to waste. This translates to nearly one billion metric tons of food annually. The report also pinpointed key areas within the supply chain where significant losses occur, such as post-harvest handling, transportation, and consumer behaviour. Reducing food losses and waste not only has the potential to contribute to food security but also plays a substantial role in climate change mitigation and protection of our biodiversity. In response, the Global Opportunities for Sustainable Development Goals (GO4SDGs) initiative, in partnership with 10YFP and WRAP, established Regional Food Waste Working Groups in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and West Asia. The working groups are strengthening capacities of member states for measuring food waste and developing strategies to reduce it, responding to SDG12.3. These working groups are also generating peer-to-peer learning, by sharing best practices, promoting knowledge and tools to scale up action and access to finance. By bringing together stakeholders from different sectors, including government agencies, food industry representatives, research institutions, and civil society organizations, these working groups create a platform for collaboration and coordination at the regional level in tackling food waste. “We are happy to celebrate the International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction and to share ACTION!! GO4SDGs, in cooperation with 10YFP and WRAP, are increasing capacities at the national and reginal levels to measure and reduce food waste, through national strategies and various inspiring stories and partnerships with government, private sector and/or civil society, as is the case of Recipe for Change. This is contributing to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, which calls for halving food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reducing food losses along production and supply chains by 2030” says Adriana Zacarias, Head of GO4SDGS initiative and Deputy Head of 10YFP. The efforts of regional working groups have proven to be effective in addressing region-specific challenges and finding localized solutions. So far, the regional working groups have brought together 250 participants from 25 countries from Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Caribbean, and West Asia.
In West Asia, the group gave rise to the Recipe of Change campaign to reduce food waste, bringing together nine Top Chefs from the region, engaging consumers and the hotel industry. The Hilton Hotels and Winnow (an artificial intelligence company) have joined forces in tracking and reducing food waste in the Green Ramadan Campaign. The campaign was a success, achieving Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash a 61% reduction in food waste in three hotels. This translated into over 8,600 saved meals, almost 4.8 tonnes of waste prevented, and over 14 tonnes of CO2e emissions averted.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, 16 member states have successfully developed National Food Waste Measurement Plans, laying the groundwork of comprehensive National Food Waste Reduction Strategies. In partnership with FAO, IDB and WWF, over 100 representatives from 9 LAC countries are converging in a series of workshops, going from capacity-building to the development of National Food Waste Reduction Strategies; and fundraising. This community of practice brings knowledge and inspiration from 31 national and regional institutions, to make significant strides towards the ambitious goal of halving food waste.
The Asia Pacific working group has over 50 members from nine countries and have shared innovative approaches and best practices on public-private partnerships and consumer behaviour change initiatives. This group has amplified some inspiring practices such as the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Food Waste Management Program which has been running experiments with household waste by weight and food waste separation in 4 pilot districts with 1100 households. This is showing the efficacy of ‘nudges’ and incentives for food waste reduction.
In Africa, the working group gathers experts from seven countries, and has also shared inspiring initiatives in the region. One such initiative is the peer education program at Moshi Cooperative University in Tanzania, which aims at educating students about food waste through practical demonstrations and a culture of sharing in learning institutions. This initiative aims at engaging 5,000 students from 15 education institutions to embrace food sharing and sustainability practices. This could lead to a 10% reduction in plate food waste and a 15% increase in food access for people in need. GO4SDGs is supporting the scale up and replications of this initiative in other East African countries.
The Regional Food Waste Working Groups are increasing capacity and taking concrete steps to advance the SD 12.3. Together, we are building a more sustainable and nourished world.
For more details at UNEP One Planet Network News Center.
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November 20, 2023
UNIDO – At the 14th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM14), Canada, Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom gave status updates on public and stakeholder consultations relating to the Industrial Deep Decarbonization Initiative’s (IDDI) Green Public Procurement Pledge (GPP Pledge).
At its most ambitious level, the GPP Pledge commits governments to start requiring that steel, cement and concrete used in all public construction projects are low-emission – and that ‘signature projects’ use near-zero emission materials.
The GPP Pledge has four levels of commitment:
Level One: Starting no later than 2025, require disclosure of the embodied carbon in cement/concrete and steel procured for public construction projects.
Level Two (in addition to Level 1): Starting no later than 2030, conduct whole project life cycle assessments for all public construction projects, and, by 2050, achieve net zero emissions in all public construction projects.
Level Three (in addition to Levels 1 and 2): Starting no later than 2030, require procurement of low emission cement/concrete and steel in public construction projects, applying the highest ambition possible under national circumstances.
Level Four (in addition to Levels 1, 2 and 3): Starting in 2030, require procurement of a share of cement and/or crude steel from near zero emission material production for signature projects. Signatories, which can be national or subnational governments, are being asked to commit to the highest level of ambition possible for their national circumstances, following public and stakeholder consultations.
Canada, Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom provided the following updates.
The Government of Canada has held GPP Pledge discussions with internal government stakeholders, including environmental policymakers, procurement policymakers, technical experts and procurement practitioners. It has also consulted industry and supplier stakeholder groups, such as steel, cement and concrete producers, product manufacturers and technical experts. GPP Levels 1 to 3 are now enshrined as policy commitments. Level 4 is being considered.
The Government of Germany identified green public procurement as a goal in its coalition agreement. Germany strongly supports IDDI and is currently conducting a consultation process on the GPP Pledge. Simultaneously, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is carrying out a stakeholder process on the definitions, measurements methods and demand signals for green steel and cement. The process is actively engaging industry, science and civil society to develop a set of reliable rules that will help us implement the needed measures to incentivize demand for the new materials.
At the CEM14 event on strengthening global demand for green steel, cement and concrete, hosted by IDDI with the First Movers Coalition and Climate Group, Parliamentary State Secretary Stefan Wenzel highlighted the importance of demand creation. He said: “Strengthening the demand for green materials such as steel and cement is one of the major levers for decarbonizing our industries. To succeed in this ambitious undertaking, we need a set of clear and reliable principles to align our efforts. IDDI is doing great work towards achieving this goal. We are very much looking forward to exchanging ideas and visions as well as best practices and current experiences with colleagues, businesses and experts from the most relevant initiatives in this area.”
The Government of the United States of America supports the overall goals of the CEM IDDI and will continue to demonstrate leadership to accelerate the adoption of green procurement practices with the IDDI Secretariat and other member countries.
The US government continues to adopt green procurement practices within country. It launched a Federal Buy Clean Initiative in 2022 to prioritize lower-carbon construction materials in Federal procurement and federally funded infrastructure projects. Buy Clean promotes purchasing lower-embodied carbon steel, concrete, asphalt and flat glass, accounting for whole life-cycle emissions as reported through Environmental Product Declarations.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (2021) and Inflation Reduction Act (2022) catalysed Buy Clean, allocating over USD$4.5 billion to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, General Services Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation to identify and procure substantially lower embodied carbon construction materials and support the development and standardization of Environmental Product Declarations. These laws also provide over USD$6 billion to the U.S. Department of Energy to accelerate decarbonization of the highest emitting industrial manufacturing sectors.
A White House-led Buy Clean Task Force strengthens collaboration across agencies, accounting for 90 per cent of all federally financed and purchased construction materials. A Federal-State Buy Clean Partnership enhances Buy Clean policy harmonization with 13 states. The First Movers Coalition, supported by the U.S. Department of State, accelerates demand signals for breakthrough decarbonization investments through public-private partnerships.
The Government of the United Kingdom included all four levels of the GPP Pledge in a wider public consultation on decarbonization. The consultation closed on 22 June 2023. It included industry and business representatives (including trade associations, product importers and exporters, small and medium-sized enterprises, supply chain businesses, software houses and customs agents, international partners and multinational groups). Financial reporting and enterprise resource planning system providers, academia, think tanks, cross-sector groups, non-governmental organisations and private citizens were also consulted.
Governments aim to make official GPP Pledge commitments at COP28 in Dubai in December.
By 2025, IDDI hopes to have enabled a minimum of ten governments to have committed to the GPP Pledge.
Ciyong Zou, Deputy to the Director General and Managing Director, Directorate of Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Industrial Development, UNIDO, said:“UNIDO welcomes the leadership demonstrated by IDDI member governments Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as by private sector buyers that have made ambitious commitments to purchase lower emissions steel, cement and concrete by 2030. By demonstrating their commitment to industrial decarbonization, they are inspiring other nations and organizations to follow suit, creating a global ripple effect that will be driving positive change across borders.”
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Clean Energy Ministerial established IDDI in 2021. It is a global coalition of governments and private sector organizations led by India and the United Kingdom. Canada, Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Brazil are members.
Learn more at UNIDO IDDI pledge website.
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November 13, 2023
The 2024 Procura+ Conference, taking place on 13 & 14 March in Lisbon, is a great opportunity for cities and public authorities to gain a better understanding of how public procurement can be used to implement step changes that can make a big impact. The conference will be opened with keynote speeches by Carlos Moedas, Mayor of Lisbon and Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, Mayor of Malmo, Vice-President ICLEI, Chair of the Procura+ Network. They will highlight the key role of procurement in addressing the major environmental, social and economic challenges faced by cities today.
The opening, also featuring Janez Potocnik, Co-Chair of theUNEP International Resource Panel, will set the stage for a conference that will emphasise how public procurement can contribute to the transformation of our societies in light of these challenges, as well as to broader policy objectives, such as the just transition, the circular economy, and the transformation of our energy systems.
During the two days, participants will also gain a better understanding of how training and upskilling can contribute to the further implementation of Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP), and how public buyers can learn from their mistakes. Furthermore, on both days there will be market lounges showcasing breakthrough approaches and case studies on how step changes for big impact have been made with strategies, policies and most important implementing procurement on the ground.
Of course the conference will also offer plenty of opportunities to learn from each other. Networking is highly encouraged during the Agora sessions, the site visits, and the Procura+ Awards ceremony with official dinner in the evening of 13 October.
The programme can be found on the official Procura+ Conference website. The programme is subject to change, and more speakers will be confirmed in the coming days. Soon the registration form will also be made available.
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November 8, 2023
US EPA-The Greening Government Initiative (GGI) is an international community of practice for officials engaged in increasing the environmental sustainability of national government operations. Through GGI, countries share information and best practices, showcase innovation and success, and develop collaborative relationships to advance their greening work.
Why Is the Greening Government Initiative Important?
As efforts to address climate change and other environmental sustainability issues intensify, government officials are developing and implementing new approaches to greening government. In many countries, the government is the largest real estate holder, fleet owner, electricity consumer, and purchaser of goods and services. Government efforts therefore not only have direct emissions impacts, but also send demand signals that can spur economy-wide actions, drive zero-carbon technologies and markets, lower decarbonization costs, and demonstrate leadership by example in a wide range of sectors.
What Does the Greening Government Initiative Do?
GGI hosts quarterly two-hour virtual meetings on relevant themes for all member countries. Through these meetings, countries share ongoing efforts, present projects, discuss potential ways to work together, and help each other recognize and address challenges involved in greening national government operations. Members may also benefit from exchange programs, thematic sub working groups within GGI, and other initiatives to support their greening efforts.
Learn more at the GGI website.
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