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July 23, 2024
Discover Mauritius' journey towards Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) in the construction sector through this concise summary. Learn how sustainability factors are now prioritized in procurement decisions, focusing on environmental and social considerations. Explore the background of the SPP framework, the rigorous process of selecting consultants, and the objectives and deliverables of the project. Gain valuable insights into expected outcomes, including the development of sustainable procurement strategies and capacity-building workshops. Follow the timeline of this crucial project aimed at improving sustainability practices in Mauritius' construction industry. This summary offers a brief yet comprehensive overview of ongoing efforts to advance sustainable procurement practices in the country.
More details at One Planet Network Knowledge Center.
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July 17, 2024
The clothing and textiles sector matters for global and local economies, representing millions in jobs and US$1.5 trillion in revenue. It, however, struggles to address its contribution to climate change, nature loss and pollution.
At the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6), governments called for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to facilitate a Global Textiles Policy Dialogue, aiming to create a space to empower governments to foster circularity across the value chain.
The importance of global policy coordination on textiles was highlighted in UNEP’s 2023 report, Sustainability and Circularity in the Textile Value Chain - A Global Roadmap.
Recognizing the urgency of scaling up policy efforts that minimize negative impacts of the textile value chain on nature, people and economies, the Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and Türkiye Ministry of Trade, with support from UNEP, convened a high-level UNEA-6 side event, “Connecting the Threads: A coordinated policy response to transform the textile value chain and offer solutions which preserve nature".
At the event, Mustafa Tuzcu, Türkiye’s Deputy Minister of Trade, called for UNEP to “bring and convene a wide array of governments in an inclusive policy dialogue to facilitate the transition towards a climate neutral, resource efficient and circular textile sector”.
Panellists acknowledged that tackling the negative environmental impacts of the textile value chain requires a systemic change with lifecycle-based and upstream policies, such as products designed with resource efficiency and circularity principles. To succeed, solutions need to be economically viable for industry and attractive enough for consumers. “To bring about policy coherence, we must find sustainable ways to balance consumption and production within a frame of human rights, environmental and sustainability laws,” said Ligia Noronha, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the UNEP New York Office.
“If a just transition is to be achieved, international cooperation is of absolute importance,” said Afke van Rijn, Vice Minister for the Environment and International Affairs at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management in the Netherlands. “We are happy to share our experiences and work together on strengthening the dialogue and create new standards in the textiles industries. A global policy dialogue allows for more international coordination for policy implementation and to share experience and knowledge on different policy initiatives”.
Recognizing the need for global cooperation
“The growing popularity of ultra-fast fashion, low-quality products and very low prices, is contributing to an explosion in textile waste,” said H.E. Arnaud Suquet, France’s Ambassador to Kenya and UNEP Permanent Representative. “We need to start thinking collectively about the issue of textile waste […] and France is ready to get involved.” In 2008, France introduced an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme which has helped to increase textile waste collection. A draft law on ultra-fast fashion aims to develop a legal definition, discuss financial penalties for such products within the EPR scheme, increase awareness of its negative impacts, and ban its advertizing.
“Not only are we interested to learn from the success stories of other countries, we also want to learn from their failures,” said Lydia Essuah, Director of Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation of Ghana. Essuah also highlighted the importance of engaging with local governments, manufacturers, retailers, waste management companies and non-governmental organizations to effectively address the challenge posed by textiles waste and second-hand clothes.
Tunisia’s Minister of Environment Leila Chikhaoui Mahdaoui, highlighted the importance of the textile industry to her country’s economy. The industry represents more than 5 per cent of national gross domestic product and 29.3 per cent of the total workforce in 2021. To transform the textile value chain, Mahdaoui advocated for research partnerships and knowledge transfer in emerging technology in textile materials, production and recycling, alongside enhancing access to finance and the establishment of internationally agreed durability labels.
Sagar Shah, Manager of Kenya’s Alpha Knits Ltd, welcomed “policies encouraging skills development and training programmes […] as well as the development of certifications.” Bahar Guclu, Deputy Director General of Türkiye’s Ministry of Trade underlined the need to consider the socio-economic impacts of textiles regulatory frameworks, and shift from price-driven to value and sustainability-driven competition.
Harnessing climate, biodiversity and pollution frameworks
Participants emphasized the need for the Global Textiles Policy Dialogue to leverage existing policy work on climate change (Paris Agreement), biodiversity (Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework) and pollution (Global Framework on Chemicals).
“It is very important that we continue to work through the existing international policy tools […] such as the Stockholm Convention on chemical regulation,” said Sweden’s Minister for Climate and the Environment Romina Pourmokhtari. She referred to the proposal Sweden and France made within the European Union, to include textiles in the Basel Convention to improve traceability of waste or second-hand textile imports and exports.
Speakers agreed that the Global Textiles Policy Dialogue should be government-led and inclusive. “UNEP would be happy to support such a policy dialogue,” said Noronha.
More details at One Planet Network website.
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July 12, 2024
The Circular Cities Declaration (CCD) Report 2024 has been released, launching during the WCEF. Entitled "Insights on implementation, measurement, and nature," this edition features contributions from 54 European cities representing 16 million inhabitants and more than 200 concrete, replicable, and innovative examples of circular actions across all economic sectors and value chains. Building upon the 2023 call for reports from signatories of the CCD, the report provides a detailed overview of strategies and actions implemented by each city, complemented by analyses from ICLEI Europe, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and Circle Economy. Additionally, it includes in-depth chapters on measuring progress and utilizing the circular economy for nature regeneration.
Key Insights
The CCD Report 2024 features introductory chapters curated by experts from ICLEI Europe, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and Circle Economy. The team analysed the reports submitted by the signatories to assess their progress against the CCD commitments and identify the main challenges faced by cities in their path towards a circular future. Here is what they discovered:
--Cities are clearly implementing and embedding circular economy principles and roadmaps successfully through a wide range of activities.
--Cities are prioritising progress on circular economy measurement and reporting to support their strategic decision making and transition plans.
--Cities are beginning to realise the untapped potential of the circular economy for regenerating nature.
--Cities are harnessing the potential of the circular economy to achieve climate goals, as well as build resilience and enable a just transition.
More details at the Circular Cities Declaration Website.
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July 1, 2024
How can cities act to respond to the climate crisis and resource depletion challenges associated with the construction sector? The Global Lead City Network (GLCN) on Sustainable Procurement offers practical insights. This group of cities, coordinated ICLEI - co-lead of our Sustainable Public Procurement Programme - are committed to sustainable transition. All participating cities of the network act as ambassadors of sustainable procurement to lead to a resource efficient, low carbon and socially responsible society; GLCN cities are fully determined to use their purchasing power to deliver cleaner and healthier buildings. Their Factsheet ‘Construction & Climate: Global Public Procurement’ illustrates how the innovative procurement practices of GLCN cities have helped to address the challenges associated with the transition towards greener buildings and infrastructure, whilst promoting fair working practices in the construction sector, highlighting activities from Budapest, Denver Helsinki and Oslo.
Learn more details at One Planetnetwork knowledge center.
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June 21, 2024
2024 knowledge sharing webinar of the International Green Purchasing Network-IGPN was held visually on June 13th. Participants from national Green Purchasing Networks (GPN), IGPN Council and IGPN Advisory Board, invited guests from UNEP, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, World Bank, TCO Development, GIZ Thailand office attended this meeting. The meeting was hosted by the IGPN Secretariat, China Environmental United Certification Center–CEC.
Mr. Chen Yanping, Chair of IGPN, presented his speech in the opening remarks, “IGPN has been continuously supported global sustainable procurement development in terms of capacity building, awareness raising, tools and approach development, Since the development of GPN measurement methodology initiated and pilot test conducted, pilot questionnaires were received from GPN Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong SAR to develop a scientific measurement methodology to evaluate the effectiveness which will help to achieve the long-term goal of promoting sustainable purchasing practice for all organizations”. Mr. ZHU Shu, regional director of ICLEI East Asia, newly appointed vice chair of IGPN, pointed the recommendations on IGPN development including advocating and mainstreaming GPP awareness, seeking synergies with core international conventions, building sustainable funding scheme steadily, incorporating middle Asian countries and cities for green development and transition under the BRI of China, and exploring possibilities of developing best practices on cities, industrial zones, and specific industries like building and textile.
During the meeting, Ms. Fabienne Pierre, Programmes & Flagship Initiatives Lead of UNEP One Planet Network Secretariat, presented the flagship initiative on mainstreaming circularity in the construction sector through sustainable public procurement; Mr. Howard Bariira Centenary, Lead Procurement Specialist of East Asia and Pacific Region Governance Global Practice from World Bank shared the landscape of Sustainable Public Procurement in East Asia Pacific; Mr, SHAN Mingwei, representatives from CEC introduced ·Feasibility study on promoting carbon reduction in the steel and cement industry through public procurement,
Meanwhile, Mr. Gakuji FUKATSU, secretariat general of Japan GPN, recapped the history and latest activities of GPN Japan and provide valuable insight for the on-going pilot test of GPN Measurement Methodology conducted by the IGPN Secretariat. Mr. Pranav Bhardwaj, assistant vice president of GPN India, provided the GPP practice in the Indian Road Sector; Dr. Chaiyod Bunyagidj together with Mr. Augustine Koh, Director of GPN BERHAD brought the latest progress on exploring the certification and verification of GPNB standards in tracking system within a blockchain and its key features and benefits.
Since CEC holds the IGPN Secretariat in 2018, it consistently works on the IGPN operational and members’ collaboration activities. Stated by Mr. LIU Zunwen, CEC general manager, in the summary speech, “Next, IGPN Secretariat will revise the methodology, release the methodology and report as scheduled; Furthermore, the Secretariat will work closely with ICLEI, enrich projects and activities, bridge the IGPN and One Planet Network for a platform for SPP practical practices in the Asia Pacific region,”
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June 18, 2024
This specific case study explores the benefits of grouping sustainable certifications under a recognition scheme or pre-approved list to streamline sustainable public procurement. This approach helps public procurers easily identify and trust products and services with credible sustainability performance, mitigating the challenge of assessing diverse and often unreliable environmental claims. The MyHIJAU Mark in Malaysia and the EPA’s Framework in the USA serve as examples of successful implementation. MyHIJAU Mark has recognized over 15,000 products and services, promoting green procurement through robust certification and communication strategies. Similarly, the EPA’s Framework recommends over 40 standards across various categories, aiding federal purchasers in making environmentally sound choices. This system not only boosts the availability of certified green products but also simplifies the procurement process, supporting broader environmental and economic goals. This case study highlight that effective national policies and communication strategies are crucial for successful adoption and market expansion of sustainable products.
This series of 20 good practices reflects experiences on ecolabelling, sustainable public procurement, or the joint use of ecolabelling and sustainable public procurement that have demonstrated positive impacts on fostering sustainable consumption and production — for this reason, they are called "good practices.” These good practices aim to promote global exchange by providing information and examples of various approaches that entities from different countries and contexts can apply to strengthen the use of ecolabels and sustainable public procurement. They were developed as an outcome of the Working Group on Ecolabelling from the Consumer Information Programme, under the One Planet network, and the EcoAdvance project, jointly implemented by the German Cooperation for Development (GIZ), the United Nations for Environmental Protection (UNEP), and the Oeko Institute, funded by the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, nuclear safety and consumer protection (BMUV), and the International Climate Initiative (IKI).
Learn more at One Planet Network website.
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June 12, 2024
Within the Big Buyers Working Together (BBWT) project, a Community of Practice (CoP) focused on the New European Bauhaus (NEB) is the first European initiative to explore meaningful links between the NEB and sustainable public procurement. This CoP, led by ICLEI Europe, kicked off recently with a webinar that explored cases of how sustainable public procurement can help advance the NEB principles.
Eytan Levi of Roofscapes explained how a tender of the City of Paris (France) enabled his organisation to transform pitched and slanted roofs in the city into green and accessible spaces. In the context of climate change, green roofs are especially important as they can help cool the city. At the same time they provide green spaces for the inhabitants of the building and have a positive impact on biodiversity.
In the second case study, the Mayor of Beclean (Romania) Nicolae Moldovan highlighted the prize-winning Legacy Recreation Center in his city. The project is aimed at the inclusion of people with social needs, allowing them to find a diversity of recreational, social and leisure activities in one place. The centre includes a library, a yoga centre, fitness, bowling, a sports hall, two swimming pools.
The BBWT project supports collaboration between public buyers with strong purchasing power and promotes the wider use of strategic public procurement for innovative and sustainable solutions. It is comprised of 10 CoPs coordinated by ICLEI Europe alongside Eurocities and BME on behalf of the European Commission. Each CoP is devoted to the purchase of a specific product, work or service where European collaboration is needed with the aim of developing more strategic and innovative procurement approaches.
In addition to the NEB, ICLEI leads three additional CoP’s in BBWT, namely Social Procurement, Heavy Duty Electric Vehicles and Sustainable Solar. More information about these communities can be found on the Public Buyers Community Platform. In addition, The European Commission recently produced a deep dive on the work of the Sustainable Solar CoP including a news article on the key challenges of the group in the context of the current EU-wide shift towards renewable energy, a factsheet that provides more info on the mission, key strategies and objectives of the group, and an introductory video.
Learn more at ICLEI Europe website.
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June 4, 2024
The Circular Built Environment working group advocates for the uptake of circularity standards and practices through the buildings and construction sector at a national level, alongside key partners such as the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) at a buildings level, who had recently announced the development of the Circular Transition Indicators (CTI) for Buildings Framework. While the working group is leading the development of a Circularity Assessment Framework tailored for the national level. These efforts are key to continue developing a strong narrative on circularity in the construction sector as well as advancing on tools to measure and monitor circularity in public construction projects.
In 2024, Habitat for Humanity International will spearhead the Circular Built Environment working group's exploration of the social aspects of circularity. This initiative aims to gather and disseminate insights concerning circular practices within the affordable housing sector, including gender inequalities and jobs. Moreover, the working group invites other organizations to contribute to and shape this endeavor, with opportunities to explore additional sub-themes.
To become a part of the working group, please contact the GlobalABC. If you are interested in participating in the piloting phase of the Circularity Assessment Framework and the Circular Transition Indicators (CTI) for Buildings Framework please click here.
Circularity Assessment Framework The Circularity Assessment Framework - funded by Finland, led by UNEP and developed by UNOPS - assesses the state of circularity of the built environment and enabling environments at the national level and was launched at the Buildings and Climate Global Forum. Launched with a call to action for countries to join in the piloting of the assessment framework, the Circularity Assessment Framework is under development with the support of 50 international advisors and the piloting country teams. Circular Transition Indicators (CTI) for buildings launched WBCSD announced the development of the Circular Transition Indicators (CTI) for buildings framework in the Buildings and Climate Global Forum in March and launched the tool in the WCEF 2024 in April. The Circular Transition Indicators (CTI) for buildings framework assesses circularity at the building level. WBCSD is currently looking for stakeholders to engage in workshops and the pilot phase to answer as much as possible to the needs of the built environment value chain when it comes to measurement for material, energy & water flow, and design.
Learn more at One Planet Network News Center.
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May 27, 2024
With a substantial demand for food from the public sector, sustainable public food procurement (PFP) initiatives possess the potential to significantly influence both food consumption and production patterns, delivering numerous social, economic, and environmental benefits to positively transform food systems and contribute to sustainable and healthy diets. Depending on policy and regulatory frameworks, PFP initiatives play a crucial role in determining the type of food purchased (food security and nutrition), the source of procurement (livelihoods, decent jobs, income), and the production methods employed (environmental sustainability). Notably, school feeding programs, serving as one of the largest and most widespread social safety nets globally with 418 million children benefiting.
This is why a new project led by FAO and UNEP has been launched to bolster the efforts of the One Planet Sustainable Public Procurement and Sustainable Food Systems Programmes. The project will involve crafting a regional pathway on Sustainable Public Procurement for Sustainable Food Systems, paving the way for in-country technical support for the implementation of recommended actions. The project aims to identify prioritized principles for adopting sustainable public procurement practices that integrate social and environmental considerations holistically into public food procurement objectives, processes, and assessments.
To achieve this objective, a comprehensive stocktaking assessment will be conducted, examining sustainable public food procurement policies and practices at a regional level. This assessment will specifically address the integration of environmental considerations, including climate, pollution, and biodiversity goals, alongside with socio-economic considerations, into public food procurement objectives, processes, and assessments . Subsequently, a consultation will be implemented with regional experts and key actors (whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach) to validate and socialize the findings. These results will serve as a foundation for identifying prioritized recommendations for action, leveraging global-level expertise and networks. Results will mark an initial phase in the progression towards advancing commitments for action from all involved parties and providing technical support for the implementation of these recommendations at the national level.
Learn more at One Planet Network News Center.
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