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December 10, 2024
The One Planet Network Forum has been highlighted as a key activity of the G20 Initiative on Bioeconomy (GIB), a set of agreed High-Level Principles on Bioeconomy, an integral part of the Rio Declaration adopted by G20 leaders at the end of the Brazilian Presidency.
G20 Initiative on Bioeconomy (GIB) The Brazilian presidency of the G20 launched the G20 Initiative on Bioeconomy (GIB). This Initiative is the first international diplomatic forum dedicated exclusively to the subject. The GIB was structured around three thematic axes, each of which was the main focus of one of the three in-person expert meetings: “Research, development and innovation and traditional knowledge for the bioeconomy” (Brasilia, May 7-9); “Sustainable use of biodiversity for the bioeconomy” (Manaus, June 17-19); and “Bioeconomy as an enabler for Sustainable Development” (Rio de Janeiro, September 9-11). The main outcome of the GIB is a set of agreed High-Level Principles on Bioeconomy, which is an integral part of the Rio Declaration adopted by G20 leaders at the end of the Brazilian Presidency. In addition, the Brazilian G20 Presidency has commissioned a study to examine how G20 countries are advancing on bioeconomy, which was showcased in the side event “A Contribution to the G20 Initiative on Bioeconomy (GIB)” on May 6th in Brasília. Another study, which focused on financing bioeconomy, was discussed by the G20 in September. The GIB also held the following side events at the Rio de Janeiro meeting: “Fifth Global Climate and SDG Synergy Conference: Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet” (September 5-6th), “Special Session of the Forum of Ministers of Environment Latin America and the Caribbean” (September 11-12th), “Biofuels in the context of the bioeconomy” (September 12th), “Financing a Positive Bioeconomy for Climate, Nature and People” (September 12th) and “One Planet Network Forum 2024 – Sustainable Consumption and Production (SDG 12)” (September 12-13th). As a result of the discussions during the One Planet Network Forum 2024, the Intergovernmental Board of the 10 Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns adopted the Outcome Document “Reducing Inequalities and Achieving Just Transitions for All Through Sustainable Consumption and Production, Including Circular Economy”. The document features key messages emerging from the Forum, including the call to use the G20 High-Level Principles on Bioeconomy as a way to advance sustainable consumption and production pattern.
Learn more at One planet network knowledge center.
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December 5, 2024
Global leaders and ministers convened at the 2024 One Planet Network Forum in Rio de Janeiro, achieving major breakthroughs in sustainable development. With a focus on inequalities, just transitions, and circular economy approaches, the event saw key commitments endorsed by over 500 delegates. Highlights included new milestones in sustainable tourism, advancements in public procurement, and funding for youth-led climate action projects. Dive into the key outcomes and learn more about the future of global sustainability efforts.
Ministers, high-level representatives of Member States and leaders from organizations convened to advance critical action areas to promote global progress on sustainability
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (09/15/2024) - The 2024 One Planet Network Forum, hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has concluded with a series of significant announcements, commitments and an agreed document of ‘Key Action Areas’ outlining action areas for addressing inequalities and achieving just transitions through sustainable consumption and production and circular economy approaches.
After two days of plenary discussions, thematic sessions and a dedicated Ministerial Dialogue, which brought together over 500 in-person delegates from over 40 Member States, UN agencies, as well as leaders from private sector and stakeholder organizations, the 10YFP Board endorsed an outcome document of ‘Key Action Areas’ that will be presented to the G-20 process, the Summit of the Future and the 7th Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly.
In another significant announcement, the Forum celebrated important milestones in the field of sustainable tourism, as four new signatories—Ecoe, Katalisar, Ocean Eyes Production, and Turismo360—joined the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme's Global Tourism Plastics Initiative (GTPI), bringing the total to 236 organizations. The Programme’s Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action in Tourism also welcomed 7 new signatories, bringing its total to 841, namely Visit Rio Convention Bureau, Instituto de Desenvolvimento e Gestão, Roteiros de Charme Hotel Association, Amazon Ecopark Jungle Lodge, Grupo Cataratas, Turismo360, and Ecoe.
A major step forward in sustainable public procurement was also announced during the The One Planet Network Forum 2024, with UNOPS, a leading UN entity with an annual Information and Communication Technology (ICT) procurement volume of USD 145 million , joining the Circular and Fair ICT Pact as a procuring participant under the One Planet Network Sustainable Public Procurement Programme. This move is expected to drive substantial progress in circularity and fairness in ICT procurement by the United Nations – thus further walking the talk.
And finally, during a dedicated awards ceremony during the Forum, 10 youth-led projects from Youth4Climate, a global initiative co-led by the Government of Italy and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), received funding of up to USD 30,000 each. These initiatives aim to advance the shift towards sustainable consumption practices and to support and scale youth-led climate breakthroughs.
Read the outcome document at the OPN Forum 2024.
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November 5, 2024
Implementing circular IT practices can help reduce environmental risk and save money. Knowing where to start can be a key challenge. TCO Development's new guide offers practical advice on procuring IT products that support a circular economy, helping organizations thrive in a sustainable future.
Step 1: Partner with sustainability-driven suppliers
Engage in open dialogs, meetings, and requests for information (RFI) to gather information. Clearly communicate your organization's sustainability and circularity ambitions and needs. Specify the sustainability data you require access to ensure transparency and accountability.
Step 2: Include circular criteria in procurement policies and processes
To enable circular IT management, products must be designed for longevity. Materials and components should be easily accessible and available.
Step 3: Prioritize durable, high-capacity products
Adopt a long-term perspective when purchasing IT products. Choose high-performance products with enough capacity to meet the organization's needs for several years. Consider replacing traditional software with cloud-based solutions to reduce performance demands and extend product lifespan.
Step 4: Embrace the Second-Hand Market
Maximizing product life is critical for a circular economy. When a product no longer meets the initial user’s needs, it should be redistributed or sold to a second user. Second-hand purchases offer both cost savings and a reduced sustainability impact.
Step 5: Establish Clear KPIs
Identifying the right KPIs helps your organization meet legal requirements on sustainability reporting and take steps toward meeting internal or external circularity goals. For IT, the negative sustainability impacts are embedded in the products you use. Indirect climate impact (scope 3 emissions) stems from the manufacturing phase. Extending product lifespan directly reduces annual Scope 3 emissions.
Download the full guide at TCO Development website.
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October 31, 2024
The Circular Economy Guide was created to support the development sustainable business. The Guide addresses fundamental concepts of the Circular Economy, including minimizing waste and maximizing the value of resources, as well as the tools and techniques, such as Life Cycle Assessment, needed to implement these concepts and monitor their benefits.
The Guide is intended for anyone interested in understanding how the Circular Economy can be applied in different sectors and how Life Cycle Assessment can be used to measure the environmental performance of products and services.
Learn more at the One Planet Network knowledge cener.
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October 24, 2024
The “Circular Economy as an Enabler for Responsible Banking” series of resources helps banks operationalise the interlinkages between the circular economy and climate, nature, pollution and healthy and inclusive economies. It provides actions for banks to move from setting sustainability targets to implementation, emphasising the integration of circular economy principles in their lending and investment decisions for high impact sectors.
The buildings and construction sector contributes significantly to global climate change, accounting for approximately 21 per cent of global GHG emissions and 37 per cent of global CO2 emissions, making the sector is key in addressing emissions reduction.[1] Circular solutions offer a viable pathway to reduce emissions across the whole life cycle of buildings.
A sectoral supplement to the climate-focused “Circular Solutions to Achieve Climate Targets”, this paper is designed to assist signatories to the Principles for Responsible Banking and net-zero committed financial institutions in integrating circular solutions in the buildings and construction sector as part of their climate transition plans to achieve net-zero emissions or climate mitigation targets, though a reduction of their financed emissions and through transition finance strategies. Further, it explores specific areas of action in internal policies and processes, client engagement, portfolio composition and financial flows, and advocacy and partnerships.
The climate-focused report and sectoral supplements follow the initial report “Leveraging the Nexus between Circularity and Sustainability”. This paper is aimed at setting the scene and providing a general overview on operationalising the interlinkages between circular economy and climate, nature, pollution, and healthy and inclusive economies.
Access the other sectoral supplement on the textile sector here.
These new resources set out practical guidance for signatories to the Principles for Responsible Banking to move from target-setting for sustainability objectives to delivering on their commitments. The Principles for Responsible Banking are a unique framework for ensuring that signatory banks’ strategy and practice align with the vision society has set out for its future in the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement.
Learn more at UNEP Finance Initiative webpage.
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October 15, 2024
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).
All the cases studies are available in English and Spanish.
1. Grouping of sustainable certifications under a recognition scheme or pre-approved list
This good practice explores the benefits of grouping ecolabels (ISO 14024) and 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.
2. Implementation of an e-marketplace of sustainable products and services
This good practice explores the benefits of using e-marketplaces to help public procurers easily identify and trust products and services with ecolabels (defined by ISO 14024) and sustainable certification schemes, mitigating the challenge of assessing diverse and often unreliable environmental claims. The MyHIJAU Mark in Malaysia and the Thai Green Cart in Thailand are examples of successful implementation.
3. Implementation of an e-catalogue with sustainable products and services
This good practice explores the benefits of creating centralized platforms for sustainable procurement. An e-catalogue includes pre-approved products and services vetted by a central purchasing body, allowing public procurers to purchase products directly without a tender. It typically features both conventional and sustainable items, and filters are available to help procurers search exclusively for sustainable products and services, like the ones with ecolabels and sustainable certifications.
4. Ecolabels and certifications strategies to educate consumers and companies about sustainability
This good practice explores the methods used to promote the use of ecolabels and sustainable certification schemes by providing awareness, information, and education. It helps to develop a more sustainable market where consumers prioritize sustainable and certified products, and companies innovate to offer certified products and services with reduced environmental impact. EU Ecolabel, Vitality Leaf in Russia, Blue Angel in Germany, and the international Rainforest Alliance certification are examples of successful implementation.
5. Government strategies to educate the public procurement ecosystem about sustainable practices
This good practice explores the benefits of educating to empower public procurers, decision-makers, auditors, citizen oversight groups, and the private sector with the necessary knowledge to make environmentally conscious decisions. These programs include workshops, guidance materials, training sessions, and online courses designed to foster a culture of sustainability and responsible procurement practices across all levels of public procurement. Successful implementations include Colombia Compra Eficiente's Virtual Training School, the European Commission's green public procurement toolkit, Costa Rica’s Ministry of Finance webinars, Indonesia's Massive Open Online Course for SMEs, Ecuador’s certification program for public procurers, and France's online platform, award program, and regional networks to exchange experiences on sustainable public procurement.
6. The adoption of biodiversity conservation criteria by ecolabels and certification schemes
This good practice explores the benefits of incorporating biodiversity-focused criteria in ecolabels to help public procurers and consumers identify and trust products and services with credible sustainability performance, addressing the challenge of environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. The Nordic Swan, Good Environmental Choice (Sweden), Singapore Green Label, and Life Certification serve as examples of successful implementation.
7. Integrating ecolabels, certifications and sustainable public procurement in National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans
This good practice explores the benefits of incorporating ecolabels, certifications, and sustainable public procurement into National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) as instruments to promote biodiversity-friendly production and consumption. It also helps align national procurement practices with international biodiversity targets, which further promotes individual country’s conservation efforts. France and Japan's NBSAPs serve as examples of successful implementation.
8. Sustainable public procurement policies that use ecolabels and environmental certifications
This good practice explores the benefits of aligning public procurement criteria with existing ecolabels or environmental certifications. These tools can also define test methods and verification processes to ensure compliance with these criteria. Some countries have strong institutional policies that actively encourage or require the use of ecolabel-aligned criteria while others take an ad-hoc approach, depending on the willingness of the procurers. China, the United States, Korea, Japan, Thailand, the European Union, Brazil, Ecuador, and Argentina have policies that are examples of different kinds of implementation.
9. Ecolabels and certifications criteria for construction materials and their use on sustainable public procurement
This good practice explores the benefits of incorporating ecolabels, certifications, and sustainable public procurement into the building and construction sector as instruments to promote environmentally responsible production and consumption. It also helps align national procurement practices with global climate and biodiversity targets, supporting individual countries' efforts to reduce environmental impacts. GreenPro, Korea Ecolabel, FSC, and PEFC certifications serve as examples of successful implementation.
10. Measuring the environmental impact of ecolabels
This good practice explores the importance of assessing the environmental benefits of ecolabelled products using science-based methodologies to enhance their credibility and effectiveness. The EPEAT ecolabel for electronics, the Korean Ecolabel, the GreenPro Ecolabel in India, and the China Environmental Labelling Programme serve as examples of successful implementation, demonstrating how these ecolabels measure reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, energy savings, resource conservation, and other environmental impacts compared to conventional products.
We would be delighted to present these good practices during one of your events. Additionally, if you would like to replicate some of them, share a good practice that we could systematize, or learn more about the EcoAdvance project, please contact us at ciscp@un.org.
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October 12, 2024
How to facilitate nature-friendly food systems? The new policy brief “Implementing GBF Target 16: Addressing biodiversity impacts of food consumption” presents key recommendations for decision-makers.
Target 16 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) calls on national governments to reduce the global footprint of consumption. Since the food sector is driving biodiversity loss globally, sustainable food systems need to be a policy priority. Policy action is needed to effectively promote nature-friendly food production practices, improve the availability of sustainable food options and encourage a voluntary shift towards low-meat and plant-based diets. Additional measures need to reduce food waste and overconsumption as well as improve access to information. While systemic changes are required, they must be implemented in an equitable manner to leave no one behind.
The policy brief summarizes insights from the working group “Biodiversity & Consumption” of the UNEP One Planet network’s Consumer Information Programme, with contributions from the network’s Sustainable Food Systems Programme. Its development was supported by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN).
Download the publication at here.
Learn more at the One Planet Network News Center.
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September 29, 2024
This specific good practice, Integrating ecolabels, certifications and sustainable public procurement in National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans - Cases from France and Japan, explores the benefits of incorporating ecolabels, certifications, and sustainable public procurement into National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) as instruments to promote biodiversity-friendly production and consumption. It also helps align national procurement practices with international biodiversity targets, which further promotes individual country’s conservation efforts. France and Japan's NBSAPs serve as examples of successful implementation.
This specific good practice, Integrating ecolabels, certifications and sustainable public procurement in National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans - Cases from France and Japan, explores the benefits of incorporating ecolabels, certifications, and sustainable public procurement into National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) as instruments to promote biodiversity-friendly production and consumption. It also helps align national procurement practices with international biodiversity targets, which further promotes individual country’s conservation efforts. France and Japan's NBSAPs serve as examples of successful implementation.
More details at UNEP One Planet Network Knowledge Center.
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category : Topics
September 12, 2024
EPA is implementing a new label program to help federal purchasers and other buyers find and buy cleaner, more climate-friendly construction materials and products. The label program is made possible by a $100 million investment from the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act and aims to cut climate pollution linked to the production of construction products and materials, which accounts for more than 15% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions. The Inflation Reduction Act invests billions of dollars to reduce industrial emissions while supporting good union jobs, greater equity, and a strong manufacturing base, including $350 million to support EPA’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from construction materials.
Label Program Approach
On Aug. 7, 2024, EPA issued its Label Program Approach for Identifying Low Embodied Carbon Construction Materials. The label program will define what constitutes“clean”construction materials in support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s landmark Buy Clean Initiative, which leverages the Federal Government’s power as the world’s largest purchaser to catalyze demand for clean construction materials used in federal buildings, highways, and infrastructure projects. Materials and products that earn the label will be listed in a central, publicly accessible registry, making it easier to identify - and therefore purchase - these materials.
The label program will prioritize steel, glass, asphalt, and concrete, as there are significant opportunities to reduce carbon emissions from these materials and they represent the vast majority of construction materials and products purchased with federal funds.
EPA will implement the program using a phased approach that all material categories will be able to follow at a cadence that aligns with the material’s market maturity and data availability. These phases are:
Phase I: Data Quality Improvement. Standardizing and improving the quality of data underlying and provided by EPDs.
Phase II: Threshold Setting. Using robust EPDs, data, and other credible and representative industry benchmarks to determine thresholds for specific material categories and types.
Phase III: Labeling Materials and Products. Labeling materials and products that meet EPA’s criteria.
The label program will offer a tiered rating system for construction materials and products. Thresholds will be informed by a public input process before being finalized and will be periodically reviewed and updated to encourage continuous improvement and help users meet sustainability objectives. The top threshold tier will be designed to help recognize and reward innovative efforts to achieve deep reductions in embodied carbon associated with these construction materials and products.
To earn the label, manufacturers will submit an EPD for their materials to demonstrate that they meet the eligibility criteria. The label program will determine which recognition level a construction material is eligible for based on information provided in EPDs. EPA’s label program will use a conformity assessment and verification approach for EPDs aligned with the existing EPD verification system, and consistent with standards and best practices within the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 17000 series, and those required by EPA’s Framework for Assessing Environmental Performance for Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing.
EPA published the Draft Label Program Approach in the Federal Register and accepted stakeholder input on this proposed approach through a 30-day public comment period. This draft program approach was also informed by public input received in response to a 2023 Request for Information, and input from other federal agencies, including the Federal Highway Administration in the Department of Transportation and General Services Administration.
More details at EPA website.
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