UN’s new programme to channel trillions into sustainability

A new global initiative was launched on Tuesday by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with the aim of channelling trillions of dollars of government procurement towards more resource-efficient goods and services.

The Sustainable Public Procurement Programme is co-led by UNEP, the Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute (KEITI), and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and will help shape government spending.

UNEP has recently claimed that existing programmes have proved that sustainable procurement strategies transform markets, boosts environmentally friendly industries, saves money, helps to conserve natural resources and is good for employment.

The US has been citied as an example, with the federal government procuring more than US$500 billion a year in goods and services. It has also incorporated sustainability requirements into purchasing decisions, including an Executive Order stipulating 95 per cent of all new contracts use products and services that are energy- and water-efficient, don’t create a high level of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and contain recycled material.

Achim Steiner (pictured above right), United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director, has called for the opportunity of sustainable procurement to be realised saying, “The Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development nations spent an average 13 per cent of Gross Domestic Product on public procurement in 2011, while in some developing nations this can hit 20 per cent. This adds up to trillions of dollars globally, demonstrating the scale of the opportunity ahead.”. "Governments can use this potential to lead markets onto a sustainable path by demanding goods and services that conserve natural resources, create decent green jobs, and improve livelihoods around the globe." Steiner continued.

The Sustainable Public Procurement Programme is supported by the European Commission, the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, the China Ministry of Environmental Protection, South Korea, ISEAL Alliance, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Swedish Ministry of the Environment, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

By working to ensure such purchasing decisions are the norm, not the exception, the Sustainable Public Procurement Programme aims to play a vital role in transitioning the globe to an inclusive green economy.

The Programme is part of a 10-Year Framework of Programmes (10YFP) on Sustainable Consumption and Production. The 10YFP was established after world leaders at the Rio+20United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, agreed that sustainable consumption and production is a cornerstone of sustainable development, poverty alleviation and the transition to low-carbon and green economies.

The launch comes ahead of the first UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) set for June 23-27, when the world’s environment ministers will meet to discuss the post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda, with a special focus on sustainable consumption and production.