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October 8, 2026
A new Position Paper from the Circular & Fair ICT (CFIT) Pact examines how chemicals of concern can affect circular and fair ICT procurement, and where public procurement can help drive safer and more consistent market practices.
The Circular & Fair ICT (CFIT) Pact, an action under the Sustainable Public Procurement Programme of the One Planet network, has published its first Position Paper, focusing on chemicals of concern in the ICT sector.
Developed by the CFIT Secretariat together with CFIT participants, the paper explains why chemicals need to be considered more deliberately in ICT procurement and identifies areas where procurement can support change.
Chemicals have been one of the four central ambitions of the CFIT Framework from the outset. Chemicals of concern can affect workers during production and recycling, restrict safe reuse, refurbishment and material recovery, and make circular loops harder to close.
The challenge is particularly significant in ICT, where products and supply chains are chemically complex, information can be fragmented, and substitution does not automatically mean safer substitution.
The Position Paper provides a common basis for CFIT's next phase of work, bringing together procurement practice and expert knowledge to strengthen guidance and explore greater alignment between procurement approaches. For public organisations purchasing from the same international ICT market, more consistent requirements can provide clearer signals to suppliers.
As part of the One Planet network and the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns (10YFP), CFIT contributes to wider efforts to use public procurement to advance more sustainable and circular markets.
The paper also reflects relevant UNEP work on chemicals in electronics and the Global Framework on Chemicals.
More details at One Planet Network Knowledge Center.
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