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October 23, 2025
Paris, 2025 – The Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Committee (MAC) of the One Planet Network Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) Programme convened in Paris on 3 July 2025 to strengthen collaboration, align strategic priorities, and define next steps to scale implementation. Hosted by the 10YFP Secretariat alongside the programme co-leads: China Environmental United Certification Center under the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and Directorate: Sustainability (Integration & Reporting) of the Western Cape Provincial Department of Environmental Affairs & Development Planning.
The meeting brought together key partners to discuss strategies for positioning sustainable public procurement more prominently in global policy agendas. The discussions focused on reinforcing shared priorities across the SPP Programme, identifying synergies among partner initiatives, and outlining actions to better integrate SPP into global frameworks such as the Climate COP30, UNEA-7 and broader sustainable development and financing agendas. Participants reaffirmed their recognition of public procurement not only as a technical function but also as a strategic instrument with immense potential for delivering sustainability outcomes.
Participants underscored the importance of life-cycle approaches and cross-sectoral planning, especially in complex supply chains such as infrastructure and electronics. The discussions identified opportunities to ensure greater alignment and cooperation, particularly in addressing institutional fragmentation, enhancing reporting on SPP under SDG 12.7, and strengthening coordination between procurement authorities and sectoral ministries. The meeting highlighted practical entry points for action. Sustainable Public Food Procurement, particularly through school meal programmes, was recognized as a growing area of interest.
A set of proposed activity areas to guide future collaboration merged from the meeting discussions. These include enhanced technical support to Member States, stronger alignment across SPP Programme partners and UNEP, and efforts to raise the Programme’s visibility and influence in global sustainability processes. The meeting reaffirmed SPP’s role as a strategic driver of public sector transformation and sustainability action worldwide.
The SPP Programme extends its sincere thanks to all MAC members and partners for their continued support, and to those who joined the meeting in person in Paris or online, including the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority of Kenya, the Procurement Policy Office of Mauritius, the National Development Unit of the Ministry of National Infrastructure of Mauritius, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands (DG Rijkswaterstaat), the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Senegal, the City of Malmö, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
For more details at UNEP One Planet Network news center.
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October 20, 2025
Sustainability challenges are prompting us to rethink how we design, use, and dispose of our IT devices. This comprehensive guide explores the concept of circular IT, providing actionable insights to help you extend the lifespan of products, reduce e-waste, and lower your climate impact.
Climate change, resource depletion and the e-waste crisis — the world’s fastest-growing waste stream — are interconnected issues that are worsened by our tendency to treat electronic devices as short-lived consumables. The need for a circular approach to IT has never been more pressing, and many developments are happening in this area.
The guide “What and how: Circularity and IT products” is packed with expert knowledge and practical strategies for implementing circular, more responsible practices.
-From today to 2033: the shift from linear to circular
-Roadmap for Sustainable IT
-Reducing e-waste — the world’s fastest-growing waste stream
-Key factors for repairability in practice
-Circular criteria in TCO Certified
-Circular procurement in five steps
Whether you’re an IT buyer, manufacturer, or sustainability advocate, this guide is an essential tool for driving change. Download it now and get to the next level of circular IT.
More details at One Planet Network Knowledge Center.
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October 15, 2025
In Geneva at the World Resources Forum, Jorge Laguna Celis, Head of the One Planet Network (OPN), delivered a keynote address underscoring the urgency of accelerating circular and sustainable solutions.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Laguna Celis stressed that the world has a unique window of opportunity: to deliver solutions at scale that use fewer resources while providing greater benefits for people and planet. He noted that advancing circularity across industries is not optional—it is essential to achieving global sustainability targets and building resilience for future generations.
During his address, he set out four key priorities that should guide the transition:
-Design for enough, not more
-Harness AI & Digitalization to scale up circular economy solutions
-Compare, value and measure circular economy at business level
-Mobilize capital at scale and create markets that reward circularity
These actions, he emphasized, will help unlock innovation and create new opportunities for economies to grow within planetary boundaries. They will also help ensure that people everywhere can enjoy improved wellbeing, while industries reduce waste and dependence on scarce resources.
Mr. Laguna Celis thanked the World Resources Forum for convening such an important dialogue, bringing together leaders and stakeholders committed to addressing the challenges of resource efficiency, circularity, and sustainability. He highlighted the importance of platforms like the Forum to foster collaboration and accelerate the shift toward greater patterns of sustainable consumption and production worldwide.
Watch his full opening remarks here: Grand Opening & Keynotes.
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October 10, 2025
The European Union has launched a public consultation for its upcoming Circular Economy Act (CEA), a key step in its push towards a more circular economic model. The initiative invites businesses, civil society, and citizens globally to provide input on a new framework for sustainable production.
A New Market for Circularity
The European Commission plans to propose a Circular Economy Act to enhance the EU’s economic security and competitiveness, while promoting more sustainable production, circular economy business models, and decarbonization. The Act will facilitate the free movement of ‘circular’ products, secondary raw materials, and waste. It will also increase the supply of high-quality recycled materials and stimulate demand for these materials in the EU.
The CEA will build on existing frameworks with the objective of creating a robust single market for secondary raw materials. It aims to increase the supply of high-quality recycled materials and stimulate market demand, making them a more viable alternative to virgin resources.
Key areas under discussion include:
Design for Circularity: The Act will explore comprehensive obligations for product design, making goods easier to repair, reuse, and recycle.
"Right to Repair": The CEA is expected to strengthen "Right to Repair" initiatives, ensuring consumer access to affordable spare parts and repair services.
Sustainable Public Procurement: The consultation is gathering input on how governments can use public procurement to actively create a market for circular products and services.
Stakeholder Engagement
The consultation has already seen a proactive response from industry. Businesses and industry associations are engaging directly to help draft workable legislation.
"This is a crucial moment for businesses to get ahead of the curve," a representative from a leading European business association stated. "By providing feedback now, companies can ensure the final legislation is both ambitious and practical, setting a level playing field that rewards innovation in circular business models."
The CEA’s focus on harmonization also aims to simplify compliance for companies operating across multiple Member States, reducing administrative burdens and creating a clear pathway for circular innovations to scale.
How to Respond
The public consultation for the Circular Economy Act is open to a broad range of stakeholders, both within and outside the EU.
Who Can Respond?
Businesses and Industry Associations: All companies are welcome to provide input on how new rules will affect their operations.
NGOs and Environmental Groups: These organizations ensure the Act is ambitious and delivers on its environmental goals.
Government Authorities: National, regional, and local governments are invited to share their experiences.
Academics and Researchers: Researchers and universities are encouraged to provide evidence-based feedback.
Individual Citizens: Anyone with an interest in product durability, the right to repair, or waste reduction can share their opinion.
How to Take Part
Respondents can participate through the European Commission's official "Have Your Say" portal. This is the centralized platform where all feedback is collected. The portal provides a structured questionnaire and allows for the submission of supporting documents.
The public consultation is open until November 6, 2025.
To take part in the consultation, please visit the official "Have Your Say" portal here.
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September 29, 2025
The 2025 Procura+ Awards jury has selected its finalists. The Award has three different categories: Sustainable Procurement of the Year, Innovation Procurement of the Year and Global Initiative of the Year. The winners will be announced on 8 October at the Procura+ Seminar in Middelburg (the Netherlands).
The Procura+ Awards-an ICLEI Europe initiative within the context of its Procura+ Network-seek to highlight sustainable, circular and innovation procurements and tender procedures and give visibility to the most dynamic, forward-looking and innovative public authorities and their initiatives.
ICLEI member Oslo (Norway) is among the nominees in the category Innovation Procurement of the Year, being recognised for launching the ‘Oslo Furniture Reuse Platform-Loopfront’, a pioneering digital solution that integrates circular economy practices into public procurement. Its fellow finalists are Orleans Metropole (France), which has pioneered a sustainable energy project that captures heat from urban wastewater to supply clean energy to residential and university buildings and ANCI Toscana (Italy), nominated for its support of climate resilience through its innovation partnership.
In the Sustainable Procurement of the Year category, the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) (Germany) has been recognised for integrating Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) into their public procurement of electric bus charging points. The Oeiras City Council (Portugal) developed a forward-thinking public procurement model for the maintenance of its green spaces, Bretagne Porte de Loire Communauté (France) decided to furnish its new ‘Maison de services Jeunesse & Numérique’ entirely with second-life furniture.
The Global Initiative of the Year is a pioneering category, opening up the Procura+ Awards to public authorities from outside Europe for the first time. Its finalists come from three different continents. The Brazilian Ministry of Management & Innovation in Public Services launched Procure+Brasil, a digital public marketplace aiming to make public procurement more inclusive and sustainable. In New Zealand, the Auckland City Council launched the NGA Puna Pukuenga Programme, which connects individuals facing barriers to work to permanent, living-wage jobs in the water and infrastructure sectors. Finally, UNDP Uzbekistan’s initiative, “The Path to Water Through Life, No One Left Behind,” sought to provide sustainable access to clean water in remote communities of Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan.
Learn more at ICLEI sustainable procurement platform webpage.
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September 12, 2025
FAO’s new flagship publication, Transforming Food and Agriculture through a Systems Approach, offers practical guidance to help policymakers and practitioners take joined-up action across agrifood systems. It presents a concrete framework built around six key elements of a systems approach—systems thinking, knowledge, governance, doing, investment and learning—showing how each contributes to sustained transformation at scale. Moving beyond fragmented efforts, the report emphasizes smarter connections between sectors, goals and stakeholders to deliver lasting impact on food security, nutrition, equity and sustainability. Drawing from 19 real-world examples, it highlights how countries and cities are already applying this approach—from sustainable food procurement in New York to systems-oriented policy-making in Rwanda—demonstrating that transformation aligned with the 2030 Agenda is both possible and within reach.
More details at FAO open knowledge center.
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September 8, 2025
Data centres in developing countries are set to grow rapidly due to economic expansion, rising data demand and increasing data sovereignty needs. However, these facilities are highly energy-intensive. Despite efficiency improvements, regulations remain insufficient, with the EU still drafting its first Data Centre Regulation. Against this background, United For Efficiency has developed the Sustainable Procurement Guidelines for Data Centres and Computer Servers.
These guidelines are designed to help organisations set robust criteria and processes that improve the energy efficiency of their current or upcoming facilities. They offer recommendations on several key performance criteria and operating conditions that are most relevant and impactful for selecting energy-efficient data centres and computer servers. The criteria cover indicators such as power usage effectiveness, water usage effectiveness, IT equipment energy efficiency, and cooling effectiveness ratio.
Learn more at UNEP resources webpage.
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September 1, 2025
The European Commission has published two new practical guides highlighting how EU Ecolabels can be used for the public procurement of respectively graphic paper and tissue paper and paper products. For both product groups, the guides identify the most relevant EU Ecolabel criteria that can be used when drafting technical specifications and award criteria.
The EU Ecolabel is the official EU voluntary label for environmental excellence and features over 102.000 certified products in 25 different categories. The EU ecolabel criteria are scientifically based, legally established and third-party verified. The criteria, developed through extensive research and stakeholder consultation are regularly updated to adjust to evolving environmental priorities and technological advancements. All EU Ecolabel certified products can be found in the ECAT catalogue.
Public buyers seeking to buy green can require goods and/or services to EU Ecolabel certified, or they can reference identified EU ecolabel criteria in the technical specifications and/or award criteria. Both options reduce administrative verification efforts, and lead to the purchase of products that meet strict environmental standards, without compromising on performance. EU Ecolabels also offer public procurers economic benefits, as they offering access to competitively priced goods and services, while helping contracting authorities to meet sustainability objectives without compromising on quality and on value for money.
Some public administrations, such as the Government of Flanders and the Slovenian Ministry of Public Administration have already used the EU ecolabels successfully in their tenders. More information about them can be found in an article written for the GPP Helpdesk. In addition, interested stakeholders can join the 10 October webinar, highlighting key insights on the use of EU ecolabels as well as some best practices. Register here for the webinar!
Learn more at ICLEI Sustainable procurement platform webpage.
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August 25, 2025
The first CFIT mini guide is now available for download, offering practical, step-by-step strategies for carbon-conscious ICT procurement across the full procurement cycle—pre-tender, tender, and post-tender—alongside many real-world examples. As the ICT sector accounts for an estimated 1.4% to 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, potentially rising to 14% by 2040 according to the World Bank, action is urgent. This guide supports efforts to shape a low-carbon, circular, and fair ICT future while helping organisations meet climate targets, improve resource efficiency, and reduce costs. Developed with John Watt, CFIT Pact participants, and supporting organisations such as the Global Electronics Council and TCO Development, the guide is a collaborative effort.
About CFIT
The Circular & Fair ICT Pact is an action under the Sustainable Public Procurement Programme of the UN One Planet Network. It started as an initiative by the Dutch government in collaboration with other frontrunner countries and regions and in consultation with the ICT market.
The CFIT Pact is open to join for every organization procuring ICT. It supports both frontrunners in the field who want to make more impact together and other procurers who simply want to know how to make their own procurement more circular and fair. Governments with circular and fair ambitions around ICT (or other public organizations) can also join the pact as a coordinating organization supporting a buyer group. Both procurers and coordinators are crucial in building up our collective procurement power.
Other organizations such as ICT producers, ICT value chain partners, NGOs, network and knowledge organizations cannot be participants in the Pact to avoid any conflict of interest. They are more than welcome to sign the Pact as a supporter however. This means they help promote the Pact and its results, and to provide constructive input when invited to join a working group dialogue.
More details at Circular and Fair ICT Pact website.
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