Sustainable Procurement Guidelines

thumb_ff_greenFacts about transport and the environment:

The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that only 15% of the largest cities in low and middle income countries have acceptable air quality

Poor air quality is related to approximately 3 million deaths each year

The transport sector is responsible for 25% of total energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions

The environment is a critical cross-cutting issue in low and middle income countries where pollution rates are on the rise, and the health effects of environmental damages are most strongly felt.

An increasing number of aid & development agencies are committed to reducing CO2 emissions and improving their environmental performance to help stem the tide of global environmental damage. Spurred on by declarations from the United Nations Secretary General, agencies are embracing new practices to minimise the environemntal impact of their operations.  With transport representing a significant contributor to the aid & development communities' total carbon footprint, it becomes the most obvious point to tackle these issues head on.

"...We need to work on our operations too, by using energy more efficiently and eliminating wasteful practices. That is why, today, I am asking the heads of all UN agencies, funds and programmes to join me in this effort. And I am asking all staff members throughout the UN family to make common cause with me."

 

Ban Ki-Moon
UN Secretary General
World Environment Day
5 June 2007

To address the total environmental impact of vehicle fleets, many parametres must be examined throughout the supply chain and vehicle lifecycle.  At the core of the supply chain is the purchasing of new vehicle stocks.  Working in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), we have developed a sustainable procurement guidelines for transport that tackle the problem of how to procure vehicles with minimum negative environmental impacts and with the a view to sustainability.

These guidelines are comprised of two components - a background document illustrating the technological and policy related considerations behind sustainable procurement of vehicles, and a product sheet which offers criteria that can be used during purchasing.