Leveraging Ecolabels and Sustainable Procurement for Biodiversity: A Path for NBSAPs for COP16

Objective:

Sustainable public procurement, ecolabels, and environmental certifications are key tools available to decision makers to protect biodiversity and ecosystem services. Countries have already recognized these instruments in their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) as mechanisms to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, especially regarding Target 16: Enable Sustainable Consumption Choices to Reduce Waste and Overconsumption; and Target 15: Businesses Assess, Disclose and Reduce Biodiversity-Related Risks and Negative Impacts.

The objective of this webinar is to showcase how sustainable public procurement, ecolabels and environmental certifications can contribute to protect biodiversity and to encourage countries to use them in their next NBSAP report. Government and sustainable certification representatives will share experiences, knowledge, and strategies to scale up the use of credible ecolabels, certifications, and sustainable public procurement to combat biodiversity loss in national contexts.

Agenda:

• Welcome and opening remarks    

Moderator: Bruna Tiussu, Ecolabel and Consumer Information Expert, Consumption and Production Unit, UNEP

• EcoAdvance project and the Consumer Information Programme (OPN)

Good practice on ecolabelling and sustainable public procurement to protect biodiversity

Laetitia Montero, Programme Management Officer, Consumption and Production Unit, UNEP

• The French NBSAP

France will present how they have integrated sustainable procurement, ecolabels, and certifications schemes in their National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.

Juliette Moizo, Deputy Head to the Department for Companies, Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territories, France

• The  Japan NBSAP

Japan will present their approach and experiences in using sustainable procurement, ecolabels, and certifications schemes within their National Biodiversity Strategy and Plan.         

Takafumi Osawa, Deputy Director of Biodiversity Mainstreaming Division, Ministry of the Environment of Japan

• Q&A on the two national case studies     

Moderator: Bruna Tiussu, Ecolabel and Consumer Information Expert, Consumption and Action Production Unit, UNEP

• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

An international certification approaching biodiversity protection

Anand Punja, Chief Engagement and Partnerships Officer, FSC

• LIFE Certification

A certification from the Global South approaching biodiversity protection

Regiane Borsato, Executive Director, LIFE Certification  

• Q&A on the two certification schemes

Moderator: Bruna Tiussu, Ecolabel and Consumer Information Expert, Consumption and Production Unit, UNEP

• Closing remarks       

Laetitia Montero, Programme Management Officer, Consumption and Production Unit, UNEP

Background:

The growing demand for consumer goods and services leads to economic activities with severe impacts on the biodiverse ecosystems: large-scale deforestation, loss of scarce freshwater resources, soil erosion, and pollution of water and soils, among others. The 2019 global assessment report of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) estimates that 23% of the global land area is degraded, and 1 million species in the animal and plant groups studied are threatened with extinction if no action is taken. Due to the multiple links between the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services and other environmental impacts, sustainable consumption patterns that protect biodiversity and ecosystem services also contribute to managing other environmental crises, such as climate change and pollution.

Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) is a powerful and strategic tool available to governments to implement their priorities, and it can directly contribute to the protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Governments can reduce their impact on biodiversity by promoting the development and production of more sustainable goods, services, and materials while supporting progress toward environmental, social, and economic goals. Increasing SPP is a targeted by the Sustainable Development Goal 12 - Sustainable Production and Consumption, under Target 12.7: “Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities,” and it is also directly addressed in Target 16 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Ecolabels and sustainable certifications are also relevant instruments in promoting sustainable consumption. Consumers can easily recognize environmentally and biodiversity-friendly products by using them. Many credible and robust ecolabels and certification schemes specifically address the protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services in their criteria, other should be supported and strengthened, to be used to address the government’s priorities related to biodiversity protection.

The importance of sustainable public procurement is widely recognized, and national, regional, and local governments are already taking action in this direction. Many countries have also developed ecolabel schemes or endorsed robust environmental certifications and integrated them into their sustainable public procurement policies and sustainable development plans. This is why it is important for NBSAP focal points to consider the potential of those tools in defining their national strategy to achieve their commitment. However, most governments still lack the know-how to promote and prioritize sustainable public procurement, ecolabels, and sustainable certifications as instruments to achieve their biodiversity protection goals.

The EcoAdvance project and the Consumer Information Programme of the One Planet Network are organizing this webinar. The EcoAdvance project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) seeks to promote ecolabelling and sustainable public procurement as key tools to promote Sustainable Consumption and Production. The Consumer Information Programme holds projects, resources, and expertise on ecolabels, climate change and biodiversity loss mitigation, and other themes to inspire a global movement for sustainable consumption and production. It is part of the One Planet network (OPN), a multistakeholder community working to engage in dialogue and collaborate on innovative solutions to achieve SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production and promote a more circular economy. The Consumer Information Programme has a working group specifically focused on the link between consumption and biodiversity, involving stakeholders in policy, business, and civil society to develop activities that enable consumers to make informed choices and reduce the negative impacts of consumption on the ecosystems.