Procurement

UNDP's commitment to the environment

"Green" procurement is rooted in the principle of pollution prevention, which strives to eliminate or to reduce risks to human health and the environment. In order to do so, UNDP staff should evaluate purchases based on a variety of criteria, ranging from the necessity of the purchase, resource consumption, waste generation, environmental impact and health of the users.

UNDP's "green" procurement policy promotes the four 'R' strategies:

"Green" procurement at the UNDP requires its staff to conduct all activities, including contracting with other entities, in a resource-efficient manner. Thus UNDP will be selective in its choice of products, processes and services to promote the four 'R' strategies, taking into consideration the effects of energy consumption, toxicity, ozone depletion, radiation, and the use of recycled materials. To help determine how environmentally friendly the goods and/or services are, UNDP staff evaluates the applicable Eco-label rating, or the official label for approved "green" products, such as Energy Star, EU Eco-label, Energuide, etc.

It is UNDP's policy to manage its business in an environmentally responsible manner. UNDP endeavours to protect the quality and diversity of the environment and continually improve performance in this regard. This means considering the costs of securing raw materials, manufacturing, transporting, storing, handling, using and disposing of products procured.