International Green Purchasing Network 2021 Annual Meeting

The 2021 annual meeting of the International Green Purchasing Network-IGPN was held visually on December, 15th. Participants and invited guests from the national Green Purchasing Networks, IGPN Council and IGPN Advisory Board which are from Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, China, China Hong Kong, and UNEP, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, the Netherland Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, and TCO Development attended this meeting. The meeting was hosted by the IGPN Secretariat, China Environmental United Certification Center–CEC.

Mr. Chen Yanping, Chair of IGPN, presented his speech in the opening remarks, “Sustainable consumption and green procurement are important means to promote sustainable development, as well as to promote global carbon reduction, carbon neutrality, bio-diversity loss and pollution. Good progress was made by the IGPN in 2021 and we expect to discuss in depth and exchange views on the fulfillment of next year development”. Mr. Mark Hidson, vice chair of IGPN, gave his welcome remarks, “Global sustainable procurement is moving from awareness raising toward implementation, and toward the carbon neutrality target, and so sustainable procurement is highlighted as catalytic tool in more and more countries. While there remains a need for capacity building to achieve the target, this is the right opportunity for the IGPN with its members to carry forward”.

During the meeting, Mr. Farid Yaker, programme officer of the Economy Division of UNEP and IGPN advisory board member, presented the Sustainable Development Goal Indicator 12.7.1 2021 data collection process and outcome. Dr. Mervyn Jones, circular economy senior advisor of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, explained the findings of the UNEP One Planet Network sustainable public procurement plastics report. Meanwhile representatives of Green Procurement Networks from different countries and regions recapped their progress, achievements and experience of their green purchasing networks. Participants reviewed the 2021 annual work of IGPN secretariat, discussed the priorities and highlights of future development of IGPN.

Since CEC holds the IGPN Secretariat in 2018, it has consistently worked on the IGPN operational codes and members’ collaboration activities. In 2021, the report <Green Purchasing Network–A landscape of practice to achieve sustainable consumption and production> was released, and the “Survey on Environmentally friendly product service and Green Purchasing to Tackle Climate Change” was launched as well, which greatly raise the awareness of the potential of sustainable consumption and production through exchanges and communication on practices, tools and methods. As stated by Ms. ZHANG Xiaodan, CEC general manager and IGPN advisory board member, in the summary speech, “Next year the IGPN will focus on the identified priorities, and continue to strengthen the network development, promote collaborations among members, fulfill the development of IGPN and support the sustainable procurement implementation endeavours nationally and regionally”.