UN initiative on greening procurement in the health sector: from products to services
Categories: Action plans for sustainable low carbon health systems, Discussion paper, Meeting minutes, Country experience, Low Carbon Sustainable Health Systems, Supply Chains
Publisher: World Health Organization
This report aims to support multilateral leadership in sustainable procurement, promote market shifts toward environmentally preferable products, and enhance health sector contributions to environmental protection and climate mitigation.
It provides a landscape analysis of procurement practices of UN agencies for the health sector, highlighting environmental challenges and opportunities to advance greener, more sustainable procurement. It outlines the work of the Inter‑Agency Task Team on Sustainable Procurement in the Health Sector, reviews existing tools and policies, and summarizes discussions from the 2013 technical consultation on developing global guidance for environmentally responsible procurement of health products and services. The report examines procurement trends, environmental impacts across product life cycles, and potential interventions to reduce waste, hazardous chemicals, greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution linked to pharmaceuticals, medical devices and service delivery. It also includes case studies illustrating green procurement practices.
Intended users
Multilateral organizations; Health product suppliers; Procurement officials; Ministries of health.