Good practices on ecolabelling and sustainable public procurement
This series of good practices reflects experiences on ecolabelling, sustainable public procurement, or the joint use of ecolabelling and sustainable public procurement that have demonstrated positive impacts on climate mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and pollution reduction. They also foster sustainable consumption and production — for this reason, they are called "good practices.”
These good practices aim to promote global exchange by providing information and examples of various approaches that entities from different countries and contexts can apply to strengthen the use of ecolabels and sustainable public procurement aligned with the global sustainability agenda and addressing the triple planetary crisis. They were developed as an outcome of the Working Group on Ecolabelling from the Consumer Information Programme, under the One Planet network, and the EcoAdvance project, jointly implemented by the German Cooperation for Development (GIZ), the United Nations for Environmental Protection (UNEP), and the Oeko Institute, funded by the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, nuclear safety and consumer protection (BMUV), and the International Climate Initiative (IKI).
All good practices are available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
1. Grouping of sustainable certifications under a recognition scheme or pre-approved list
This good practice explores the benefits of grouping ecolabels (ISO 14024) and sustainable certifications under a recognition scheme or pre-approved list to streamline sustainable public procurement. This approach helps public procurers easily identify and trust products and services with credible sustainability performance, mitigating the challenge of assessing diverse and often unreliable environmental claims. The MyHIJAU Mark in Malaysia and the EPA’s Framework in the USA serve as examples of successful implementation.
2. Implementation of an e-marketplace of sustainable products and services
This good practice explores the benefits of using e-marketplaces to help public procurers easily identify and trust products and services with ecolabels (defined by ISO 14024) and sustainable certification schemes, mitigating the challenge of assessing diverse and often unreliable environmental claims. The MyHIJAU Mark in Malaysia and the Thai Green Cart in Thailand are examples of successful implementation.
3. Implementation of an e-catalogue with sustainable products and services
This good practice explores the benefits of creating centralized platforms for sustainable procurement. An e-catalogue includes pre-approved products and services vetted by a central purchasing body, allowing public procurers to purchase products directly without a tender. It typically features both conventional and sustainable items, and filters are available to help procurers search exclusively for sustainable products and services, like the ones with ecolabels and sustainable certifications.
4. Ecolabels and certifications strategies to educate consumers and companies about sustainability
This good practice explores the methods used to promote the use of ecolabels and sustainable certification schemes by providing awareness, information, and education. It helps to develop a more sustainable market where consumers prioritize sustainable and certified products, and companies innovate to offer certified products and services with reduced environmental impact. EU Ecolabel, Vitality Leaf in Russia, Blue Angel in Germany, and the international Rainforest Alliance certification are examples of successful implementation.
5. Government strategies to educate the public procurement ecosystem about sustainable practices
This good practice explores the benefits of educating to empower public procurers, decision-makers, auditors, citizen oversight groups, and the private sector with the necessary knowledge to make environmentally conscious decisions. These programs include workshops, guidance materials, training sessions, and online courses designed to foster a culture of sustainability and responsible procurement practices across all levels of public procurement. Successful implementations include Colombia Compra Eficiente's Virtual Training School, the European Commission's green public procurement toolkit, Costa Rica’s Ministry of Finance webinars, Indonesia's Massive Open Online Course for SMEs, Ecuador’s certification program for public procurers, and France's online platform, award program, and regional networks to exchange experiences on sustainable public procurement.
6. The adoption of biodiversity conservation criteria by ecolabels and certification schemes
This good practice explores the benefits of incorporating biodiversity-focused criteria in ecolabels to help public procurers and consumers identify and trust products and services with credible sustainability performance, addressing the challenge of environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. The Nordic Swan, Good Environmental Choice (Sweden), Singapore Green Label, and Life Certification serve as examples of successful implementation.
This good practice explores the benefits of incorporating ecolabels, certifications, and sustainable public procurement into National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) as instruments to promote biodiversity-friendly production and consumption. It also helps align national procurement practices with international biodiversity targets, which further promotes individual country’s conservation efforts. France and Japan's NBSAPs serve as examples of successful implementation.
8. Sustainable public procurement policies that use ecolabels and environmental certifications
This good practice explores the benefits of aligning public procurement criteria with existing ecolabels or environmental certifications. These tools can also define test methods and verification processes to ensure compliance with these criteria. Some countries have strong institutional policies that actively encourage or require the use of ecolabel-aligned criteria while others take an ad-hoc approach, depending on the willingness of the procurers. China, the United States, Korea, Japan, Uzbekistan, Thailand, the European Union, Brazil, Ecuador, and Argentina have policies that are examples of different kinds of implementation.
This good practice explores the benefits of incorporating ecolabels, certifications, and sustainable public procurement into the building and construction sector as instruments to promote environmentally responsible production and consumption. It also helps align national procurement practices with global climate and biodiversity targets, supporting individual countries' efforts to reduce environmental impacts. GreenPro, Korea Ecolabel, FSC, and PEFC certifications serve as examples of successful implementation.
10. Measuring the environmental impact of ecolabels
This good practice explores the importance of assessing the environmental benefits of ecolabelled products using science-based methodologies to enhance their credibility and effectiveness. The EPEAT ecolabel for electronics, the Korean Ecolabel, the GreenPro Ecolabel in India, and the China Environmental Labelling Programme serve as examples of successful implementation, demonstrating how these ecolabels measure reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, energy savings, resource conservation, and other environmental impacts compared to conventional products.
11. Ecolabels criteria for entire building, operation and facilities services, and refurbishments
This good practice highlights the importance of ecolabels that certify entire buildings, renovations, and facility management and operation services, emphasizing a life cycle approach to sustainability. By evaluating all stages of a building's life — from construction to operation and end-of-life — ecolabels such as Nordic Swan, ABNT, and GreenPro promote energy efficiency, resource conservation, and healthier indoor environments. These ecolabels provide clear criteria, foster innovation, and support sustainable public procurement by ensuring high environmental standards for buildings and services, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable built environment.
12. Ecolabels criteria for electronics and their use in sustainable public procurement
This good practice highlights how to use ecolabels to enhance sustainable public procurement (SPP) in the electronic sector. These tools have robust criteria addressing critical environmental and social aspects related to ICT products, including CO2 emissions, hazardous substances, and e-waste, while combatting greenwashing through third-party verification. By streamlining decision-making, ecolabels enable public procurers to confidently select sustainable products. Successful examples demonstrate how governments are using ecolabels, such as TCO Certified and EPEAT, to simplify SPP processes and accelerate sustainability in the electronics market.
13. Ecolabels and certification schemes ensuring conditions for SMEs adoption
This good practice highlights the challenges that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often face in obtaining an ecolabel or third-party certification. It also showcases how certain ecolabels and certification schemes are addressing these barriers by introducing tailored, SME-friendly conditions, such as simplified procedures, technical guidance, and financial incentives. Notable examples include the EU Ecolabel, the FSC certification, and the Sri Lanka Ecolabel.
This good practice showcases the value of developing sustainability criteria for food products within ecolabels and certification schemes to promote more responsible practices across the food sector, while enabling consumers to choose products that support environmental protection and social well-being. When integrated into SPP policies, these criteria simplify selection and verification processes and help ensure that public contracts prioritize food products sourced from sustainable agricultural systems. Examples include initiatives from the European Union, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Copenhagen, and the Fairtrade certification scheme.
This good practice highlights that developing and including robust sustainability criteria for textile products in ecolabels and certification schemes is an important step to guide public and private consumers toward more sustainable purchasing. By referencing their criteria or using them as verification tools in SPP, the purchasing processes are streamlined, and public institutions can stimulate market demand for sustainably produced textiles. Examples include initiatives from the Nordic Swan, Blue Angel, and GOTS certification.
This good practice demonstrates that expanding the scope of ecolabels and certification schemes to include social criteria can strengthen efforts to promote transparency, respect for human rights, and accountability across supply chains. In the context of public procurement, integrating social criteria through ecolabels and certifications offers a practical pathway for governments to align purchasing decisions with international labour standards and broader social responsibility objectives. Examples include TCO Certified, EPEAT, Nordic Swan, Blue Angel, and Cradle to Cradle Certified®.
This good practice demonstrates that expanding the scope of ecolabels and certification schemes to include gender-related criteria offers a strategic pathway to address disparities in equal pay, non-discrimination, fair treatment, and equitable opportunities for career advancement. Furthermore, integrating gender considerations into public procurement processes — including the use of criteria from ecolabels and certification schemes as verification tools in tenders — can significantly amplify these efforts. Examples include FSC, OEKO-TEX STeP, Fairtrade, ChileCompra, Colombia Compra Eficiente, Brazil’s Public Procurement and Contracting Law, and Mexico’s Public Sector Procurement Law.
18. Developing ecolabel criteria for a new product category
This good practice highlights the importance of implementing a structured, transparent, and participatory step-by-step approach to criteria development within ecolabel schemes. Such an approach ensures process consistency, strengthens legitimacy, and provides a robust foundation for scientifically sound and broadly accepted decisions. Examples include the processes used by the Colombian Ecolabel, Eco Mark Japan, and the EU Ecolabel.
19. Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) on harmonization of ecolabel criteria
This good practice presents the benefits of a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) on the harmonization of ecolabel criteria, a voluntary agreement between national or regional ecolabel schemes that agree to recognize and accept each other's certifications (it can be a full recognition or a recognition of a list of common core criteria). The core benefits of this kind of agreement are to streamline the process for businesses to market products across borders and potentially reduce costs associated with multiple certifications. Examples include MRAs signed between the ecolabels of Brazil and Russia, Thailand and Japan, Thailand and Singapore, and the trilateral cooperation among Japan, China, and Korea.
We would be delighted to present these good practices during one of your events. Additionally, if you would like to replicate some of them, share a good practice that we could systematize, or learn more about the EcoAdvance project, please contact us at ciscp@un.org.
