This side event at CBD COP-16 with the primary objective of enhancing the understanding of the potential of sustainable public procurement, ecolabels/environmental certifications and sustainable taxonomy as key tools in protecting biodiversity and ecosystem services and in supporting implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, in particular its  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.  

Government representatives and experts will share experiences, knowledge, and concrete strategies to scale up the use of ecolabels/certifications, sustainable public procurement and sustainable taxonomy to combat biodiversity loss in national, regional, and local governments. 

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 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 the management of other environmental crises, such as climate change and pollution.   

Sustainable Public Procurement is a powerful and strategic development tool available to governments to implement their priorities, and it can directly contribute to the protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services while generating livelihoods for local biodiversity-dependent communities. By promoting the production of more sustainable goods, services, and materials, governments can reduce their impact on biodiversity while supporting progress toward environmental, social, and economic goals. Increasing sustainable public procurement is a targeted by the Sustainable Development Goal 12 - Sustainable Production and Consumption, under the 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 the promotion of sustainable consumption with a key role in shifting the impact of global economic drivers on nature towards the sustainable management and conservation of biodiversity and its ecosystem services. With their use, environmentally and biodiversity-friendly products can be easily recognized by consumers. Given the abundance of ecolabels and certifications, the most credible ones, that specifically address the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem services, should be supported, strengthened, and used as a tool for sustainable public procurement. 

Sustainable taxonomy is a classification system for economic activities that defines what activity can be categorized as “sustainable”. It can then be used as a central instrument for mobilizing and redirecting capital flows toward activities that have less negative impact on the environment. By developing a national sustainable taxonomy aligned with international standards, a country can better identify key areas for sustainable investment focused on biodiversity conservation. This transformation can be accelerated through collaborative efforts from public and private sectors, diverse economic industries, and civil society. 

The importance of sustainable taxonomy and sustainable public procurement is widely recognized, and governments are already taking action in their directions. Many countries have also developed ecolabel schemes or endorsed environmental certifications and integrated them into their policies. However, other national, regional, and local governments still lack the know-how to promote and prioritize these tools to combat the biodiversity crises.  

Organizers  

The National Secretariat for Urban Environment and Environmental Quality of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of Brazil has the mission to promote and ensure the conservation and improvement of environmental quality in urban and peri-urban areas. This is achieved through the formulation and implementation of policies, plans, and strategies that comprehensively address environmental challenges. It is responsible for the development of the Brazilian National Circular Economy Strategy, being directly involved in discussions on ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation, sustainable public procurement and sustainable taxonomy policies. 

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.  

The EcoAdvance project, jointly implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GIZ GmbH, United Nations Environment Programme, and Öko-Institut receiving financial support from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI), seeks to promote ecolabelling and sustainable public procurement as key tools to promote Sustainable Consumption and Production.