The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and GIZ jointly organized a regional workshop on “Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) and Harmonization of Eco-Labels (EL)” at Plaza Athenee Bangkok, A Royal Meridien Hotel on 21-22 May 2014.

During the workshop, participants learned about the best practices on SPP and discussed key factors for successful SPP implementation as well as how to enhance regional collaboration on SPP as part of a broader SCP 10-Year Framework Programme. For the harmonization of eco-labels, the global experiences on development of common core criteria of eco-labels (Type I) and the opportunities and challenges were shared and discussed by the representatives from Global Eco-labelling Network (GEN), China Environmental United Certification Center (CEC), and Japan Eco-Mark, all of whom have many years of direct experience in the development of common core criteria.

For the follow-up session, the participants were divided by the country (Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia) to identify and develop the common core criteria for multifunctional printers and fluorescent lamps, particularly climate relevant criteria, as well as the verification mechanism. Initial agreement on the proposed common core criteria of the two products was reached by the end of the session. However, the agreed common core criteria will be further discussed and finalized with the relevant organizations in their respective countries.

The regional workshop was very successful, drawing more than 50 participants from governmental agencies and eco-label (Type I) organizations in Thailand and other ASEAN countries, including China and Japan. Many participants expressed strong interest in further cooperation on implementation of SPP and harmonization of eco-labels.

The presentations are available to be downloaded as below.