Joint Initiative On Sustainable Humanitarian Assistance Packaging Waste Management

Convened and funded by USAID, the Joint Initiative brings together 23 humanitarian actors from the UN system, NGOs, and bilateral and multilateral donors to reduce the negative environmental impacts of humanitarian action, with a focus on packaging waste.

Packaging is essential to keep life-saving items, such as food, in good condition. Photocredit: UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit.

Looking at challenges and solutions across packaging’s life cycle, the Joint Initiative explores how to eliminate certain types of packaging and how to optimize packaging or use more sustainable materials, as well as the availability of recycling and experiences repurposing packaging waste.

The Joint Initiative aims to promote coordination and collaboration. It documents the experiences, challenges, and success stories of humanitarian organizations as they to work to make their packaging more environmentally sustainable, and shares these with other actors through case studies and thematic webinars.

It provides tools, guidance and information on key humanitarian packaging issues, such as plastic alternatives, sustainable waste management, and finding a second life for discarded packaging. The Joint Initiative also advocates for effective solutions to the global waste crisis and more harmonized and standardized approaches across the humanitarian sector, including among humanitarian donors.

The Challenge

The need for humanitarian assistance continues to rise, just as the world faces an urgent and underfunded global solid waste management crisis.

Photo credit: UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit.

Humanitarian action and packaging are inextricably linked. Relief items are transported to locations across the world, carefully packaged so they reach the people who need them in good condition. This packaging waste is often left to local authorities and beneficiary communities to handle and – in the absence of sufficient infrastructure or waste management systems – it ends up being buried, burnt or dumped in or around water courses. This leads to pollution and environmental degradation, the spread of disease, and damage to wildlife.

To observe the “do no harm” principle, humanitarian organizations need to rapidly rethink their packaging and procurement practices.

The Joint Initiative collects data to support evidence-based decision-making and advocacy by humanitarian organizations towards more sustainable packaging practices. Towards this goal, we published a Packaging baseline Assessment based on humanitarian emergency responses in 2021.

RESOURCES: Factsheet on climate and plastic packaging | Scope of the packaging waste problem | Packaging baseline Assessment based on humanitarian emergency responses in 2021

Solutions

Together with its partners, the Joint Initiative has produced these resources to showcase potential solutions to the packaging challenge:

RESOURCE: Packaging Sustainability Criteria

While the procurement processes of humanitarian organizations vary, this list of 25 criteria is an excellent starting place and can be used as a checklist or aide-mémoire of important aspects to take into consideration when trying to procure more sustainable packaging. It includes technical, administrative and transport criteria.

RESOURCE: Guidance Note on Regulatory and Legislative Frameworks for Humanitarian Workers (plastics)

As an international treaty on plastic pollution gets underway, national legislators are increasingly regulating and restricting the use of plastic packaging and, in particular, single use plastics. This has a direct impact on humanitarian organizations and plastic bans have already forced some actors to make changes in operations and activities. This resource provides information on existing frameworks governing plastics and offers food for thought on potential solutions based on modification of procurement practices.

RESOURCE: Guidance Note on opportunities and challenges related to alternatives to petrol-based plastic in humanitarian packaging

Many humanitarian organizations are turning to alternatives to petrol-based plastics for their packaging. These alternatives also present risks for the environment and are not quick-fix solutions or “silver bullets.” This guidance note explores some of these alternatives to plastics packaging, and their related challenges.

EN FRANÇAIS: Les alternatives aux emballages en plastique conventionnel (à base de pétrole) – Définitions, avantages et défis pour le secteur humanitaire

Un type particulier d’emballage qui pose problème aux acteurs humanitaires et s’avère prévalent dans leur travail est l’emballage en plastique. Plutôt que de fournir des réponses, ce document vise à fournir des informations et des points de réflexion, afin d’aider le personnel chargé à prendre des décisions plus éclairées.

RESOURCE: Recycling and repurposing

While waste reduction – eliminating or reducing packaging, or making this more sustainable – is the priority, recycling is also an essential aspect of sustainable waste management.

The Joint Initiative has mapped recycling facilities in several countries where humanitarian operations are ongoing, in collaboration with the WREC project:

Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Madagascar, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sri Lanka and Uganda.

MORE INFORMATION: WREC recycling facilities map | Webinar on recycling

If you have mapped recycling facilities, please contact joint.initiative@icf.com.

RESOURCE: Multi-donor Policy Landscape Analysis: Environmental sustainability and climate change mitigation

This report outlines how donors are integrating and mainstreaming environmental sustainability and climate change mitigation into their priorities, partnerships and funding of humanitarian organizations. It explores current drivers, trends and requirements relevant to humanitarian action that is committed to transition and adjust towards more sustainable ways of working.

EN FRANÇAIS: Durabilité environnementale et atténuation du changement climatique: Analyse des politiques bailleurs

Cette analyse des politiques de différents bailleurs donne un aperçu de la manière dont les bailleurs agissent, en intégrant et en généralisant la durabilité environnementale et l’atténuation du changement climatique dans leurs priorités et le financement des acteurs humanitaires.

RESOURCE: Guidance Note on Regulatory & Legislative Frameworks for Humanitarian Workers

An overview of existing frameworks governing plastics and how they are likely to evolve. This report also documents awareness-raising efforts and changes in procurement practices.

Webinar Series: Packaging Matters

Packaging Matters provides a space where humanitarian actors can share, connect and learn from one another. It offers participants the chance to hear from technical experts about new technologies and examples of innovation, discuss common challenges and identify solutions together, learning from others’ successes and pitfalls.

Episode 1: The journey to sustainable packaging: synergies between humanitarian organizations and the private sector
ALPINTER, Mondi Group and the WFP shared insights into bottlenecks and levers for humanitarians to make real improvement to packaging.

RESOURCES: recording, outcomes document, and presentation.

Episode 2: Eliminating single-use plastics from packaging of non-food items: ShelterBox’s success story,
ShelterBox team explain how they managed to do away with single-use plastics from their shelter kits packaging, which includes household and hygiene items.

RESOURCES: recording and presentation

Episode 3: Recycling Humanitarian Assistance Packaging Waste: Challenges and Opportunities
The World Food Programme Environment Unit, the Réseau Environnement Humanitaire members, and the Danish Refugee Council’ Fair Recycling Programme discuss how they recycle packaging waste from their operations.

RESOURCES: recording, presentation and outcomes document.

Episode 4: Using bioplastics in packaging: What do humanitarians need to know?
The Plastic Pollution Coalition, the Eco Design Tarpaulin Project and ShelterBox share their experiences and challenges in the use of bioplastics.

RESOURCES: recording, presentation and key takeaways.

Good Practices

Compendium of best practices – Managing Packaging Waste Sustainably: Lessons from Humanitarian Organizations

RESOURCE: UNICEF: Distributing Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets in Bulk

Nets are a key malaria prevention and control tool. In 2021-22, UNICEF delivered 60 million nets to 36 countries for distribution to households, schools and health care centres. Concerned about the end of life of single use plastic bags, UNICEF managed packing requirements to reduce plastic waste, which also led to savings in procurement costs.

EN FRANÇAIS: UNICEF: La distribution en VRAC de moustiquaires imprégnées d’insecticide à longue durée
Les moustiquaires sont un outil clé de prévention et de contrôle du paludisme. En 2021-22, l’UNICEF a livré 60 millions de moustiquaires dans 36 pays pour les distribuer aux ménages, aux écoles et aux centres de santé. Préoccupé par la fin de vie des sacs en plastique à usage unique, l’UNICEF a géré les exigences en matiére d’emballage pour réduire les déchets plastiques, ce qui a également permis de réaliser des économies sur les coûts d’approvisionnement.

RESOURCE: ACTED Lebanon: A holistic approach to reducing and managing waste

In 2017, ACTED identified that approximately 60-70% of its carbon footprint resulted from its supply chain. In line with its 3 Zero World vision – Zero Exclusion, Zero Carbon and Zero Poverty – ACTED looked for ways to introduce sustainability measures into procurement for office supplies and programs. This case study charts ACTED Lebanon’s efforts to lower its carbon footprint while also reducing local pollution caused by the country’s low waste management capacity.

EN FRANÇAIS: ACTED Liban: une approche holistique pour réduire et gérer les déchets

Depuis plusieurs années, ACTED Liban travaille sur la réduction des déchets générés par ses programmes mais aussi en interne. Parmi les actions menées: suppression du plastique à usage unique dans les bureaux et utilisation du carton pour les “lunch box” distribués aux bénéficiaires lors des formations.

RESOURCE: ICRC Afghanistan’s pilot: Replacing plastic with cardboard in NFI distributions

As part of the Sustainable Supply Chain Alliance (SSCA) project, ICRC has been working to green its supply chain across its operations. In Afghanistan, the organisation has replaced plastic with cardboard in its NFI distribution held in prisons, saving more than 60 000 plastic bags a year.

EN FRANÇAIS: Le projet pilote du CIRC en Afghanistan : Remplacer le plastique par du carton dans les distributions d’articles non alimentaires

Dans le cadre du projet Sustainable Supply Chain Alliance (SSCA), le CICR travaille à apporter des changements pour rendre ses chaînes d’approvisionnement plus respectueuses de l’environnement. En Afghanistan, le CICR a remplacé l’emballage plastique utilisé pour les distributions de NFI dans les prisons par du carton, économisant ainsi 60 0000 sacs plastiques par an.

RESOURCE: Plastic Free E-Voucher Shops in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh: The World Food Programme’s Experience

Encouraged by the enforcement of plastic bans by the government of Bangladesh, as well as the WFP’s own plan to phase out 90% of SUP by 2O26, the WFP decided to step up efforts to reduce its environmental footprint and to explore alternatives to SUP in Cox’s Bazar.

EN FRANÇAIS: Programmes de transferts monétaires à Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh: Des boutiques zéro plastique. L’expérience du Programme Alimentaire Mondial

Encouragé par l’entrée en vigueur de l’interdiction du plastique par le gouvernement du Bangladesh ainsi que par ses plans visant à éliminer progressivement 90 % des plastiques à usage unique (PUU), le PAM a décidé d’intensifier ses efforts pour réduire son empreinte environnementale et d’explorer des alternatives aux PUU à Cox’s Bazar.

RESOURCE: ShelterBox’s success in eliminating single use plastic

This case study illustrates how a relatively small organization with little purchasing power has managed to make a significant reduction to its packaging, leading to avoiding the use of 173,396 pieces of plastic because of their efforts.

EN FRANÇAIS: Le succès de ShelterBox dans l’élimination du plastique à usage unique

Cette étude de cas illustre la manière dont une organisation relativement petite et
disposant d’un faible pouvoir d’achat a réussi à réduire considérablement ses
emballages. ShelterBox a au total évité́ l’utilisation de 173 396 morceaux de plastique grâce à ses efforts.

RESOURCE: Multi-donor Policy Landscape Analysis: Environmental sustainability and climate change mitigation

This report outlines how donors are integrating and mainstreaming environmental sustainability and climate change mitigation into their priorities, partnerships and funding of humanitarian organizations. It explores current drivers trends and requirements relevant to humanitarian action that is committed to transition and adjust towards more sustainable ways of working.

EN FRANÇAIS: Durabilité environnementale et atténuation du changement climatique: Analyse des politiques bailleurs

Partners and Team

Transforming the way in which the humanitarian sector manages the packaging of life-saving assistance items and the waste this generates, is too great a task for any single organization. The Joint Initiative partners are taking a collective approach, sharing knowledge, good practices and pooling guidance, tools and resources to foster more sustainable packaging practices

MORE: ‘Who’s doing what’ on sustainable procurement | How donors are integrating environmental sustainability and climate change mitigation into their funding of humanitarian actors

This report maps existing initiatives, projects, networks, and groups working on green procurement and the tools and guidance they have produced. It also provides links to further resources that document humanitarian organizations’ successes or challenges in using these tools and guidance in operational contexts.

The Joint Initiative is managed by a core team of experts in humanitarian action, waste management, sustainability and communications. With guidance from the steering committee, the team carry out the project activities in collaboration with partners, drawing on their knowledge and resources.

You can contact the team at joint.initiative@icf.com.

USAID supports the Joint Initiative by funding this project team via its Environmental Compliance Support (ECOS) contract, managed by the Bureau Environmental Officer.