Sustainable supply initiatives
Sustainable supply initiatives
A UNHCR staff member hands over core relief items, including blankets, mats and a bucket, to Achan, a mother-of-six, at her shelter in the bush in South Sudan.
Core relief items, such as tents, blankets and sleeping mats, are key components of our humanitarian assistance. While they are vital and life-sustaining products, an expert evaluation found that their production and distribution contribute to almost 60 per cent of UNHCR’s total carbon emissions.
In response UNHCR is undertaking major initiatives to improve the sustainability of our end-to-end supply chain, including in the planning, sourcing, contents, manufacturing processes, procurement, delivery and lifecycle management of essential relief items and other goods.
By prioritizing local procurement and considering diversity, gender balance and ethical practices, UNHCR is also supporting local economies and social inclusion.
By 2025 UNHCR aims to:
Product specifications for UNHCR core relief items
UNHCR is revising the specifications of the highest emitting core relief items. So far, eight specifications have been modified to reduce virgin plastic materials and increase the proportion of recycled material by up to 100 per cent.
Packaging requirements and instructions for suppliers
Learn more
UNHCR is stepping up our commitment to meet the humanitarian and protection challenges already being amplified by the climate emergency and to mitigate and prepare for those to come.
More resources
Partnerships
- LONGi leads the way in partnership with UNHCR to solarize its Logistics Hub
- Call to Action for a Sustainable Humanitarian Supply Chain launched at COP28 (video)
Contact us
📧 For more information, please contact us at [email protected].
