Circular and sustainable procurement is a powerful tool that organizations can use to shape the transition towards a sustainable society. Governments and other public entities can play an essential role in shaping local circular and sustainable economies by applying circular economy principles and criteria to purchase products and services. But it is needed to move past concepts and initiate action to make the transition and realize the benefits of the circular economy.
To support governments and the public sector, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has developed an international standard on Circular public procurement of ICT and a guideline on Circular and Sustainable Public Procurement of ICT. The standard has been developed by ITU-T Study Group 5 “Environment, EMF and Circular Economy”.
The guide has been developed as part of the green component of the Gov Stack initiative, which aims to accelerate the digital transformation of government services, whilst recognizing the potential environmental impacts of this transformation. The development of the guide has been positioned as a project under the Circular Electronics Partnership, with the partner organizations, ITU and the Global Electronics Council (GEC), taking the lead in this endeavor.
This workshop allowed participants to gain knowledge and insights into circular economy concepts and how to incorporate circular and sustainable requirements into public sector ICT procurement policies and projects.
Objectives:
At the end of the workshop, participants were be able to:
- Understand what the circular economy for ICT looks like and how public procurement can be a powerful transition tool for sustainability in the sector
- Apply the international standard Recommendation ITU-T L.1061 “Circular public procurement of ICT” for policy and processes
- Identify practical ways to circular and sustainable public procurement by using the guideline to develop strategies, create the conditions and embed the right processes
Target Audience:
Participation in the Webinar was open to ITU Member States, Sector Members, Associates and Academic Institutions and to any individual from a country that is a member of ITU, who wished to contribute to the work. This included individuals who are also members of international, regional and national organizations, interested stakeholders, including telecom operators, regulators, SDOs and financial institutes. Participation in the Webinar was free of charge and no fellowships were be granted. The Webinar was held fully virtually and in English only.
Programme
13:00 - 13:15
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Opening Remarks
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Onoe Seizo, Director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau
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Hani Eskandar, Head of Digital Services, Division, ITU
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Andrea Donath, Head of Programme GovStack-Initiative at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ)
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13:15 - 14:15
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Panel Discussion: Bringing ICT full-circle - the role of public procurement
Moderator: Dominique Würges, ITU-T SG5 Chairman
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Roberto Gilbert, Head of the National Procurement Office, Argentina:
"Q&A" [Presentation]
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Marieke Weerdesteijn, Programme manager, CFIT Secretariat
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Shela Gobertina von Trapp, Director, Global Relations, Global Electronics Council (GEC)
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Peter Kimani Ndung’u, AG. Director Complaints & Investigation, Public Procurement Regulatory Authority, Kenya
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Carolien van Brunschot, Manager, Circular Electronics Partnership (CEP)
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Olga Grant, Technical Advisor, Office of Government Procurement
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14:15 - 15:00
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Session 1: Public procurement of ICTs to mitigate the adverse effects of e-waste
Circular and sustainable public sector procurement by governments can be a driver for sustainable products and choices and an accelerator for the adoption of circular economy practices. Today, ICT software, equipment and services need to be procured, operated and decommissioned in an environmentally effective way. This translates into maximizing usable life, increasing recyclability, minimizing waste and its adverse effects. This session provided an overview of Draft Recommendation ITU-T L. 1061 on Public procurement of ICTs to mitigate the adverse effects of e-waste.
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Nevine Tewfik, Senior International Relations Expert, the Central Division for International Relations, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), Egypt & Leandro Navarro, Co-rapporteurs Q7/5:
"Global standards for circular ICT: Recommendation L.1061Circular Public Procurement of ICTs" [Presentation]
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15:00 - 15:45
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Session 2: Making Circular and Sustainable ICT Procurement happen: introducing the GovStack guidelines
Public sector procurement drives sustainable and circular ICT hardware and software. But how do you get started, engage procurement teams and push the market forward? This session will introduce new guidelines for (1) developing effective government strategies, (2) creating the conditions and (3) embedding procurement processes to support circular and sustainable ICT.
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