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Environmental Sustainability

As climate and environmental crises intensify, the humanitarian sector must take urgent action to reduce its environmental footprint while continuing to deliver timely, effective, and principled assistance. Commitment 2 of the Climate and Environment Charter calls on organizations to minimize the environmental and climate impact of humanitarian activities, and this guidance page supports that commitment with practical tools and resources.

Here, you will find a curated collection of resources to help humanitarian organizations strengthen environmental sustainability across their operations and programs. From environmental screening tools and carbon calculators to guidance on sustainable procurement, clean energy transitions, and waste reduction, this guidance is designed to help organizations avoid, minimize, and manage environmental harm.

You can explore the guidance through the following categories:

Environmental Sustainability
Getting Started: Environmentally Sustainable Humanitarian Action

Getting Started: Environmentally Sustainable Humanitarian Action

Introductory resources and foundational frameworks for integrating environmental considerations into humanitarian work.

Sphere: Reducing environmental impact in humanitarian response

This short guide offers hands-on guidance to practitioners looking to consider environmental issues in their humanitarian programmes by compiling references in the Sphere Handbook.

Languages: English, French, Spanish and Arabic.
Access: Free

IFRC Green Response: Environmental Quick Guide, Green Logistics Guide, and Environmental Policy Toolkit:

  • The Green Logistics Guide provides advice and practical tips on how to improve the environmental sustainability of National Societies’ and the IFRC’s logistics and supply functions. The guide covers a range of subjects, all aimed at reducing carbon emissions, reducing waste, or reducing our environmental footprint in other ways. There are examples from across the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and references to find further guidance (English, French, Spanish, and Arabic)
  • The Green Response: Environmental Quick Guide explains the concepts of green response and provides practical advice on how National Societies and partners can improve the environmental sustainability of their work and of their organizations as a whole. It includes examples of how different National Societies have ‘greened’ their operations to provide ideas and inspiration for others looking to improve their environmental impact (English, Spanish, French, and Arabic).
  • Environmental Policy Toolkit: This toolkit was designed to help organisations (like Red Cross Cred Crescent National societies) to develop their own Environmental Policy. It includes a model policy template, and detailed guidance notes to help decide on the level and detail of environmental commitments your organisation wants to make. (English, French, Spanish, Arabic)

Languages: English, Spanish, French, and Arabic
Access: Free

Climate Action Accelerator (the Accelerator):

  1. Guiding Principles for Effective Emissions Reduction: The Accelerator was established to help support the aid sector in halving greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 and transition to low-carbon, resilient, sustainable models. Aligned with Commitment 2 of the Climate and Environment Charter, these guiding principles allows emissions reduction strategies to be more consistent and effective. (English and French)
  2. Operational Playbook for Organisations: this Accelerator operational playbook serves as a practical roadmap for halving emissions in the humanitarian sector by 2030. It is primarily aimed at international humanitarian organisations, and especially senior management, sustainability managers, and technical experts. It is a simple, practical handbook to help organisations in their initial efforts to halve carbon emissions. (English)
  3. Guide for national organisations (French only): This guide captures lessons learned from the first collective support cycle led by the Climate Action Accelerator in West Africa. It highlights the experiences of five national NGOs, offering practical, context-specific solutions for climate resilience and low-carbon transitions, and discusses opportunities and limits for financing roadmap implementation.
  4. Solutions Hub: The climate and environmental solutions portal provides an overview of the most carbon-intensive operational activities in humanitarian settings and offers guidance on solutions to reduce emissions. Each solution area comprises multiple detailed solutions, providing organisations with different points of entry to encourage direct action. (English and French)
    • Transport: emissions reduction for commuting, staff travel and freight transport
    • Energy and buildings: reducing energy consumption, sustainable construction and renovation, and the use of renewable energy.
    • Procurement: reducing emissions from the procurement of goods and services
    • Water: preserve water resources, both in quantity and quality, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, often at low cost.
    • Waste: Applying waste management principles, segregating waste and ensuring appropriate treatment.
    • Digital: limit the growth in the climate impact of digital within organisations.
    • Transversal: includes, but is not limited to, green office practices, choice of banks and how to tackle the impact of pension or investment funds.
    • Ecosystems: support or implement nature conservation initiatives, adopt good land management and nature-friendly practices and help reduce pollution.

Languages: English and French
Access: Free

WREC Coalition – Essential Guides

The WREC coalition is a multi-stakeholder initiative led by the Logistics Cluster to support partners with operationalizing sustainability across humanitarian logistics. The WREC’s work spans from field-level technical support to global coordination, providing real-time, operational sustainability solutions where they are needed most. In addition, WREC hosts an information portal on the Global Logistics Cluster website, which provides information related to environmental sustainability in humanitarian logistics. Within each of the thematic areas below, WREC provides a series of tools and resources to support humanitarians organizations advance environmental sustainability.

Languages: English, Arabic, French and Spanish
Access: Free

IASC Guidance on Environmental Responsibility in Humanitarian Operations

The objective of the document is to provide guidance and share lessons learned to enhance environmental responsibility in humanitarian operations.

Languages: English
Access: Free

Civil Society Now and People in Need – Greening Operations

Explore Civil Society Now’s ‘greening package’ offering user-friendly guides and tools – as well as recordings of webinars on parallel themes – developed to help organisations reduce the environmental footprint of their offices, transport, and procurement. This includes:

  • Greening Your Operations: A step-by-step guide on how NGOs can reduce the environmental impacts of their operations.
  • Environment Policy Template: A practical template of an environmental policy that you can adapt to your needs.
  • Saving Water in Your Offices: A practical guide on how humanitarian and development organisations can protect the environment and reduce expenditures by using water efficiently
  • Sustainable Procurement: Recommends concrete measures and tips for implementation to help organizations purchase goods and services whose production, transport, use, and disposal have a less negative impact on the environment.

Language: English
Access: Free

ICVA-PHAP Learning Stream on the Climate and Environment Charter

The ICVA-PHAP learning Stream on Climate Change and Humanitarian Action provides a platform for the broader humanitarian community to better understand how we can reduce our impact of climate change by accelerating our own action, while also increasing environmental sustainability in line with commitments made within the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organisations. Relevant to this thematic area, relevant webinars include:

Language: English
Access: Free

Pathways Toward a Green Humanitarian Response  – Humanitarian Advisory Group

This research was undertaken to support the humanitarian community to understand how to overcome key barriers and shift ingrained behaviours to support a greener humanitarian system. It demonstrates that coordinated action and strategic influence are required across all levels to achieve a green humanitarian system. The paper focuses on three critical actor groups as important drivers of action and explores how each actor group can navigate systematic and individual barriers to move toward a greener humanitarian response. A summary of the report is also available here. The report build’s on HAG’s work creating a Vision for Green Humanitarian Future. Other resources include a framework for greening humanitarian action in the Pacific as well as priorities and next steps for greening in Fiji and Tonga.

Language: English
Access: Free

 

Considering Environmental Risk

Tools and approaches for identifying and addressing environmental risks in planning, operations, and emergency response.

Réseau Environnement Humanitaire (REH) Guidance on Choosing and Utilising Environmental Screening Tools.

Environmental screening is key to making humanitarian projects more sustainable. It helps to identify project inputs, outputs, and environmental risks while highlighting mitigation measures. This helps reduce harm, enhance sustainability, and ensure compliance with donor and humanitarian standards.

Languages: English, French, and Spanish
Access: Free

Nexus Environmental Assessment Tool (NEAT +)

The Nexus Environmental Assessment Tool (NEAT+) is a rapid and simple project-level environmental screening tool that allows humanitarian actors to quickly identify issues of environmental concern before designing longer-term emergency or recovery interventions. The NEAT+ was developed by the Coordination of Assessments for Environment in Humanitarian Action Joint Initiative, a multi-stakeholder project aiming to improve the coordination between environmental and humanitarian. The NEAT+ works by collecting data through a questionnaire, answered by users who should be familiar with the project area, including the planned intervention, the local and host communities, and environmental surroundings.

Users can access

Languages: English, French, and Spanish
Access: Free

NEAT+ Training Materials, FAQ, and Lessons Learned

NRC has developed several NEAT+ training and other resources in the course of a ECHO-funded capacity building project which was rolled out between 2022 and 2024. The project had the objective to increase the capacities of staff across several humanitarian organizations to conduct environmental screenings, as well as to increase the number of screenings completed. Beside the training materials (in ENG, FR and ESP), the folder also includes a NEAT+ FAQ, a FAQ on Incorporating ECHO-MER into Single Form, guiding questions for NEAT+ Focus Group Discussions and a lessons learned document from the project

Language: English, French, Spanish
Access: Free

MERA: Multi-sectoral Matrix of Environmental Risk Analysis and Mitigation Measures

The REH Environmental Assessments Working Group has developed the MERA matrix to help humanitarian and development project developers and technical advisers to become aware of the environmental risks that the projects they are developing may entail, and to rapidly formulate recommendations to mitigate these risks. The matrix provides a non-exhaustive database of mitigation measures for each environmental risk associated with activities in the Food Security & Livelihoods, Water, Sanitation & Hygiene, Shelter and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support sectors.

Languages: French, Spanish, and English
Access: Free

Guidelines for Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment in Disasters

The Guidelines for Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment in Disasters (REA) provide a means to define and prioritize potential environmental impacts in disaster situations. The Guidelines are composed of four main parts and six supporting Annexes. The main parts include an Introduction to the REA, and modules on Organization and Community Level Assessments, as well as Consolidation and Analysis of assessment results. The Annexes include information sources, forms used in the assessment and information useful in managing the REA process.

Language: English
Access: Free

Green Recovery and Reconstruction: Training Toolkit for Humanitarian Aid (GRRT)

The GRRT is designed to increase awareness of environmentally responsible disaster response approaches. The ten modules cover key sectors such as Strategic Site Selection and Design; Construction, Materials and the Supply Chain; Water and Sanitation; Livelihoods; Environmental Impact Assessment; and Monitoring and Evaluation.

Languages: English, Spanish, and Bahasa Indonesia
Access: Free

Environmental checklist Review of environmental impact of Cash Based Interventions and in-kind assistance

This checklist has been developed based on the findings of the UNHCR study on the Environmental Impacts of Cash Based Interventions (CBIs), to support multifunctional teams in charge of implementing cash assistance

Language: English
Access: Free

Environmental Stewardship Tool (EST) of Interagency Group (CAFOD, CRS, Caritas Australia and Trocaire)

The Environmental Stewardship Tool (EST) was developed to strengthen partner’s and CIMO’s (Caritas Internationalis Member Organizations) environmental stewardship in program activities and compliments other environmental impact assessment tools. The tool was developed to help teams screen for environmental risks as they design programs and activities, ensuring we not only do no harm, but also support environmental outcomes, restoration, and regeneration efforts. The main objective of the EST is to ensure that the preservation of natural resources (such as forests, wild animals, water, soil etc.) is done in a sustainable manner alongside all activities involving the natural and built environment (such as shelter and infrastructure construction). It also includes guidance on how to reduce potentially negative environmental and climate impacts from how we do our work, by considering the impact of our operations.

Languages: English, French, Spanish, and Arabic
Access: Free

Climate, Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction Integration Guidance (CEDRIG)
CEDRIG is a practical and user friendly tool developed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). It is meant to systematically integrate climate, environment and disaster risk reduction (DRR) into development cooperation and humanitarian aid in order to enhance the overall resilience of systems and communities. CEDRIG is divided into 3 parts: CEDRIG Light will help you to decide whether a detailed risk and impact assessment must be conducted or not. In case of a ‘yes’, CEDRIG Strategic will help you to analyze strategies and programs, while CEDRIG Operational will be applied for projects. The website also includes case studies of CEDRIG.

Languages: English, French, Spanish, Russian
Access: Free

 

Training, Webinars, and Courses

Opportunities for learning and training on environmental sustainability

WREC Mapping of Trainings on Environmental Sustainability in Humanitarian Supply Chains

Consult this comprehensive WREC mapping of existing training opportunities focused on environmental sustainability. This initiative aims to empower field-based practitioners with knowledge in various crucial areas, including waste management, green procurement, decarbonization, and circular economy practices. The document will be updated regularly.

Language: English
Access: Free

Climate Action Accelerator Webinars

The Climate Action Accelerator regularly hosts webinars and hybrid events to share its approach and that of its partners, to raise awareness of the issues surrounding climate change and the low-carbon transition, to share concrete solutions, and to mobilise organisations to get on board. Webinar recordings are publishing online, including:

Languages: English and French
Access: Free

WREC – Environmentally Sustainable Humanitarian Logistics MOOC (Massive Open Online Course)

This course provides eight stand-alone online modules, incorporating theoretical sessions, practical exercises, and real-life case studies. The modules are designed to enhance understanding of environmental sustainability within humanitarian logistics and empower participants to operationalise sustainable practices and mitigation measures, thereby reducing the environmental impact of their operations. Learners have the option of joining a cohort, which will support learning through collaboration with other cohort members and give access to a dedicated Teams channel for communicating questions, comments, or chatting with other learners throughout their learning journey.

Languages: English
Access: Free

CARE Climate Justice center: Becoming a Climate Smart Organization Short Course

The aim of this online course is twofold. Firstly, you will learn why Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) must reduce their own emissions and secondly, we provide you with useful tools and tips for how to reduce emissions in the office. At the end of the training, participants will have a better understanding of :

  • Why international CSOs must take action and reduce their GHG emissions
  • The main sources of CSOs’ GHG emissions
  • What your office can do collectively to reduce its GHG emissions
  • Two examples of good practices from CARE

Languages: English and French
Access: Free

Joint Initiative Packaging Matters Webinar and Recycling Webinar

The Joint Initiative On Sustainable Humanitarian Assistance Packaging Waste Management launched a webinar series called ‘Packaging Matters’ to illustrate how private-sector partners, including service providers and suppliers of packaging materials, are helping humanitarian organizations reduce the waste footprint of humanitarian distributions.

Language: English
Access: Free

Civil Society Now and People in Need – Webinars on Greening Operations

Explore Civil Society Now and People in Needs’ webinar series on greening humanitarian operations, with guidance on various topics, including where to find greening resources and support, reducing and managing waste, and saving water.

Language: English
Access: Free

WREC – Introduction to Environmentally Sustainable Supply Chains e-learning

This is a self-paced introductory training on Green Logistic intended to provide foundational information about environmental sustainability in the humanitarian supply chain context to be taken into consideration for logistics practitioners and new staff members involved in supply chain activities.

Languages: English
Access: Free

Environment in Humanitarian Action (EHA) Global Training Template

The template developed by UNOCHA/UNEP’s Joint Environment Unit (JEU) is open source and available for any organisation or individual to use or refer to in the development and delivery of their Environment in Humanitarian Action training. The Training Template includes Introductory modules, technical modules and Training of Trainers (ToT) modules accompanied by facilitator manuals and power point presentations on a variety of topics, including on: environmental screening, sustainable waste, water resource and land management modules, greenhouse gas emissions and sustainable energy management, environmental impacts in supply chain and logistics, environmental mainstreaming and financing in humanitarian programs, cross-sectoral collaboration, and community engagement and capacity building, among others. What distinguishes this training manual is its comprehensive and flexible framework of which the content can be adjusted by users to meet with the specific needs within their specific contexts.

Language: English
Access: Free and open source. JEU kindly ask that credit is given when using or adapting this resource.

CALP Network: CVA, Climate & Environment Community of Practice: A greener response?

This webinar focused on mitigation of the impacts of cash and voucher assistance on the climate and environment. It featured different perspectives on greening humanitarian action and measuring the environmental footprint of CVA, including research analysing the carbon footprint of MEBs.

Language: English
Access: Free

 

Technical Guides: Sustainable Supply Chains

Methodologies and best practices to promote more sustainable procurement and logistics

ICRC and IFRC Sustainable Supply Chain Alliance (SSCA)

The SSCA project involves various stakeholders both within and outside the ICRC, working together to develop tools, knowledge, training, and supporting guidelines to help us reach our common goal of a sustainable supply chain. The SSCA platform includes a broad range of technical resources and guides, including:

Languages: English
Access: Free

Joint Initiative for Sustainable Humanitarian Assistance Packaging Waste Management

The initiative supports the humanitarian community by addressing the problem of packaging waste holistically, both upstream (e.g., guidance on how to reduce packaging) and downstream (e.g., guidance on secondary use or “repurposing” of packaging waste, using a circular economy approach). A selection of guides are included below:

Languages: English and French
Access: Free

WREC Technical Guidance Mapping

The WREC Coalition has conducted a series of mapping exercises of resources, guides, initiatives, and technical solutions on various environmental sustainability issues:

  • Green Procurement Landscape: an analysis and landscape mapping of humanitarian organisation’s work on environmentally sustainable procurement practices.
  • Waste Management Landscape: maps 25 collaborative and organisational initiatives aiming at reducing, measuring, recovering waste. It serves as a resource to encouraging collaboration efforts, avoiding duplication of efforts and instead creating synergies and amplifying best practice.

Languages: English
Access: Free

 

Technical Guides: Decarbonization and Clean Energy

Methodologies and best practices to reduce emissions in operations and programs

Humanitarian Energy Knowledge Hub

This resource aims to be a one-stop destination for information and technical resources to support the growing community working to deliver sustainable energy access in fragile and displacement settings around the world. The hub compiles and curates tools, data, case studies, project and stakeholder mappings, training and guidance materials, and other resources to support the work of humanitarian and development organisations, practitioners, policymakers, researchers, private sector partners, donors, and investors. This hub is a living knowledge platform hosted on energypedia maintained by the Global Platform for Action (GPA) on Sustainable Energy in Displacement Settings and is continuously updated. Key resources on this platform include:

Languages: English
Access: Free

WREC Coalition’s 3W (Who is doing What Where) on GHG Emissions:

The WREC Coalition has conducted a series of mapping exercises of resources, guides, initiatives, and technical solutions on various environmental sustainability issues, including a mapping of who is doing what where on GHG emissions, outlining current practices on carbon footprint calculation, decarbonsiation roadmaps, and actions taken on decarbonising procurement, fleet, transport/distribution, facilities’ energy, and waste.

Languages: English
Access: Free

Solar Energy Handbook: A Guide to Institutional Solar for Humanitarian Settings

This handbook is produced as part of a project to scale up the use of renewable energy in humanitarian response by introducing service models that remove the technical and financial risks for organizations. The handbook is produced for organizations that operate in humanitarian areas with limited or no access to grid electricity, and rely on diesel generators to power their operations and facilities. The guide provides an overview of technical solutions, financing and service based options available to organizations, and good practices for organizations starting this journey.

Languages: English
Access: Free

A Fair and Equitable Decarbonisation Target for an International NGO, Groupe URD

The aim of this report is to analyse this NGO’s decarbonisation targets, as well as the monitoring and review process, highlighting some of the pitfalls of carbon accounting and reviewing some of the foundations of environmental ethics and climate justice. Finally, the report puts forward proposals for a fair decarbonisation target.

Languages: English, French
Access: Free

 

Toolkits for adapting programs, policies, and operations

Practical tools and templates to support environmental action in programming and organizational strategy

Climate Action Accelerator Toolkits

The purpose of the Climate Action Accelerator toolkits is to equip organisations with a set of resources and strategies to adapt ways of working, policies and procedures in key operational areas to reduce their climate and environmental footprint.  The toolkits are designed to provide environmental coordinators and decision-makers with hands-on advice, often in the form of a step-by-step process, along with a suite of practical tools to support the implementation of climate and environmental roadmaps.

  • Procurement Toolkit: provides a step-by-step guide for adapting procurement processes with a view to reducing the climate and environmental impact of goods and services and guidance on procurement criteria across different categories.
  • Fleet Toolkit: combines existing resources from the Fleet Forum with newly developed tools to support organisations in taking stock of their existing fleet and fleet-related emissions, as well as to reduce the climate and environmental impact of their fleet.
  • Travel Toolkit: guides users through a step-by-step process on the journey to reduce professional travel, notably air travel.
  • Good Office Practices: offers a a step-by-step process on how to implement good office practices and a list of solutions related to environmental office practices.
  • Solarisation Toolkit: provides a step-by-step guide to solarising buildings with a particular focus on two types of settings: International humanitarian field projects and health structures in low- and middle-income countries.

Languages: English and French
Access: Free

Fleet Forum GreenMe Platform

Reducing emissions from fleet operations is a priority task for every fleet manager. Fleet Forum’s GreenMe platform allows for assessment of the current environmental state of the vehicle fleet, provides actions that reduce emissions and encourages fleet managers to collaborate with the aim to make the fleet environmentally sustainable. The platform also comes with a forum, a chat function, and a reward system – so it allows for online interaction with a broader community.

Languages: English
Access: Access to members (fee required)

IOM Toolkit for Access to Clean Energy in Displacement Settings

This Toolkit for Access to Clean Energy in Displacement Settings offers practical guidance to implement projects that promote energy access for displaced populations. Drawing from lessons learned in Mozambique, it provides step-by-step strategies for addressing energy needs, fostering market development, and building sustainable solutions through an eco-system approach. Designed for humanitarian practitioners and private sector providers, it equips users with tools and case studies to drive impactful clean energy initiatives.

Languages: English
Access: Free

 

Carbon Calculators

Tools to measure and manage greenhouse gas emissions in humanitarian contexts

Humanitarian Carbon Calculator (HCC)

The HCC, developed through an interargency effort, allows organizations to assess the direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions associated with their activities. This in turn makes it possible to set reduction targets and to build emission reduction plans. The Humanitarian Carbon Calculator can also be used to monitor the evolution of an organization’s emissions over time, thereby assessing the effectiveness of efforts to reduce emissions. Read the Methodological guide to help you get started or see the HCC website for video tutorials and more information.

Languages: English, Spanish, and French
Access: Free

REDuction

The REDuction calculator is an online tool to promote a better understanding of the organizational carbon footprint among National Societies, their volunteers, and staff, helping to generate greater environmental responsibility and mobilization for climate action. The tool supports National Societies in calculation of key elements of carbon emissions for an organisation (e.g. energy, travel etc).

Languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Hungarian
Access: Free Access, designed for Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies

UNHCR GHG Emissions Calculator

The greenhouse gas (GHG) emission calculator developed at EPFL in collaboration with the UNHCR Geneva Technical Hub and SDC enables UNHCR and humanitarian partners to compare climate-relevant emissions of different activities and technologies used in displacement settings for water supply, clean cooking, facility electrification, lighting and solid waste management.

Language: English
Access: Free

The Fleet Forum Clean Fleet Emissions Calculator Toolkit

This Toolkit will help you develop a strategy for reducing the environmental impacts of your fleet of cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles, as well as generators. Many of the options presented also lower costs and improve performance.

Languages: English and French
Access: Free

 

Engagement Opportunities and Partner Newsletters

Working groups, networks, communities of practice, and knowledge sharing

Réseau Environnement Humanitaire (REH)

The Humanitarian Environment Network (REH) is an experience-sharing network that aims to promote the integration of the environment among member organizations and more widely throughout the humanitarian sector. Created in 2012, the REH conducts studies and develops tools adapted to the needs of the humanitarian sector to integrate environmental considerations. The REH works to improve understanding and awareness of these issues among French-speaking humanitarian and development actors, and supports them in adopting more environmentally friendly practices.

Languages: English, French
Access: The REH is open to any individual or organisation interested in environmental issues in the international aid sector. Follow the REH by subscribing to the newsletter, or become a full member to contribute to the network’s general mission and specific objectives, with access to the Forum.

IFRC Green Response Working Group

The Green Response Working Group seeks to improve the environmental outcomes of Red Cross Red Crescent emergency response activities by extending the ‘do no harm’ principle to the environment and ecosystems on which the people we seek to assist often rely. The working group has also worked to influence the global humanitarian agenda with regards to sustainability and environmental considerations.

Language: English
Access: National Societies can join the IFRC’s Green Response Working Group by contacting Richard Casagrande, IFRC Senior Officer for Green Response & Environmental Sustainability.

Climate Action Accelerator Community of Climate and Environment Managers

This community of practice was established as a platform to exchange ideas and learn collectively how to develop and implement climate and environment roadmaps. The community serves as a network where our partners can stay updated on each other’s progress and developments. It also supports the Accelerator’s ongoing deployment of good practices within organisations and ensures that the initiative’s efforts remain aligned with the priorities and main interests of its partners.

Language: English
Access: Partners of the Accelerator

WREC Coalition Coordination Groups

The WREC coalition is multi-stakeholder initiative led by the Logistics Cluster to support partners with operationalizing sustainability across humanitarian logistics. The WREC’s work spans from field-level technical support to global coordination, providing real-time, operational sustainability solutions where they are needed most. The WREC coalition hosts several coordination groups on thematic issues related to sustainable supply chains, including:

Access: Anyone who is working in the humanitarian sector and is interested in joining the coordination groups is welcome. Join the various coordination groups by emailing the WREC Coalition Helpdesk (global.wrec@wfp.org)

WREC Helpdesk Support

WREC also provides one-on-one dedicated supply chain sustainability support to partners and humanitarian stakeholders who have questions, comments, or concerns about their operation or who want to learn more. The WREC welcomes these questions –via a Help Desk function, with dedicated environmental expertise available. To request support from WREC environmental specialists, contact WREC via Global.WREC@wfp.org

Language: English, French, Spanish
Access: Free

Humanitarian Energy Exchange Network (HEEN)

HEEN is the global mechanism for supporting coordination and collaboration between practitioners working on improving sustainable energy access in fragile and displacement settings. Hosted under the GPA, HEEN meets on monthly calls where practitioners exchange knowledge and expertise, provide project updates, present on and synthesise lessons learned from implementation experiences, seek support from network members, and explore opportunities for collaboration to develop sustainable energy programmes.

Language:  English
Access: Interested organisations can join the HEEN by submitting their application through the online form. Membership in the HEEN requires a simple majority approval vote by the current members.

Shelter Cluster Environment Community of Practice

The Shelter Cluster’s Communities of Practice (CoPs) are voluntary bodies consisting of individuals with expertise and interest in a thematic area related to humanitarian shelter response, shelter practices, or shelter coordination. They provide a forum as a point of entry to a repository of knowledge on key thematic issues related to the Shelter sector. The Environmental Community of Practice is a venue to support the exchange of information related to the greening of shelter responses in disaster.

Language: English
Access: Join the Environment CoP by submitting a request to Charles Kelly (havedisastercallkelly@gmail.com) and Anita Van Breda (Anita.VanBreda@WWFUS.ORG) with a brief description of your professional interest or current employment.

The Climate Action Accelerator Newsletter

Subscribe to the Accelerator newsletter to learn more about our initiative and partners, our upcoming events, solutions and tools, and more. Whether you’re interested in learning more about our initiative, partners, upcoming events, solutions, publications, or tools, our newsletter is the perfect way to stay informed. Get regular updates on our latest work, achievements, and what’s coming next. Subscribe today and never miss an important update.

Language: English and French
Access: Free

GPA Monthly Newsletter

The GPA Monthly Newsletter is a key communication channel sharing timely updates, opportunities, and resources related to sustainable energy access in displacement and humanitarian settings. It includes updates on upcoming events in the sector, funding opportunities, recent publications and research, tools, trainings, and sector highlights. The newsletter serves to keep practitioners, policymakers, and partners informed and connected across the humanitarian energy sector. Interested parties can subscribe and review past editions on the GPA website. To submit and update for inclusion in an upcoming newsletter, send it to energy@unitar.org.

Language: English
Access: Free

 

Guidance on Carbon Offsetting

COMING SOON

Synthesis Paper on the Challenge of Carbon Offsets for Emission Reduction

Carbon offsets are widely used by corporations to support their carbon neutral assertions while continuing to emit GHG. The Accelerator’s synthesis paper summarizes why they shouldn’t be accounted for emissions reduction.

Language: English and French
Access: Free

Insetting Platform Initiative: Practical Guide to Insetting

As an alternative to Carbon Offsetting and Carbon Credit programs, Insetting projects are interventions along a company’s value chain that are designed to generate GHG emissions reductions and carbon storage, and at the same time create positive impacts for communities, landscapes and ecosystems.   The IPI’s Practical Guide to Insetting shares insights and provides recommendations for sustainability professionals from experienced insetting practitioners to help companies transform their supply chains towards a net zero, resilient and regenerative future. This includes 10 learnings, from internal mobilisation to collaboration with partners on the ground, and five opportunities to scale insetting as a strategic practice.

Language: English
Access: Free

Center for Global Development: Getting the Most Out of Your Organization’s Carbon Offsets

This article serves as a practical guide for organizations aiming to effectively utilize carbon offsets as part of their sustainability strategies. CGD offers a critical evaluation of various offset types, assessing their quality based on criteria such as additionality, uncertainty, and availability. The piece offers a ranked analysis of offset categories, highlighting which projects provide the most credible emissions reductions. Additionally, it shares insights from the CGD’s own experiences in measuring and offsetting their carbon footprint, providing lessons learned and recommendations for other organizations seeking to implement or improve their carbon offsetting practices.

Languages: English
Access: Free

Case Studies: Sustainable Supply Chains and Waste Management

Real-world examples of environmental good practice across supply chains

WREC Interactive Map: Waste Management and Recycling Infrastructure & Best Practices on Environmental Sustainability Across the Humanitarian Supply Chain

The map shows the waste management and recycling infrastructure by country as identified by humanitarian partners to support informed waste management decisions by the humanitarian community by providing information about available waste management and recycling infrastructure. The map also highlights environmental sustainability initiatives across the supply chain implemented by humanitarian partners in various countries. These initiatives aim to inspire and guide other humanitarian actors in adopting similar practices. To contribute information or mapping from your country, or for any inquiries, please contact WREC (wrec@wfp.org)

Languages: English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Portuguese, Mandarin
Access: Free

IFRC & WREC Green Procurement Market Assessment (Bangladesh): The following case study provides an overview of the process, benefits, lessons learned and recommendations identified from the Green procurement market assessment methodology that was piloted with IFRC in Bangladesh in February 2024. This also includes an Internal Meeting Example to provide an illustration of the flow and information shared during the IFRC pilot in Bangladesh, with internal teams, to probe a discussion on environmental sustainability.

Languages: English
Access: Free

IRC Lebanon Procurement Environmental Initiatives

IRC Lebanon have successfully implemented several green procurement initiatives which are allowing them to reduce their environmental impact across their supply chain operations. This has been the fruit of significant internal efforts to collaborate across units, use this case study to inspire yourself with ideas you can also implement.

Languages: English
Access: Free

Managing Packaging Waste Sustainably – Lessons From Humanitarian Organizations

This case study is part of a wider effort led by the Joint Initiative for Sustainable Humanitarian Assistance Packaging Waste Management to compile best practices from aid organizations in their efforts to eliminate unnecessary packaging and support better packaging waste management.

Languages: English and French
Access: Free

Finding Sustainable Packaging Alternatives: Experience of UNHCR, WFP, and ICRC

In 2021, the ICRC, UNHCR, and WFP started a project to find alternative packaging for woven PP bags used for food and non-food items. While no ideal solution has emerged, this case study highlights the complexity of assessing the climate and environmental impacts of packaging materials

Languages: English
Access: Free

Streamlined Lifecycle Assessment of the World Food Programme Food Packaging:

This report, developed by the Joint Initiative on Sustainable Packaging Waste Management for Humanitarian Aid and the WFP, aims to foster collaborative learning by providing humanitarian organisations with an example of an effective methodology for conducting a streamlined life cycle assessment (LCA) of packaging adapted to humanitarian aid contexts.

Language: English
Access: Free

Impact  Initiatives, Acted, UNEP, and the Jordanian Ministry of Environment: Circular Economy in the Humanitarian Sector in Jordan Assessment Report and Toolkit

These resources illustrate the program partner’s assessment of the Circular Economy in the Humanitarian Sector in Jordan, a Circular Economy theoretical framework, a series of successful case-studies of humanitarian programmes in Jordan, and a scoring tool and checklist to identify whether an organization or programme is circular and to which extent.

Language: English
Access: Free

WREC Case Study: Circular Economy in WFP’s storage facilities in Yemen

Innovative solution found by WFP Yemen to convert materials accumulated in warehouses into new resources that can mitigate potential adverse environmental impacts, whilst generating revenue for the organization. This case study targets logisticians and supply chain actors who aim to reduce the amount of damaged materials accumulated in warehouses and optimise their warehouse space and inventory management by adopting environmentally sustainable methods that include circular economy principles.

Languages: English
Access: Free

WREC case study: The Role of Scrap Dealers in Cox’s Bazar to support humanitarian response and reduce environmental impact

This case study summarizes the steps undertaken by humanitarian organizations to engage scrap dealers on the collection of recyclable materials in Bangladesh, contributing to reduce the negative environmental impact of the humanitarian response. The document outlines useful steps for any organization’s Supply Chain and Programme officers planning to improve the management of recycling materials generated along their humanitarian supply chain.

Languages: English, French, Arabic and Spanish
Access: Free

E-Waste Management & Informal Reverse Logistics in Burkina Faso (hulo)

This case study looks at Hulo’s Joint Environmental Initiative and how they tackle growing e-waste from humanitarian base closures, focusing on collection, dismantling, and recycling. While funding for e-waste processing remains a challenge, humanitarian organisations have adopted cost-effective informal reverse logistics, utilizing empty vehicle space for transport, thus avoiding dedicated pickups and emissions.

Languages: English (French available soon at same link)
Access: Free

 

Case Studies: Decarbonization and Clean Energy

Real-world examples of decarbonization plans, strategies and interventions

Co-published Carbon Footprints with Climate Action Accelerator

The Accelerator has worked with a number of organizations to develop carbon footprint baseline measurements, as the first step in an organization’s effort to reduce emissions. In addition to footprints developed with the Accelerator, the platform also shares examples from other organizations’ efforts to reduce emissions, such as Acted.

One example are the roadmaps for Médecins Sans Frontières operations centers in Geneva, Brussels, and Paris. They offer an in-depth exploration of areas that require focused mitigation efforts, accompanied by priority recommendations. These roadmaps serve as invaluable tools to guide collective efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to a low-carbon future. By providing detailed insights and targeted recommendations, they enable us to strategically prioritize our mitigation actions and maximize our impact in combating climate change.

Languages: English
Access: Free

Greening DRC: A catalogue of selected green initiatives in the Danish Refugee Council

This catalogue of selected green initiatives by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) showcases the organization’s efforts towards mitigation and adaptation to climate change. It includes both programmatic and operational projects – including efforts to mitigate DRC’s negative climate and environmental footprint by phasing out fossil fuels.

Languages: English
Access: Free

“The green mile: NGOs driving sustainable collaboration”: a comprehensive review of vehicle sharing in Lebanon

The NGO Vehicle-Sharing Initiative (VSI), launched almost three years ago in Lebanon, is now at a turning point in its history as funding comes to an end and the project initiator prepares to hand over to NGO members themselves. This evaluation report sets out the main results and lessons learned from this innovative and inspiring experience for mobility management in the aid sector and other areas of humanitarian action.

Language: English and French
Access: Free

Médecins Sans Frontières Solarasing Health Services in Nigeria
The climate emergency is impacting communities where Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) works worldwide, posing significant challenges to people’s health and the provision of health care. In Bauchi state, northern Nigeria, an MSF project is addressing this crisis through a solar power project aiding hospitals reliant on generators due to unstable electricity. This MSF blog outlines the four major impacts of this initiative.

Language: English
Access: Free

Calculating the GHG Footprint of Food Aid using Cash Transfers

This study responds to the need to estimate the GHG footprint of activities using cash transfers in ACF’s main areas of intervention, and seeks to identify the next steps that can be taken to design concrete actions to reduce this footprint.

Language: English and French
Access: Free

Save the Children International’s Fleet Transformation Programme

This case study showcases how a humanitarian organisation overhauled their entire fleet management, resulting in cost and emissions savings, while improving operational efficiencies. In a nutshell, SCI switched to purchasing their vehicles centrally and leasing them to projects on a need basis. The key element is the change in the financial structure: Taking central control of financing made this transformation systemic and long-term. The result is a safer, reliable transport solution that delivers value for money while reducing environmental impact.

Languages: English
Access: Free

 

Case Studies: Environmental Policies and Operations

Real-world examples of environmental good practice in organizational operation

Framework for environmental management in assistance programmes

This document aims to define environmental issues in the context of ICRC’s operations. It also aims to provide useful and practical guidance to Assistance delegates and national staff on two levels:

  1. how to understand the relationship between Assistance activities and the environment upon which victims of armed conflicts depend; how to consider the potential positive or negative impacts of Assistance activities, without in any way compromising the rapidity and effectiveness of ICRC action
  2. how to continue to develop an environmentally alert mindset and to enable environmental issues to be systematically integrated into the balance of factors that need to be considered to produce an efficient, effective and rapid ICRC response.

Language: English
Access: Free

Good Practices on Environmental Sustainability in the UN System

Good Practices on Environmental Sustainability in the United Nations System 2024 compiles 16 good practices from 14 UN entities, including UNICEF, UNDP, ESCAP, FAO, IOM, UNHCR, UNOG, ECLAC, UNESCO, UNMISS, UNON, UNU, and UNOPS. This collection highlights stories of ongoing efforts and successful results in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, recycling waste, improving water efficiency, enhancing biodiversity, and more, offering practical and replicable solutions.

Language: English
Access: Free

Swedish Red Cross – Red Goes Green 

This research highlights the barriers and enablers for effectively greening practices and strengthening environmental sustainability across the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement

Language: English
Access: Free

 

Do you have a resource to contribute to the sector? If so, please email us at secretariat@climate-charter.org