Readout of the Eighth Greening Government Initiative Meeting
GGI Countries Shared Approaches to Circular Economy and Zero Waste
Today, representatives of 68 countries met for the eighth meeting of the Greening Government Initiative (GGI). The meeting focused on how national governments can advance a circular economy to address a range of related sustainability concerns including waste management, carbon emissions, and more.
Striving toward a circular economy and zero waste includes optimizing the use of natural resources and minimizing negative environmental impacts by ensuring that procured products are made to last longer, resources are shared, and materials are used and recycled in an environmentally responsible manner. National governments—as major purchasers of goods globally—can play an important role in shaping markets and spurring innovation to promote circular economy approaches.
This meeting featured presentations from Andorra, the Netherlands, and the Latin America and the Caribbean Circular Economy Coalition that outlined various efforts to advance circular economy approaches within national government operations. Silvia Ferrer Lopez of Andorra’s Ministry of Environment, Agriculture, and Livestock opened the session with a presentation highlighting implementation of an ambitious 2022 law on circular economy. Arnoud Passenier of the Netherlands’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management followed with a presentation outlining the Netherland’s remarkable increase in recycling in recent decades and its multipronged strategy to further enhance circular economy approaches moving forward. Beatriz Martins Carneiro of the Latin American and the Caribbean Circular Economy Coalition then shared best practices on regional cooperation and information sharing to promote circularity and zero waste in government operations and beyond.
GGI will hold its ninth meeting in September 2023, which will focus on employee engagement and culture change to support greening government operations.
About the Greening Government Initiative
Launched by the Governments of the United States and Canada in April 2021, the Greening Government Initiative (GGI) is a first-of-its-kind initiative that enables countries to exchange information, promote innovation, and share best practices to support global efforts to green national government operations and meet Paris Agreement commitments on climate change. To date, 48 countries joined the initiative. For more information about the Greening Government Initiative, visit www.sustainability.gov/ggi.
About the U.S. Federal Sustainability Plan
In December 2021, President Biden charged the U.S. Federal Government to lead by example by using its scale and procurement power to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Through Executive Order 14057, Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability, and President Biden’s Federal Sustainability Plan, Federal infrastructure will be transitioned to zero-emission vehicles and energy efficient buildings, all powered by carbon pollution-free electricity. The Office of the Federal Chief Sustainability Officer, which is a part of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, is leading the implementation of the executive action and plan. For more information about the Federal Sustainability Plan, visit www.sustainability.gov/plan.
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