Readout of the Twelfth Greening Government Initiative Meeting
GGI Countries Shared Approaches on Eco-Friendly Government Information Technology (IT) Practices
Today, representatives of 55 countries joined the twelfth meeting of the Greening Government Initiative (GGI). The meeting focused on how governments can reduce the environmental footprint associated with their Information Communication and Technology (ICIT) practices.
National governments are large purchasers and users of informational and technology systems goods and services which can have significant environmental impacts throughout their lifecycles, from material extraction, manufacturing, delivery, use, and disposal. Governments can advance the green digital transformation by purchasing products with environmental certifications, integrating environmental criteria into their procurement processes, adopting circular economy principles, and selecting greener suppliers.
The meeting featured presentations from the Netherlands and Canada. As part of their presentations, both countries spoke to their experiences as participants in the Circular and Fair ICT Pact (CFIT), an international procurement-focused partnership to accelerate circularity, fairness, and sustainability in the Information Communication and Technology (ICIT) sector. Two representatives of the Netherlands—Johan Rodenhuis, Strategic Sustainability Advisor and Marieke Weerdesteijn, Programme Manager for the CFIT—opened the session with a presentation highlighting how their government is making an impact through sustainable procurement of Information Communication Technology. Mark Levene, Director of Innovation and Integration for the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, followed with a presentation about Canada’s digital sustainability efforts and how they are driving government IT towards a measurable, low-carbon, circular future.
GGI will hold its thirteenth meeting, which will focus on developing Net-Zero Roadmaps for greening government operations, in September 2024.
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, 52 countries have joined the initiative.
About the U.S. Federal Sustainability Plan
In December 2021, President Biden charged the U.S. 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 https://www.sustainability.gov/plan.
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