To ensure responsible and sustainable supply chain management, ICRC has established the Supplier Code of Conduct that has been rolled out and disseminated to all our suppliers and embedded in the General Terms and Conditions of purchasing. This code sets out the minimum sustainability standards and requirements (ethical, social, environment and quality) that our suppliers must comply with. By adhering to this code, we aim to manage our supply chain responsibly and sustainably, contributing to the protection of the planet for current and future generations.

• Supplier Code of Conduct (English)
• Supplier Code of Conduct (French)
• Supplier Code of Conduct (Spanish)
• Supplier Code of Conduct (Russian)
• Supplier Code of Conduct (Arabic)

As part of the sustainable approach, the ICRC assessed the sustainability of products provided to those affected by armed conflict or violence to find practical solutions for products that posed sustainability risks. The main recommendations were shared with country offices in the areas of Economic Security, Water and Habitat, Health, and Premises.

The project also identified items that posed sustainability risks and incorporated them into the ICRC’s product quality risk matrix. Additionally, it created a list of sustainability specifications for over 40 item categories and fostered cooperation among requesters, procurement teams, and suppliers. A webinar was held to share the project’s methodology and outputs. The recording and webinar presentations are available.

Sustainability information sheet has been created for each of the 11 main products in the Standard Products Catalogue, which include essential household items and a food parcels. At the same time, discussions with suppliers helped addressing gaps in their processes, and piloting improvements., as well as the regular meetings among IFRC, UNHCR, UNICEF, and ICRC to review progress in redesigning environmentally friendly relief items and improving quality management. These meetings also serve as a platform for mutual learning and to present a unified voice when discussing sustainability with suppliers.

Pilot projects are underway to assess beneficiary acceptance and resistance in the supply chain. Examples include replacing liquid shampoo with a solid bar in hygiene kits and reducing plastic in laundry detergent packaging. Furthermore, new specifications have been developed to enhance the sustainability of specific items. These items include the hygienic parcel (see photo), solar lamps, sleeping mats, and blankets.

If your organization is implementing agricultural projects, you can find some useful information about sustainable staple food crop seed procurement in the humanitarian context. It provides insights on what to buy, what to avoid, effective policies, and good practices. Whenever possible, it is recommended to avoid seed treatment with chemicals and pesticides. However, if this is not possible, the brochure on how to manage treated seeds can help our beneficiaries avoid common mistakes.

WHO research found that 40–70% of medical equipment donated to low and middle-income countries is unusable. That is why at the ICRC, we work on raising awareness among health and procurement teams about behaviors and approaches that can help in minimizing the medical equipment waste.

Watch the video below to learn how is the ICRC approaching this issue.

Joint project between UNHCR/IFRC/ICRC focused on designing an eco-friendly alternative to the current tarpaulin used in humanitarian context globally. Finalizing this research included various phases – research, design improvement, analysis, testing and final recommendations.

To provide a comprehensive overview of the project, we are sharing the outcomes with all of you.

• [Video] Eco-design tarpaulin: main highlights about the research, tests, key findings and benefits of the eco-design tarpaulin
• Executive summary with the main findings and recommendations from the project
• Access here all projects files including the final report and all relevant documents.

ICRC Afghanistan logistics team participated in the Sustainable Supply Chain Challenge organized by the ICRC logistics team, by replacing the plastic packaging of the hygienic kit distributed in prisons with recycled cardboard. This change was made to improve the sustainability of the supply chain. Learn more about the joint packaging initiative: English I French.

WFP, UNHCR, and ICRC collaborated on a three-year project to explore alternatives to polypropylene bags, which are widely used in humanitarian work due to their versatility, durability, strength, and low cost. The SSCA project manager actively supported the initiative throughout its duration. While no perfect solution has been identified, this case study underscores the complexity of evaluating the climate and environmental impacts of packaging materials. It suggests that a universal solution suitable for all humanitarian contexts is unlikely. As with many research and development projects, success is not always measured by finding an immediate solution but by deepening understanding. In this case, the project has provided valuable insights that pave the way for exploring simpler and more sustainable alternatives. Although the polypropylene bag project has concluded, further work is required to translate these findings into practical, scalable solutions. To simplify this information and share the lessons learned from the project, the Joint Initiative for Sustainable Humanitarian Assistance Packaging Waste Management has developed a case study in English and French to have a bigger impact. Further information is available in the project report, review of alternatives to polypropylene and LCA comparison.

Following discussions with key stakeholders about the challenges of replacing virgin plastic with recycled plastic in the supply of Essential Household Items (EHIs), the ICRC issued a technical note on recycled plastic.  The note, initially prepared by the ICRC, was subsequently reviewed, and enhanced through collaboration with all organizations in the Quality, Social, Environment (QSE) Working Group, including IOM, UNHCR, UNICEF, IFRC, and others, to maximize its impact. It advises organizations to ensure that suppliers provide detailed reports on the origin and quality of recycled materials and that these reports are thoroughly verified. This measure aims to prevent suppliers from making false claims about recycled content, a practice that fosters unfair competition and discourages reliable suppliers. Link to the final note can be found here. To further address this issue, ICRC recently updated its QHSE audit form to include recycled plastic content verification, with plans to pilot the updated form in the coming months and the QHSE working Group update their template as well.

 

 ICRC selection process is already aligned with key sustainability principles for our main Essential Household Items (EHI) and Food, which represent our highest-volume and sustainability-risk-prone categories. These commodities have specific and sustainable specifications that are checked upon receipt in our warehouses. Additionally, most of these suppliers undergo Quality, Health, Social, and Environmental (QHSE) assessments. Suppliers flagged as “RED”—those failing to meet one or more of the five mandatory standards in our Supplier Code of Conduct (below) and unwilling to address critical issues—are excluded from the tendering process.

In 2024, further efforts were made to enhance the integration of sustainability considerations into selection for Food and EHI,

Food: A new assessment tool was developed to evaluate suppliers based on sustainability factors such as their international or local status and the origin of raw materials. This tool was piloted in 2024 and will be fully integrated into the food supplier selection table (ST) starting in 2025.

For EHI (Emergency Household Items), suppliers were asked to report whether they used renewable energy and whether at least 30% of their energy consumption came from renewable sources during production. This new criterion was also piloted in 2024 and will be incorporated into all new tenders and frame agreements for EHI beginning in 2025.

During 2024, eight ESG platforms were reviewed to determine whether the adoption of one of these platforms could complement our approach regarding Sustainability Due diligence with suppliers. Currently, the ICRC assesses its most critical suppliers—approximately 150–200 suppliers annually—based on Quality, Health, Social, and Environmental assessments and supports them in implementing Corrective Action Plans (CAPs) to drive improvements. The purpose of integrating an ESG platform is to expand the number of suppliers assessed and ensure alignment with the Supplier Code of Conduct, while encouraging gradual progress in sustainability practices.   It is also expected to provide useful insights on the potential sustainability risks per country and commodity, to support our sourcing and procurement activities.

In many of the countries where we operate, sustainability may not yet be a priority. However, the goal is not to cease working with suppliers who fall short of certain requirements, as we may not have other options, but to provide guidance and support to help them improve over time.

After the comparative review, SEDEX was identified as a potential solution to complement our existing supplier sustainability mechanisms and will be tested with ICRC funding, for financial decision making by end of 2025.