About the project
Together with hulo, the Climate Action Accelerator piloted an approach to greener humanitarian supply chains that pairs research with practical field application. The project mapped the environmental and human health hotspots of 25 products commonly sourced locally by humanitarian actors, then worked with local suppliers to identify lower-impact alternatives. The project was made possible with support from the French Crisis and Support Centre (CDCS).
Project overview
Purchases of goods and services account for 40 to 60% of the carbon footprint of aid sector organisations, a significant share of which is sourced locally. Yet decarbonising local supply chains remains one of the most complex challenges in the sector: unstable contexts, field teams’ lack of time and expertise, and a perceived lack of maturity among local suppliers on these issues.
In response, hulo and the Accelerator carried out a pilot project in Lebanon to identify opportunities for lower-impact local procurement. In practice, the project allowed to:
- Identify and prioritise the most frequently purchased and most impactful goods and services in the field;
- Assess the environmental impact of five products through a simplified analysis;
- Meet local suppliers to understand their practices, barriers and capacities, and identify sustainable alternatives;
- Revise the technical specifications of ten products to incorporate sustainability requirements;
- Compare costs between conventional and sustainable options using a total cost of ownership approach.
Key findings
Sustainable and/or local alternatives are available, even in a conflict setting
At least one sustainable or locally produced alternative was identified for 20 of the 25 items assessed, including all 10 priority items. The main challenge is therefore not a lack of solutions, but limited awareness and knowledge of the local market, which stronger supplier engagement can address.
Sustainable alternatives are, in several cases, cheaper than the standard option, particularly when considering the total cost of ownership (TCO)
TCO includes not only the purchase price but also the costs incurred over the product’s lifetime, such as operation, maintenance, and disposal. Less expensive sustainable alternatives were found for textile-based items, reusable hygiene products, sheep-wool blankets, refurbished computers and printers, and some soaps. Some alternatives were available at an equivalent price, while others were more expensive.
Existing environmental knowledge and TCO tools can effectively guide procurement decisions
The project confirmed that environmental hotspots remain largely the same within each product category, regardless of whether a product is sourced locally or regionally. Generic impact assessments, such as the one currently being developed by the Accelerator, can therefore reduce the need for costly product-specific assessments. TCO analyses should be used more widely to account for costs beyond the initial purchase price. Phase 2 of the project will develop a standardised TCO tool for the sector.
Interest in sustainable procurement in Lebanon remains strong, including in times of crisis
Despite the war and a deteriorating regional context, humanitarian organisations and suppliers engaged actively in the pilot: 60 completed supplier questionnaires (a 26.5% response rate), 23 supplier visits, and 2 workshops confirmed the interest of local actors and a dynamic ecosystem of suppliers that work on more sustainable alternatives.
Local suppliers can be supported to meet humanitarian needs
Some currently have limited capacity, but adapted procurement approaches, such as smaller-scale tenders, phased purchasing, framework agreements and appropriate lotting, can help them access humanitarian markets and scale up their production. Humanitarian organisations have an active role to play to support local producers to grow their business with more sustainable products by actively asking for these alternatives.
Further work is needed to scale up sustainable procurement
In particular by strengthening and qualifying local suppliers, improving knowledge of available local alternatives, adapting programme design, tenders and technical specifications, developing cost-comparison tools such as TCO, and creating an enabling environment for sustainable businesses.
Timeline
November 2025 to December 2026
Next steps
Building on this pilot, the project team is planning to move from recommendations to implementation, turning knowledge into lasting change in procurement practices. In Lebanon, the team is planning to track the uptake of the pilot’s recommendations, validate sustainable suppliers and solutions available on the local market, and strengthen the economic case for these alternatives.
Beyond humanitarian organisations and suppliers, the project team is also planning to further engage the wider humanitarian ecosystem to embed sustainability early in project design, budgeting and technical specifications.
Resources
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Project report
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Methodology
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Overview of identified alternatives
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Webinars
Operational factsheets
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Blanket
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Bucket
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Car rental
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Food parcels
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Laptop
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Latrine
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Printer
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Soap
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T-shirt
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Training
Project team and contact
Philine Moucheront, hulo, philine.moucheront@hulo.coop
Sonja Schmid, Climate Action Accelerator, sonja.schmid@climateactionaccelerator.org
Credits
Cover photo : Ahmed Akacha/Pexels
Featured
Webinar – Is it possible to procure both locally and sustainably in the humanitarian sector?
Life cycle assessments (LCAs)
