COP28: Lithuania shares the knowledge about green procurement and deposit system
On Friday, Environment Minister Simonas Gentvilas participated in a panel discussion at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. During the discussion, representatives from various countries shared best practices on mitigating climate change and engaged in conversations with youth delegates about the challenges we will face in the future.
In a discussion about the most effective government initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Minister Simonas Gentvilas highlighted Lithuania's successful green public procurement. He stated, "In 2021, the Lithuanian Government adopted a resolution on green public procurement. That year, only 5% of public procurement was green, while this year, green procurement accounts for around 90% of all public procurement. Additionally, starting this year, all public procurements must include environmental criteria."
As part of Lithuania's commitment to the Green Deal, the Minister emphasized that public authorities will exclusively purchase environmentally friendly vehicles from 2026. Starting from next autumn, at least half of wood or other organic building materials will be used in the construction of public buildings. Furthermore, all electricity purchased by public authorities is already sourced from renewable energy.
Addressing the topic of recycling and the circular economy, Minister Gentvilas cited Lithuania's deposit system, implemented in 2016, as a notable success. "Beverage producers and importers were obligated to manage the collection and recycling of packaging. This has been a great success, with 185,000 tonnes of beverage containers, approximately 90% of all packaging, collected in a country of less than 3 million inhabitants in just 6 years," explained Gentvilas. He also noted that representatives from 20 countries are interested in adopting Lithuania's successful deposit system.
Regarding climate change effects, the Minister stressed that the young and the elderly are the most vulnerable to heat waves caused by climate change. He emphasized the importance of improving education programs and training professionals capable of managing climate change and working with cutting-edge technologies.
Highlighting Lithuania's significant growth in the life sciences sector, Minister Gentvilas pointed out that the biotechnology sector has grown almost 17% annually over the past decade, with an 87% growth in 2020 alone. This growth is attributed to the active, curious, and intelligent scientists, along with state support and investment in this sector.
The COP28 conference in Dubai is the largest ever, with more than 97,000 people from around the world planning to attend the talks and events.
To demonstrate leadership and set an example for other countries, the EU and its Member States have renewed their commitments under the Paris Agreement ahead of COP28, considering the legislation adopted in the EU's Fit for 55 legislative package. The Paris Agreement aims to limit the global average temperature increase to less than 1.5°C, provide momentum for sustainable, climate-resilient development, and recommend a scaled-up action plan for mitigation and adaptation up to 2030 and beyond.
At the national level, Lithuania is even more ambitious, with the National Climate Change Management Agenda setting targets to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 70% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels and to make Lithuania's economy climate-neutral and circular by 2050. The EU's Fit for 55 package, adopted in June 2023, is expected to help achieve these targets. Lithuania submitted an updated draft National Energy and Climate Action Plan to the European Commission in June 2020.