DG ECHO’s approach to reducing the environmental footprint of humanitarian aid : annexes.
Date: 2020-11-03
Institutions: Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO)
Subjects: ECHO, EU environmental policy, degradation of the environment, environmental impact, humanitarian aid

DG ECHO’s approach
 to reducing  
the environmental footprint  
of humanitarian aid - 
Annexes

Annex  1  –  Measures  for  reducing  the  environmental  impact  of 
humanitarian aid

Just like the range of impacts, actions that can reduce the environmental impact of humanitarian aid and increase 
environmental resilience are wide and varied. The following possible actions are among recommendations made 
in the Environmental Footprint of Humanitarian Assistance - Scoping Review from Groupe URD, commissioned by 
DG ECHO1. A compendium of best practices will be published by the beginning of 2021. Further, more focussed 
training (webinars) based on this compendium will be explored.

General:

•  Requiring environmental impact assessments of projects and programmes (e.g. using the NEAT+ tool)
•  Supporting local producers improve quality of products, including in food production
•  Setting higher standards for waste management during emergencies 
•  Supporting reforestation initiatives in refugee contexts – in and around refugee settlements
•  Linking  up  with  development  actors  plus  local  communities  and  local/regional  authorities  to  improve  the 

sustainability of reforestation initiatives. 

•  Supporting capacity building for sound environmental management (waste management, reforestation and 
afforestation, preventing conflict over natural resources, e.g. water) including during emergencies - preferably 
not as stand-alone activity but as part of preparedness/contingency plans (national/local level). 

1  Brangeon, S., Crowley, F. 2020. Environmental Footprint of Humanitarian Assistance - Scoping Review. Groupe URD. 
Found at: https://www.urd.org/en/publication/report-on-environmental-footprint-of-humanitarian-assistance-for-dg-
echo-2020/. 

 
Food assistance:

•  Systematic provision of energy-efficient cooking solutions in food assistance programmes (particularly for dry 

food that takes a long time to cook)

•  Promotion of locally-purchased food (e.g. local groundnut oil) and sustainably-produced food (e.g. providing 

sustainably-sourced palm oil) 

Livelihoods: 

•  Provision of emergency livelihoods interventions as a buffer to avoid negative coping mechanisms such as 

deforestation for charcoal production that is then sold

Nutrition:

•  Conducting environmental and social assessments of manufacturing standards in factories supplying Ready-

to-Use Therapeutic Feeding (RUTF)

•  Supporting local production and opening factories for RUTF

Shelter and settlements:

•  Promoting sustainable construction materials (e.g. reuse and recycling of materials for shelter construction, 

including debris)

•  Promoting the use of sustainable timber in shelter activities 
•  Distributing plastic sheeting only when necessary and choosing quality plastic sheeting with a longer life span, 

to limit plastic waste 

•  Providing clean/renewable energy and energy efficient solutions in shelter programmes

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene:

•  Provision of clean/renewable energy and energy-efficient solutions in WASH programmes
• 

Increased monitoring of contractors operating on behalf of humanitarian actors, especially in the construction 
of boreholes, water-trucking or de-sludging activities
Increased monitoring of water tables to avoid over-abstraction 

• 
•  Roll-out of eco-sanitation solutions (e.g. tigerworm toilets) where possible
•  Filtering waste water through different concrete chambers containing sand and charcoal

© UNICEF, Anas al-Baba, 2019

Procurement and Logistics:

• 

In order to reduce emissions and pollution due to transport: i. Positioning and/or pre-positioning of stocks/
supplies in areas that are most at risk (based on risk analysis); ii. Pre-identification & pre-contracting of local 
vendors; ii. Resource pooling. 

•  Clearing of stagnant/polluted water and of canals from waste prior to rainy season, particularly in urban areas. 
•  Recycling  of  food  packaging  and  shelter  waste  and/or  reverse  logistics  (‘take-back’  or  ‘return  to  sender’ 

• 

schemes)
Improving quality (durability) of relief items (e.g. mattresses, blankets, plastic sheets, containers for water, 
cooking utensils and hygiene kits) to reduce waste 

•  Supporting suppliers to eliminate plastic packaging of relief items (or at least replacing with recyclable paper 

packaging) 

•  Establishing a waste disposal plan with suppliers at the time of purchase

Health:

•  Using hospital safety assessment tools as an opportunity/entry point for looking at waste management

Cash:

• 

• 

Integrating environmental/energy considerations in market assessments (under cash programmes) in order 
to choose a modality based on anticipated environmental impact (e.g. quality of products in local markets, 
availability of energy-efficient cooking stoves, etc.)
Integrating  an  environment  component  (and  more  specifically  an  energy  one)  in  calculating  the  minimum 
expenditure basket (under cash programmes)

© 2019 European Union

Annex  2  –  Tools  in  support  of  addressing  environmental  concerns  in 
humanitarian operations

Many support tools and reference documents on how to address environmental concerns in humanitarian operations 
are already available. A compendium of support tools with advice on how to use them will be published by the 
beginning of 2021. Further, more focussed training (webinars) based on this compendium will be explored.234 

The NEAT+  – The Nexus Environmental Assessment Tool2 helps humanitarian actors 
to, first, quickly identify issues of environmental concern in the project location, and 
then  identify  environmental  risks  linked  to  the  project  itself  (WASH,  livelihoods  and 
shelter) and suggests mitigation measures. It can be used on Kobo or Excel. This tool 
is  starting  to  be  increasingly  used  by  UN  agencies  and  iNGOs,  and  it  can  be  used 
by non-environmental experts, as it is user-friendly and does not  require additional 
financial resources. Online trainings are available. A version adapted to urban contexts 
is currently under development. 

Environment Marker – this was developed by UNEP and adapted by OCHA in 2014 
in  an  attempt  to  integrate  key  environmental  considerations  into  the  project  design 
for consolidated humanitarian appeals. Through simple codes, the Environment Marker 
tracks  a  project’s  expected  impact  on  the  environment,  and  whether  recommended 
actions have been undertaken. It can be regarded as an additional tool in ensuring that 
any negative impact, by a humanitarian project, on the local environment is reduced as 
much as possible. However, it is a tool that has been used mainly to provide guidance 
for donors and implementing partners. It has not been used across the board, but acts 
more as a reference to which people can refer to.

UNHCR has also produced a range of technical guidelines on different environmental 
issues related to camp management3.

Environmental  Guidelines  –  developed  by  DFID  in  2003,  and  principally  aimed  at 
development actions the Environmental Guidelines demonstrate a positive move by a 
donor to take into account the environment in the screening of the projects it funds. The 
guidelines provide all DFID staff, particularly project officers, with sufficient advice and 
guidance to enable them to undertake environmental screening. 

Environment and Humanitarian Action (EHA) Connect4 – an online library of tools, 
guidelines, research papers, articles etc. linking the environment and the humanitarian 
sectors.

2  https://www.eecentre.org/resources/neat/
3  https://emergency.unhcr.org/entry/40032/energy-and-environment-camps
  https://www.unhcr.org/sustainable-environmental-management.html
4  https://ehaconnect.org

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