Greening Aid in Practice: Our Results and Lessons

We know that humanitarian and development work must respond to urgent needs while also respecting and protecting the environment we all depend on. In recent years, we have adopted practical measures to make our work more sustainable. Guided by the “do no harm” principle, we have focused on impactful, feasible actions, and supported our teams globally in implementing them.

Key Results

• Emissions intensity: Between 2023 and 2024, greenhouse gas emissions fell 12% per staff member, 15% per €1m spent, and 19% per person we support.
• Transport: Vehicle fuel efficiency improved by 11%; flight-related emissions per internationally travelling staff dropped by 26%.
• Energy & generators: Generator emissions per staff decreased by 49%; 43% of staff work in offices powered fully or mostly by renewable electricity.
• Waste & water: Three quarters of our offices have phased out single-use plastics, and the same proportion now meets our water-saving standards.
• Environmental screening: More projects are now systematically screened for environmental risks, with mitigation measures integrated into their design.
• Systems: 85% of Country Programmes have active Environmental Focal Points to implement greening measures.
• Knowledge sharing: We hosted greening webinars with 70+ NGOs from 41 countries and shared key guides and tools on Civil Society Now.

Our Approach to Greening Aid

We focus on greening both our operations and our project activities. This dual approach allows us to reduce our footprint while ensuring that our projects minimise harm and, where possible, bring environmental benefits.

Operationally, we prioritised the most impactful measures, such as improving vehicle efficiency, increasing carpooling, switching to renewable energy, and phasing out single-use plastics. Each Country Programme developed an Envi Work Plan that sets out which measures make the most sense in its context, who is responsible, and by when changes should be implemented. These plans are coordinated by Envi Focal Points, who drive the agenda forward.

For our project activities, all newly designed projects are screened for environmental risks using tools such as NEAT+ (Nexus Environmental Assessment Tool), which helps identify potential environmental impacts and integrate risk mitigation measures. Where risks are found, projects are either redesigned or mitigation measures are applied. Examples of mitigation include rehabilitating existing infrastructure, introducing renewable energy, improving waste management, and working with more sustainable suppliers. This ensures that our projects not only avoid environmental harm but also promote greener practices in the communities we support.

Sharing Our Results and Expertise

We prepared our Greening Report to be transparent about our progress—highlighting both what has worked and where challenges remain—and to help others learn from our experience. Beyond this report, we share our greening know-how in different ways: through open webinars attended by NGOs worldwide, by publishing practical guides and tools on our platform Civil Society Now, and by offering training and advice to our local partners. These resources cover topics such as sustainable procurement, energy saving, greener transport, and event organisation. By sharing our results and expertise, we make it easier for others to start or accelerate their own greening journey.

Explore the full Greening Report here—and discover practical tools, results, and lessons you can apply in your own work.