In humanitarian operations, the ‘do no harm’ principle—which emphasizes the need to avoid unintentionally harming local economies or exacerbating vulnerabilities—now extends to environmental sustainability. As a result, bio-based and biodegradable materials are becoming an essential consideration in humanitarian procurement. However, while this market is expanding rapidly, integrating these materials into field hospitals remains challenging, as medical products must meet strict regulations, maintain functionality, and remain cost-effective.
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How can humanitarian organisations procure biodegradable and bio-based materials while managing these operational challenges?
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To address these issues, Supply Market Intelligence (SMI) plays a key role by defining, gathering and disseminating market data to support procurement decisions. By applying the Kraljic matrix, WORM has classified its five priority product groups according to their strategic importance and supply risk, helping humanitarian organizations determine the level of information required to optimize sustainable procurement.
Bio-based and biodegradable materials present viable alternatives to conventional medical plastics, yet their adoption is hindered by:
- Technic challenges, e.g., despite efforts to recycle polypropylene syringes, rubber granules and ink residues make large-scale recycling difficult
- Economic challenges, e.g,. high costs, particularly for syringes, needles, PPE, and body bags
- Regulatory challenges, e.g. humanitarian operations are often based in the Global North, where the regulations they must follow differ from those in the regions where their operations take place
To facilitate SMI, WORM has developed a catalogue tailored to the WORM project’s needs by capturing and sharing information to benefit both the humanitarian and healthcare sectors. The WORM catalogue is designed to remain active beyond the project’s duration, ensuring long-term access to collected data and facilitating the improvement of market accessibility by connecting supply and demand for sustainable alternatives.
Thus, this platform:
- Enables buyers to assess supplier responses based on key criteria like sustainability, cost, lead time and quality – as well as offering them visibility into the product’s specifications, enabling buyers to evaluate whether a product meets their needs.
- Enables buyers to evaluate whether a product meets their needs by offering visibility into the product’s specifications.
- Allows buyers to discover shared solutions already being used by other organisations making their decision-making process easier.
- Encourages buyers to request products that might not even be available in the catalogue by launching a market assessment to identify suppliers and manufacturers globally. Suppliers can then respond.
- Encourages suppliers and manufacturers to share solutions that match the specified criteria and to showcase their bio-based and biodegradable solutions.
Through this initiative, the WORM project enhances collaboration between humanitarian organizations and suppliers, making sustainable procurement more accessible. By identifying bio-based and biodegradable alternatives and addressing key barriers to adoption, WORM supports a shift toward environmentally solutions while considering the sector’s operational, financial, and regulatory constraints.