World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

www.wipo.int
HQ: Geneva, Switzerland
Focal Point: Agnès Lostis
Email: [email protected]

Internal Sustainability Team: WIPO’s sustainability team is comprised of 2 people corresponding to a 1.50 Full Time Equivalent (FTE).   

The entity may not report waste data for all its personnel. Please refer to the entity's personnel chart below for more information.
All entity personnel are included in the entity's greenhouse gas emission inventory.

DIRECTOR GENERAL'S MESSAGE 

“Climate change continues to be one of our most pressing challenges.  Every day, the world learns more about the urgent need to do things differently if we are to move towards a green, sustainable future.  Efforts are required on all levels: as individuals, as organizations and on a systemic level.  As a member of United Nations family, it is our responsibility to “live the goals” by demonstrating the principles that frame the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.  This includes better resource management to reduce our organizational carbon footprint, replacing polluting technologies on the WIPO campus with those that are “green”, and favoring organizational policies that encourage staff to adopt a low-carbon approach both at work and at home.”
“At WIPO, we are making practical and actionable contributions to the myriad of environmental challenges facing the world today.  The intellectual property system is a powerful enabler of innovation.  That innovation must be used if it is to lead to better environmental outcomes.  That is why WIPO developed WIPO GREEN, an online platform for green technology exchange that supports global efforts to address climate change by connecting providers and seekers of environmentally friendly technologies. Organizations seeking eco-friendly technology solutions can use the WIPO GREEN database to publicize their needs and find a match.”

Daren Tang, Director General, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

MISSION

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the global forum for intellectual property policy, services, information and cooperation. A specialized agency of the United Nations, WIPO assists its 193 member states in developing a balanced international IP legal framework to meet society's evolving needs. It provides business services for obtaining IP rights in multiple countries and resolving disputes. It delivers capacity-building programs to help developing countries benefit from using IP. And it provides free access to unique knowledge banks of IP information.

FIELD OFFICES 

The Headquarters is located in Geneva. WIPO does not have any field offices, however WIPO has seven External Offices in the following locations

  • Algeria
  • Brazil
  • China
  • Japan
  • Nigeria
  • Russian Federation
  • Singapore

Details can be found on the WIPO Website at: https://www.wipo.int/about-wipo/en/offices/

As well as a liaison office with the UNHQ:

  • New York

Details can be found on the WIPO Website at: https://www.wipo.int/about-wipo/en/new_york/ 

ALIGNMENT WITH THE STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT IN THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM, 2020–2030

WIPO’s Carbon Neutrality Project was launched in February 2009, along with the first annual Greenhouse Gas Inventory. WIPO has been 100 percent climate neutral since 2014. 

In addition to the reduction of GHG emissions and climate neutrality, WIPO aligns with the United Nation’s 2020-2030 Strategy for Sustainability Management and is gradually expanding its environmental sustainability management to other environmental impact areas such as waste, water, air pollution and biodiversity. 

In December 2022, WIPO issued a High-Level Policy on Environmental Responsibility. The policy defines the organization’s environmental commitments and includes objectives and principles, as well as the framework of implementation to underpin progress and results at all levels. WIPO is implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS) to achieve its environmental sustainability goals, aligning with the Strategy for Sustainability Management in the United Nations and the requirements of the international standard ISO14001.  

EMISSIONS REDUCTION

Overall, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions has decreased since the launch of the inventory in 2014. 

Several actions contributed to this downward trend: 

  • WIPO travel policy changed to include measures such as train travel when possible, limiting the attendance of staff in national and international meetings, limiting staff travel on business class to trips over 9 hours (third party travellers must travel in economy class) 

  • The progressive implementation of an innovative cooling system using Geneva Lake Water (GLN) for renewable energy in all buildings at WIPO Headquarters from 2013 to 2015 

  • WIPO Headquarters powered by 100% certified renewable energy since 2015 

  • Several initiatives to reduce building energy consumption (i.e. LED lighting fixtures and lighting sensors implemented progressively across the older buildings, optimization of the lighting system to be activated only when necessary) 

  • Major renovation of the facades of one of the large buildings on the WIPO Campus and modernization of its cooling system (2018-2019) 

  • Staff environmental awareness initiatives 

Up until 2019, WIPO greenhouse gas emissions were about 75% from air travel, 24% from facilities operations, and 1% from land transportation. 

In both 2020 and 2021, WIPO saw drastic reductions in GHG emissions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, due primarily to the decrease in air travel (83% and 87% GHG reductions in 2020 and 2021 respectively). 

Although WIPO GHG emissions in 2022 were lower than the pre-pandemic levels of 2019 (decrease of 55%), they increased slightly as compared to 2020 and 2021 due to the gradual resumption of travel. The Travel GHG emissions however remained much lower than 2019 thanks to the increased implementation of remote or hybrid meetings (both on-site and remote meetings). 

EMS AND REDUCTION EFFORTS 

As of 2023, WIPO is in the early stages of implementing an EMS covering all WIPO activities and plans to have it in place by the end of 2025. 

For the 2022 reporting year, WIPOS's progress on the EMS is rated as: Does not meet.

ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL SAFEGUARDS AND STANDARDS IN POLICIES, PROJECTS AND PROGRAMMES

For the 2022 reporting year, WIPO’s status of implementing environmental and social safeguards and standards in their policies, projects and programmes is: No, but in progress.

ENVIRONMENTAL TRAINING FOR PERSONNEL

WIPO will be progressively implementing mandatory environmental staff training as part of the EMS. 

For the 2022 reporting year, WIPO's status on providing training on environmental sustainability is: No.

ENVIRONMENTAL INVENTORY APPROACH

WIPO reports on GHG emissions from Facilities & Travel for all personnel within the defined boundaries. This includes emissions generated by its Headquarters and non-Geneva offices’ facilities operations, as well as travel financed for both staff (including home leave) and third parties. Travel specifically includes all flights, as well as train, taxi and car journeys by WIPO vehicles. 

In addition, since the 2021 reporting year, WIPO has also estimated and offset the GHG emissions related to staff commuting and meals produced in the WIPO cafeteria (723 tons CO2eq).  

OFFSETTING

WIPO has been 100 percent climate neutral since 2014 through carbon offsets (CERs) purchased in 2015 through the UNFCCC framework to offset its unavoidable expected emissions for the period 2014 to 2020.

Thanks to efforts made to reduce GHG emissions during this period, WIPO had reserves of CERs that enabled it to start the transition to the next period and has signed end of 2021 a new agreement with UNFCCC to purchase additional CERs to commit to climate neutrality until at least 2026.

As of the 2021 reporting year, in addition to travel and facilities operations, WIPO has also offset staff commuting and cafeteria meals in order to increase the scope of the Organization’s climate neutrality. These will continue to be offset in the coming years.

WASTE MANAGEMENT 

WIPO has worked to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills through a combination of source reduction, reuse and recycling. 

For example, WIPO has had a partnership since 2019 with the cafeteria caterer wherein employees can make use of eco-friendly reusable take-away containers to reduce consumption of disposable containers. 

Paper and e-waste in the offices, as well as plastic, metal and glass in the cafeteria, are sorted to be reused or recycled.  

Due to the city of Geneva’s waste management policy, other unsorted waste from WIPO Headquarters is mainly recovered to produce electricity and heat as part of Geneva’s heating network.  

WIPO is currently in the process of performing a waste management study in order to improve and increase the sorting of waste throughout its HQ in Geneva. This will be gradually implemented beginning in 2024.  

WATER AND WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT

Water consumption is monitored similar to other energy consumption on a monthly basis. 

20% of drinking water fountains are connected to the main water supply, resulting in 24,000 L of bottled water avoided each year. 

Between 2014 and 2019, WIPO reduced its headquarters’ annual tap water consumption by 42%. This was achieved through the modernisation of the data centre cooling system, the renovation of some water pipes, the optimization of the outside irrigation system, and monthly monitoring of water consumption for leakage detection and repairs. 

In both 2020 and 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the consumption of tap water at WIPO Headquarters decreased by more than 40% in both 2020 and 2021 as compared with 2019. 

In 2022, water consumption increased as compared to the two previous years, however it was overall still below 2019 levels (-26%) due to teleworking and the reduced on-site presence of staff. 

OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL MEASURES

WIPO encourages soft mobility for employee commuting through several recurrent incentives:

  • Biannually since 2013, WIPO provides a bike repair stand for employees’ personal bicycles. More than 100 bikes are checked and repaired each year
  • Over 100 spaces to park bicycles are available on WIPO Campus in Geneva since 2018

NEXT STEPS

WIPO is implementing an Environmental Management System, which will be in place by the end of 2025.  

ADDITIONAL LINKS

    Environmental Responsibility at WIPO (High Level Policy on Environmental Responsibility 2022)

    Environmental Responsibility on the WIPO Campus (2014-2018 Brochure)

    The Impact of Innovation: WIPO and the Sustainable Development Goals

    WIPO GREEN – The Marketplace for Sustainable Technology 

    WIPO-World Intellectual Property Organization | 2050Today