VIII. GREENING
OPERATIONS
Past achievements in green housekeeping, purchasing
and energy efficiency
Q25. What have been the Department's main
achievements in greening its operations since 1990?
Q27. What contribution did the Department
make to the achievement of the Government-wide target of improving
energy efficiency in the Government estate by 15 per cent between
1991 and 1996?
52. The Department's main achievements in
greening its operations are listed at Annex C1. Notable achievements
have been the introduction of publicly available Green Housekeeping
Policy Statements in both former Departments; the accreditation
in former DOE of an ISO 14001 environmental management system
and the establishment of internal targets for waste reduction
and recycling. Both Departments met the Government wide target
for improving energy efficiency by 15 per cent.
Environmental strategy and targets
Q5. Does the Department have an environmental
strategy? Does it address both the Department's policy responsibilities
and its operations? Is it publicly available?
(a) Within the Department who has responsibility
for carrying forward and implementing the Department's environmental
strategy?
(b) What level of resources are dedicated
to this task?
[See Section II—paragraph 19—for
a. and b.]
Q6. Does the strategy show explicitly the
extent to which the Department is bound by or committed to actions
due to international commitment, EC or National law?
Q7. What objectives and targets has the Department
adopted under:
(a) its individual environmental strategy;
(b) to meet Government-wide environmentally-related
targets (in particular in relation to energy efficiency)?
53. The Department has established a model
policy statement and improvement programme as a guide for other
government departments. This will be the basis for DETR's policy.
The programme represents a comprehensive approach to greening
operations, accords with and in parts exceeds UK and EU law, and
will require the Department to act to meet the following targets:
— to reduce energy consumption by 20
per cent over 1990 levels by 31 March 2000;
— to reduce residual waste by 10 per
cent over current levels by March 2000;
— to monitor water use at metered sites,
develop benchmarks and set targets for a reduction in consumption
by 31 March 2000; and
— to purchase recycled paper containing
80 per cent post consumer waste for all non-specialist work.
54. The Deputy Prime Minister will be invited
to sign the policy statement which we will publish, and I will
have responsibility for its implementation and updating. Staff
in a number of divisions across the Department will have roles
to play in taking the work forward.
55. The Programme also includes the work
being undertaken by the Department to meet the Government's commitment
to reduce the impact of travelling on the environment. Pilot Green
Transport Plans are under preparation for three HQ buildings,
with the first results expected by April 1998. It is intended
to put in place Plans for all our headquarters buildings and for
the main buildings of our agencies and NDPBs by March 1999 and
for remaining properties (where the Department is a major occupier
with over 50 staff) by March 2000. Further details of this work
are at Annex C2.
56. Agencies and NDPBs are expected to reflect,
as appropriate, DETR's policies and the improvement programme
for the working environment and for greening operations. But a
balance has to be struck between central direction and devolved
management responsibility to plan and implement operational policy
in a manner which is appropriate to each business unit. To help
ensure that the work is managed and co-ordinated consistently
across the estate, the Department at the centre will:
— establish a new working environment
forum bringing together policy makers and operational managers
to monitor progress and develop further proposal and targets;
— introduce a new annual reporting
system covering all constituent parts of DETR involving local
reporting and planning and with a co-ordinating report produced
centrally for publication;
— establish a communications strategy
to manage and co-ordinate the dissemination of advice and policy
relating to greening operations;
— review the training provided and
guidance issued to staff and practitioners to date and the vehicle
used; and
— produce a model building audit guide
for property managers to facilitate an independent annual check
of building management performance, including activities to meet
environmental objectives.
Q26. Has the Department reflected its environmental
strategy in its specifications for goods and services?
57. Yes. The actions taken by both former
Departments are included at Annex C1 and those on which we are
currently working as DETR are detailed in Annex C3.
Environmental management systems
Q11. In line with the commitment in the UK
Strategy for Sustainable Development (Cm. 2426, p. 199) what conclusions
has the Department come to of the practicality of developing an
environmental management system for their housekeeping activities?
— What consideration has been given
to introducing a certified environmental management system such
as EMAS or ISO 1401?
58. The former DOE established an Environmental
Management System in its Office Services Division (OSD) which
achieved accreditation to ISO 14001 in 1996. Work is now under
way to extend certification to the Working Environment Division,
which succeeded OSD on the merger of the two Departments. DETR
is also chairing an inter-departmental group to develop guidance
to facilitate their introduction elsewhere on the Government estate.
Q12. How frequently does the Department review
and report on its performance in relation to its strategy? Are
such reports publicly available?
59. DETR will continue the initiative begun
in the Department of Transport of producing an annual working
environment report. This will focus on DETR performance in complying
with commitments, legal requirements, approved technical standards
and best sustainable practice in running its operations. The report
will be publicly available and draw together plans and reports
produced locally by the constituent parts of the Department.
60. To review performance, consideration
is being given to addressing environmental issues as part of the
Department's internal audit programme and an audit of procurement
is planned for 1998-99. The Department's own specially trained
auditors will also pursue a programme of audits to review the
environmental management system accredited to ISO 14001 to ensure
that it continues to meet the requirements of the Standard.
Consultation, awareness raising and staff training
Q9. Does the Department have a policy to
raise awareness of its environmental strategy, targets and efforts
to address the environmental impacts of its policies and programmes
internally, amongst its agencies and NDPBs and amongst the public?
Q10. Has the Department sought stakeholders'
views on its strategy and targets?
Q13. What arrangements has the Department
made for the education and training of staff in environmental
issues?
Q15. What arrangements has the Department
made for the education and training of staff in sustainable development
issues?
Q20. Has the Department sought stakeholders'
views on its review of its impacts on the environment and on the
completeness of its environmental effects register?
61. The Department's Board will shortly be
considering a series of proposals for raising staff awareness
and improving environmental training more generally. The aim will
be to build on the awareness achieved from the establishment of
DETR's Greening Government internet site, a list of contents for
which is attached at Annex C4 (http://www.environment.detr.gov.uk/greening/gghome.htm),
and the issue to all staff of policy statements and the production
of ad-hoc articles in both in-house and external publications.
62. The Department has and will continue
to consult stakeholders on the establishment of new policies and
initiatives. As an example, stakeholders contributed to both the
model policy and improvement programme and to the environmental
effects register drawn up as part of the accredited ISO 14001
environmental management system.
63. At official level, the Working Environment
forum will help promote consultation and discussion between policy
makers and practitioners and to inform future advice and proposals.
A "Green Team" of representatives from line divisions
across the Department will also be used to discuss and promote
greening operations within headquarters buildings.
64. A communications strategy is also in
preparation. This is intended to disseminate, both internally
and externally, information about the Department's working environment
operational policies, associated actions and best practice. The
strategy will embrace all media for communicating information
and is expected to be finalised and implemented later this year.
Environmental impacts, liabilities and effects
of operations
Q17. What impacts, beyond those associated
with administrative functions in typical offices, do the Department's
operations have on the environment?
Q18. Has the Department identified environmental
liabilities, such as contamination from past activities, for which
it is responsible?
Q19. Has the Department reviewed the impacts
of its policies and operations on the environment and established
an environmental effects register? Is the register publicly available?
65. Non office-based functions include the
Vehicle Certification Agency (which operates the compulsory European
and national type approval schemes) and the Coastguard and Marine
Safety Agency (responsible for minimising and countering the risk
of pollution from ships). They are governed to a large extent
by DETR's policy on greening operations and guidance.
66. DETR's main environmental liabilities
result from its transport activities, for example primarily as
highway authority for motorways and trunk roads. It is not thought
that they constitute any special categories of environmental liabilities.
However, under the Government's new accounting system, DETR is,
as are other Departments, required to establish registers giving
a true value of its assets and this should help to identify environmental
liabilities. More work needs to be done to assess the position
comprehensively and uniformly across the Department and is being
put in hand. Investigating past environmental liabilities tends
to be triggered by the disposal of land and property; for example,
such a survey was conducted before the Department disposed of
the Transport Research Laboratory at Crowthorne, Berkshire.
67. Accreditation to ISO 14001 required the
Department to produce an environmental effects register to cover
office services in HQ buildings. The register is regularly audited
to ensure continued compliance and accuracy.
March 1998
