Annex 3: Findings by the SDC in the Sustainable
Development in Government Report 2007
| The Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) is a non-departmental public body (i.e., funded by but acting at arm's length from Government), and functions as the Government's independent watchdog on sustainable development. In 2005 the Government handed over to the SDC the role of compiling and publishing the annual Sustainable Development in Government (SDiG) report, detailing progress made by the Government in meeting its own sustainability targets. The latest report, published in March 2008 and based on data reported by departments from 2006-07, is the sixth in the series of annual SDiG reports, and the third published by the SDC.
Key findings
- Carbon emissions from offices fell by 4% since 1999-00. But this reduction was largely due to the performance of the Ministry of Defence (partly because of the privatisation of QinetiQ); if the MoD is removed, Government emissions from offices went up by 22%. Carbon emissions from vehicles across Government went up by 1.5% since the previous year.
- Energy efficiency per square metre improved by 21.7% against the 1999-00 baseline—higher than the target of a 15% by 2010. However, without the MoD energy efficiency in the rest of Government declined by 3.3%.
- Overall, good progress was made against targets for buying 'green' electricity, increasing recycling, reducing waste, and improving the condition of Government-owned Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Some limited progress was made on reducing water consumption.
- Persistent problems are impairing the consistency with which sustainability initiatives are organised and implemented. For instance:
- information on departmental performance is not always accurate or complete;
- only a quarter of the Government Estate is covered by an Environmental Management System;
- only 12 of 21 Departments said they included clauses on 'Quick Wins' (a set of mandatory minimum environmental standards for the procurement of a variety of goods) in all relevant contracts;
- only 10 of 21 Departments indicated their Permanent Secretaries had their Departmental targets incorporated into their personal performance agreements.
Key recommendations
- Departments now need to take radical actions to ensure targets translate into real progress, particularly on carbon emissions. The Sustainable Procurement and Operations Board (SPOB) must ensure that each department produces evidence-based trajectories, showing exactly how they will meet their SOGE targets. SPOB should define what "carbon neutral" means, and advise departments how they are to meet the Government target of becoming carbon neutral by 2012.
- New targets ought to be introduced on reducing carbon emissions from travel, and more ambitious targets should be considered for waste and recycling. Sustainable procurement targets ought to be accompanied by more detailed guidance and effective enforcement. Senior civil servants, including permanent secretaries, ought to have SOGE targets built into their personal objectives.
- The Government should maintain a central register of all operations on the Government Estate, in order to track any changes owing to departmental reorganisation or privatisation. SOGE targets should be extended consistently to all Government operations, including non-departmental public bodies and non-ministerial departments. Data collection must be improved, and SPOB's new Sustainable Practitioners' Forum should consider how departmental support, advice, and funding available for investment could be managed better.
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Source: Sustainable Development Commission, Sustainable
Development in Government 2007, March 2008, pp 8-12
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