Our energy use
Please note: the Treasury Solicitor’s Department became the Government Legal Department on 1 April 2015.
How well we meet the greening government commitment targets
Our sustainability performance is described in full in Annex 2 of our annual report. The report measures the department’s performance against the greening government commitments (GGCs) which run to 2015 with a 2009 to 2010 baseline wherever possible.
Greenhouse gas emissions
We have achieved a 23% reduction in total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (GGC target was 25%). To make our London headquarters and Croydon data centre more energy efficient we have:
- sub-let 3 floors of our London building
- installed energy-efficient printers with enhanced sleep functions
- installed a more eco-friendly dishwasher in our café
- made closer working arrangements with contractors and landlord over initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint
- asked our landlord to take a more proactive approach to sustainability in their building
We have reduced the number of domestic flights taken by TSol staff by 52% from the 2010-11 baseline (GGC target was 20%).
Waste, paper use and water consumption
The GGC targets on waste are that by 2015 the government will reduce waste generated by 25% from a 2009 to 2010 baseline. Our total waste has already reduced by 23%, but we continue to work with our service providers to reduce the total further by 2015.
The GGC targets on paper use are that by 2015 the government will achieve a 10% cut in paper use in 2011-12. The department achieved a 23% reduction against the baseline.
The GGC targets on water consumption are that by 2015 the government will reduce water consumption, with reports on water use against best practice benchmarks (ie 4m3 per FTE). Our water consumption has reduced by 15% from the baseline.
Sustainable procurement
The GGC targets are to procure sustainable and efficient products while reducing the impact of the supply chain.
TSol works within the Government Procurement Unit’s sustainability policy. This year we have increased our use of frameworks and centrally managed contracts where suppliers have agreed to abide by the sustainability policy.