Corporate report

Dstl Sustainability Strategic Direction 2021 to 2026

Published 12 January 2022

Introduction

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) is recognised internationally as a leading science and technology research establishment working in the defence and national security arena, and has a wealth of knowledge and capability that can support a change to more sustainable ways of working.

We recognise our corporate environmental and social responsibilities, and understand that our positive and negative impacts can be felt locally and internationally.

It is important for us all to act responsibly and consider the wider implications of our actions, behave in a sustainable manner and strive to enhance our positive impact on the world.

Climate change is demanding adaptation and resilience. We will have to work smarter with our resources and substantially reduce wastage in all areas of our business.

The global understanding of climate change is moving at pace with its implications being felt the world over. In taking the sustainability challenges of the world seriously, we are moving forward with our sustainability agenda, within our business and in support of the UK Government and the Ministry of Defence’s sustainability ambitions. Dstl’s Sustainability Strategic Direction 2021 to 2026 will support our strategic direction to become an agile organisation that is fit for the future and ensure safe, secure, sustainable and fit-for-purpose infrastructure and IT.

Doug Umbers, Dstl Interim Chief Executive

Sustainability on a Page

Why we are sustainable

• Corporate and moral responsibility
• Sustainable Development Goals
• UK Government’s sustainability ambitions
• Good business sense

What we do

• Protect and manage the environment
• Assure against legal and compliance obligations
• Use resources sustainably
• Advise and support across Dstl and wider Ministry of Defence
• Manage sustainability data

How we deliver

Areas of action:

• Governance, behaviour, culture and engagement
• Net zero carbon estate and resilience
• Natural capital
• Sustainable procurement and improved generation of social value
• Sustainable use of resources
• Science and technology research and capability
• Data and management Information

Why we are sustainable

Corporate and moral responsibility

We have a corporate, social and moral responsibility to manage our impacts on the environment, reducing negative impacts, and expanding and enhancing positive impacts. In working nationally and internationally, it is recognised that environmental impacts can be felt locally and in far reaching communities. It is often the more remote or smaller communities that we may not readily consider in our actions, although they can potentially be vulnerable to the smallest environmental variances.

Sustainable development goals

The 3 pillars of sustainability of social, environmental and economic, along with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals are integral to our sustainability agenda.

Adopted by the United Nations in 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals are a global agenda with a vision of protecting the planet. We focus in on the Sustainable Development Goals where we can make an impactful difference.

The United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals

Supporting the UK Government’s sustainability ambitions

Our sustainability goals support and closely align with the UK Government’s relevant sustainability strategies such as the Net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (NZ50) legal requirement and the Greening Government Commitment Targets. In this context we work with key drivers such as the Ministry of Defence, Defence Infrastructure Organisation and Environment Agency to support their sustainability aspirations.

The UK has a robust environmental legislative and compliance framework in which we work, supporting environmental protection for such areas as air, water, and land along with the species that live within and upon them.

Good business sense

As the global understanding of the nature and implications of climate change along with the speed at which impacts are being felt progresses, our agile business model is ready to react positively to a maturing understanding of the needs of sustainability.

Our core business of science and technology provides opportunities to support and encourage interdisciplinary pioneering research and development on sustainability.

Functioning as a sustainable community provides opportunity of embodying responsible consumption of food, energy and resources into ‘business as usual’. The generation of improved social value provide benefits to local and wider communities, with enhanced well-being providing benefits to staff.

For any organisation, identifying and mitigating against future threats is essential to a successful business. Threats from climate change are essential to be understood to enable action to be taken to reduce their potential consequences or to remove the threat.

Collaborative working is key to success, sustainability offers the opportunity to work and engage with staff, local communities, national and international stakeholders, and organisations to promote and enhance the environment.

Our business benefits from being sustainable by the improved management of the built and rural estates, improved staff recruitment and retention encouraging top level scientists and professional services staff to work for us, improved resource efficiency saving money and reducing use of virgin materials, improved reputation from enhanced sustainable credentials, and being climate resilient from reacting proactively to horizon scanning.

What we do - delivering sustainability

Protect and manage the environment:

• Energy, water and emissions management
• Sustainable development and estate management
• Waste management
• Climate resilience
• Biodiversity and ecology

Assure against legal and compliance obligations:

• Environmental management system
• First and second line assurance

Use resources sustainably:

• Sustainable travel and transport
• Sustainable procurement
• Generate social value

Advise and support across Dstl and wider Ministry of Defence:

• Sustainable engagement and behaviour change
• Climate change research

Manage sustainability data:

• Monitor, target and report

How we will deliver sustainability

Become an agile organisation that is fit for purpose

Understanding our customers

We will closely align with the UK Government’s relevant sustainability strategies. In this context we will work with key drivers such as the Ministry of Defence to support its Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation’s Sustainability Strategy.

Communication will be effective and cohesive drawing on a variety of platforms to ensure inclusion.

Sustainability documentation will be continuously developed to reflect business, global and driver changes.

Collaboration and engagement will be encouraged to understand the evolving needs of our customers.

Responsible delivery

We will set sustainability targets and objectives to support the UK Government’s sustainability aspirations and mandated commitments. Supporting strategies, systems, policies and procedures will be produced, implemented and developed to continuously improve our sustainability performance.

Standards will be raised through championing best practice and harnessing technology.

Appropriate coordinated and consistent governance will be maintained.

Being fit now and for the future

We will continue to develop and maintain capabilities and respond to future requirements. A Sustainability Roadmap to 2050 will be developed to support the UK Government’s NZ50 commitment and the Ministry of Defence’s Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach.

Strategic alignment will be ensured to relevant policy including the Ministry of Defence’s Science and Technology Strategy.

Our culture

We will consider sustainability to be ‘business as usual’ and fundamental to our culture and practices, aligning with our values of innovation, collaboration and impact.

Visible and exemplary sustainable behaviours will be role modelled across our business.

Governance

• Dstl Board
• Executive Management Committee
• Investment Management Committee
• Sustainability Committee

Areas of action

Governance, behaviour, culture and engagement

Strong, agile leadership and governance is necessary to ensure delivery of corporate environmental, social and economic responsibilities. Robust policies and procedures are essential to satisfy legal and compliance obligations. Establishing a culture of sustainability led by senior management along with staff and stakeholder engagement opportunities is key to enhancing positive behaviours. Responsible management reduces negative impacts on the environment, and expands and enhances positive impacts.

We will embed sustainability into our operational procedures, practices and culture. Sustainability and environmental protection will be ‘business as usual’ with our everyday and corporate decisions taking into account the protection and management of the environment.

We will continue to assure against our legal and compliance obligations, promoting best practice in our policies and our actions.

We will take corporate and individual responsibility to behave in a sustainable manner and set an example to others.

A Sustainability Roadmap to 2050 will enable us to support the UK Government’s NZ50 legal obligation and the Ministry of Defence’s Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach.

We will enhance our horizon scanning to understand emerging strategic risks, taking action to mitigate against their potential consequences or remove the threat.

We will work collaboratively with local communities, national and international stakeholders and organisations to promote and improve sustainability.

Sustainable use of resources

There is a moral and environmental responsibility to manage the use of resources in a sustainable manner, ensuring that the needs of future generations can be met, and biodiversity protected and enhanced. It is important to consider where a material comes from and how it is obtained through to how and where it is disposed of, and the environmental impacts of the whole process.

We will embed sustainability into our use of resources to reduce negative impacts on the environment and society, establish a ‘cradle to grave’ approach to consider the harnessing of natural resources through to end of life.

We will work with our supply chain partners to embrace a circular economy approach for materials to be reused, recycled and regenerated to minimise waste, and seek to increase the usefulness and lifespan of materials.

We will sustainably manage and reduce waste, and continue to promote and work to the ‘waste hierarchy’.

We will seek to find technological solutions to reduce our use of resources.

Net zero carbon estate and climate resilience

The importance of being climate resilient will become increasingly significant as we move forward with projected changes to the environment. It is critical to look to the future to anticipate how these changes will impact on us, and identify methods that can be implemented to reduce or mitigate against them. Agility is essential in recognising and taking advantage of new opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that will present themselves as technology progresses; this will provide benefits of reducing our carbon footprint and make business sense in reducing costs and consumption. Calculating whole life costing, including the analysis of embodied carbon, ongoing running costs and emissions, and end of life disposal will enable improved and informed investment management decisions.

We will enable the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through improved management of the estate, seek new and developing technologies to support our ambitions, and ensure all new build and refurbishment projects are built to the highest environmental standards aiming to achieve net zero for the lifecycle of new buildings.

We will seek science based evidence to inform our decisions and robust climate assumptions to assist strategic and capability decisions.

We will continue to reduce pollution by minimising local discharges to air, water and land.

We will develop methods to reuse and recycle water to reduce consumption.

We will establish methods to support the reduction in business travel and, where it remains necessary, for sustainable travel to be the norm.

Science and technology research and capability

Science and technology provides opportunities to support and encourage interdisciplinary research and development on sustainability. The understanding of environmental threats and opportunities can be progressed, and innovative remedies and mitigations found.

We will continue to support the Ministry of Defence and the UK Government in their progression of science and technology sustainability developments and solutions.

We will sustainably manage our laboratories and science programme.

Natural capital

Natural capital is a way of considering natural assets of geology and land, rivers and seas, air and wind, forests and plants, and all living things as a stock from which flow benefits to society. The benefits, also referred to as ecosystem services, can include services such as food, pollination and climate regulation.

Increasing pressures on nature from climate change, biodiversity loss, and deforestation are degrading ecosystems upon which life and economies depend. Not only is this a risk to numerous forms of life, it is also a risk to business continuity with services often being reliant on clean, secure sources of water, air, and natural minerals and metals. It is essential that the value of natural assets is recognised and protected.

We will respect natural capital and enhance biodiversity and its well-being benefits.

We will enhance our land management and provide an understanding of our carbon sequestration opportunities to capture or offset carbon, and optimise improvements to biodiversity.

Sustainable procurement and improved generation of social value

Procuring in a sustainable manner provides substantial opportunities to improve environmental impacts from the supply chain. Purchasing more sustainable and efficient products and services achieves the best long-term overall value for money for society

It is important to consider and measure the value services and products procured have on society and enable the generation of social value to be improved to enhance the lives of others, and reduce inequality and negative environmental impacts. There are many social values to be considered by responsible organisations including examples such as justice, freedom, respect, accountability, dignity, education, fairness, humanity and responsibility.

We will embed sustainability into our procurement processes and improve generation of social value, working in collaboration with our supply chain partners.

Data and management information

Good quality and managed data are essential aspects of being able to accurately manage and monitor a carbon footprint and progress towards achieving targets.

We will improve the quality and quantity of reported data to enable better informed decisions to be made on sustainability projects and processes, and improve information provided to key stakeholders.