Greening Government Commitments 2016 to 2020
Updated 5 July 2018
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We will continue to reduce the government’s environmental impact, building on the progress we have made since 2010. By 2020 (that is, by the end of financial year 2019 to 2020), the government will:
1. Reduce our emissions:
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 43% from a 2009 to 2010 baseline (in line with individual departmental targets).
1a. Reduce the number of domestic business flights by at least 30% from the 2009 to 2010 baseline.
(This excludes front line military flights; departments which are already exceeding a 30% reduction will be expected to set their own internal targets for further reductions.)
2. Improve our waste management:
Reduce the amount of waste going to landfill to less than 10%;
Also continue to improve our waste management by reducing the overall amount of waste generated and increasing the proportion which is recycled.
2a. Reduce government’s paper use by at least 50% from a 2009 to 2010 baseline
3. Reduce our water use:
Continue to further reduce water consumption. Each department will continue to improve on the reductions they had made by 2014 to 2015.
Departments will set internal targets and continue to report on office water use (m3 per Full Time Equivalent (FTE)).
In addition to the above targets, the government commits to:
4. Buying ‘greener’ products and services
Continue to buy more sustainable and efficient products and services with the aim of achieving the best long-term, overall value for money for society.
Departments will report on the systems they have in place and the action taken to buy sustainably, including to:
- embed compliance with the Government Buying Standards in departmental and centralised procurement contracts, within the context of government’s overarching priorities of value for money and streamlining procurement processes
- understand and reduce supply chain impacts and risks
This reporting should set out achievements and cover departments’ use of the Prioritisation Tool to help them identify and address their most important areas and the Flexible Framework tool which enables them to measure and monitor their progress on sustainable procurement over time (or other equivalent tools).
5. Being open and transparent
Departments will be open and transparent by reporting publicly on the steps they are taking to address the following areas:
- climate change adaptation
- biodiversity and the natural environment
- procurement of food and catering services
- sustainable construction
- any other issues that departments consider to be most significant to reducing the environmental impact of their activities
Departments will also work towards being able to report on the above targets for greenhouse gases, waste and water for their office estates per FTE. This will better illustrate efficiency and enable more meaningful comparison both over time and between departments. This will be piloted by departments in 2016 to 2017, prior to a decision on fully incorporating into annual reporting in subsequent years.
The scope of the key outcomes for 2019 to 2020 includes office and non-office estate and other operational activities in government departments, their Executive Agencies, executive Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) and Non-Ministerial Departments (NMDs) in the UK as per the scope of the 2010 to 2015 Greening Government Commitments, taking into account the machinery of government changes in July 2016.
They do not apply to the estates and operations of the Devolved Administrations, their Executive Agencies and related bodies.
All organisations which reported under the Greening Government Commitments for 2014 to 2015 of the previous administration are within scope for reporting against the key outcomes, as are new Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) unless specifically exempted.
Annex A – Greenhouse gas reduction table
This table shows the individual departmental targets which make up the overall government target.
| Department | 2009/10 baseline GHG emissions (tonnes CO2e) | Original 2020 target | % reduction in 2016/17 | New 2020 target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEIS | 63,539 [footnote 1] | 40% | 51% | 66% |
| CO | 11,628 | 30% | 52% | 60% |
| DCMS | 1,352 | 57% | 55% | 63% |
| Defra | 119,398 | 38% | 37% | 44% |
| DfE | 26,534 | 45% | 48% | 56% |
| DfID | 4,309 | 50% | 44% | 50% |
| DfT | 190,277 | 36% | 34% | 44% |
| DHSC | 56,774 | 37% | 46% | 46% |
| DWP | 217,904 | 47% | 45% | 51% |
| FCO | 19,234 | 46% | 39% | 49% |
| FSA | 2,052 | 39% | 67% | 71% |
| HMRC | 190,857 | 45% | 48% | 54% |
| HM Treasury | 4,216 | 66% | 62% | 69% |
| Home Office - Overall | 79,720 | 34% | 35% | 41% |
| LOD | 16,063 | 47% | 58% | 60% |
| MHCLG | 23,482 | 60% | 63% | 68% |
| MOD | 1,432,006 | 30% | 27% | 39.9% |
| MOJ | 561,576 | 22% | 28% | 38% |
| NCA | 18,884 | 3% | 12% | 25% |
| ONS | 9,952 | 50% | 48% | 50% |
| UKEF | 486 | 20% | 45% | 51% |
| Total | 3,053,345 | 32% | 33% | 43% |
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BEIS was established in 2016 and the first reporting year for the department will be 2017/18. The BEIS numbers reflect the merger of BIS and DECC. ↩