Sustainable operations on the Government estate

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This section of the website provides information on how the Government intends to manage its estate sustainably. Amongst other things the pages contain the targets for sustainable operations on the Government estate - set by the Prime Minister in 2006. Follow the links below for more information:

• What do we mean by 'Sustainable Operations'?
• What makes a sustainably managed estate?
• Why is it important?
• The targets
• Carbon neutrality
• Targets to reduce carbon emissions
• UK Sustainable Procurement Action Plan
• Further information

Other pages in this section of the website:

• Target coverage
• Background
• Measuring departmental performance
• Case studies

What do we mean by 'Sustainable Operations'?

All Government Departments have a significant contribution to make to sustainable development, not just through their policies and services, but also through all the support activities that go on every day. Decisions about energy, water and waste management, and the goods and services Departments buy, all say a great deal about the Government's commitment to sustainable development.

The new, outcome-focused targets were agreed by central Government Departments and will apply to all central Government Departments, executive agencies, and to Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) on a case-by-case basis. They will come into effect for the reporting year April 2006 – March 2007.

The targets set a common agenda for central Government on a number of priority areas for action. They will drive a significant step-change improvement in the way that Government manages its land and buildings sustainably. 

What makes a sustainably managed estate?

A sustainably managed estate is one that has:

• Modern, resource efficient, low energy usage buildings;
• well conserved and managed land;
• efficient use of space and ways of working; and
• the principles of sustainable development embedded into working practices.

Why is it important?

We believe it is important for Government to lead by example - we cannot achieve our wider sustainable development goals as a country if central Government is not prepared to lead the way.

More specifically sustainable operations are wholly consistent with good value for money and efficiency, and are part of building a modern and resource efficient public sector.We are committed to transforming and delivering a 'step change' improvement in the way that we manage our business sustainably.

The targets themselves

In June 2006, the Prime Minister launched new targets for sustainable operations on the Government estate, alongside the Sustainable Procurement Action Plan.
 
These new targets replace those in the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate (originally published between 2002 and 2004). View the new targets. The previous targets can be viewed here (PDF, 87K).

Carbon neutrality

An important new target is for the Government office estate to go carbon neutral by 2012.

For an organisation to be carbon neutral it must have zero net carbon dioxide emissions. This is achieved through a combination of reducing carbon emissions, using renewable energy and offsetting the remaining balance of emissions.  Those emissions that cannot be eliminated could be offset either through carbon reduction projects overseas or by paying into a fund to reinvest in energy efficiency on the Government estate. 

While carbon offsetting should not be seen as the ultimate solution for Governmental carbon emissions, it does provide an effective way for Government to mitigate the effects of the remaining emissions from essential business practices. Furthermore, it aims to drive the procurement of sustainable services, products and buildings and show how the Government can lead by example.  A simple offsetting scheme will need to be developed.

Targets to reduce Carbon emissions

The Prime Minister also announced that the Government intends to reduce carbon emissions from its office based estate by 30% by 2020.

At the launch of the new operations targets, Secretary of State for the Environment David Miliband said that the Government would “put the UK on a more sustainable path”, by improving the way it buys goods and runs its offices. It would aim to be a leader in sustainable procurement in the EU by 2009.

At the launch of the targets the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, said:

“We are taking an important step today when it comes to greening Government, by committing to make by 2012 the Government office estate carbon neutral and committing to reduce Government’s total emissions from buildings by 30%.”

The Government has also set new sustainability targets by 2020 for its own estate in other areas, including:

• To recycle 75% of waste;
• to reduce the waste generated by 25%;
• to reduce water consumption by 25%;
• to increase energy efficiency by 30% per square metre

UK Sustainable Procurement Action Plan

On 5 March 2007, the UK Government presented a package of actions to deliver the step change needed to ensure that supply chains and public services will be increasingly low carbon, low waste and water efficient, respect biodiversity and deliver wider sustainable development goals.

The UK Government Sustainable Procurement Action Plan will be crucial to achieving the Government's operations targets, which will deliver around 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide savings by 2020.

Further information

For further information contact the Defra Sustainable Development in Government team. Their contact details can be found on the contact us page.

Useful Links

Green guide for buyers
Timber Procurement Guidance