Environmental operations policy

The Department for International Development (DFID) is the British Government Department responsible for promoting sustainable development and reducing poverty.

DFID is committed to the new “Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate” targets launched in March 2010. This new set of targets replaces previous targets from 2002 and 2006 and continues the ‘step-change’ in the Government’s sustainable development policy on its own estate. With more focus on delivery, it will mean that these targets will catalyse change more effectively.
The Department recognises that its operational activities can have direct and indirect impacts on society, the environment and economy. In order to reduce impacts, we are committed to:

Integrating sustainable development into our operational processes.
Continually improving environmental management and performance of our operational
activities
Putting in place mechanisms to ensure DFID meets the Framework’s Sustainable
Development Targets.
Raising awareness and increasing staff engagement of sustainable development throughout the Department.

We aim to reduce our main environmental impacts through:

Reducing energy and water usage.
Reducing waste reduction and recycling.
Pollution prevention.
Sustainable Procurement.
Reducing the carbon from official travel

In order to achieve these performance improvements across the Estate, we will:

Ensure that we meet, and where possible, exceed the requirements of current and pending legislation, standards and codes of practice and require contractors on our premises to do likewise.
Reduce the impacts of operational activities in line with guidance provided by the Department for Climate Change.
Implement a Communications Strategy and awareness raising programme across the Estate to encourage staff and contractors to incorporate the principles of sustainability and best practices into their operational activities.
Maintain a robust system for monitoring environmental performance at each office and for collating information on performance across the Estate and appraising performance against the Sustainable Operations Targets and other requirements.
Progressively extend monitoring of environmental performance across the Estate including overseas offices, reporting on performance against the Sustainable Operations Targets or more locally applicable targets.
Review and communicate our progress annually.

At our UK offices, DFID will implement the Policy through the EMS modelled upon ISO 14001. We will progressively extend the EMS to our overseas Estate.

All Departmental staff and any contractors working for the Department on its Estate are expected to follow the principles of this Policy and to co-operate with activities which are intended to help DFID achieve its objectives. The Policy will be reviewed at least every three years and revised as necessary.

Last updated: 03 Oct 2011

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