The Environmental Policy Statement of the Chancellor of the Exchequers Departments and Agencies
This policy statement sets out our environmental commitments. It has been endorsed by the Economic Secretary and is consistent with our corporate policies.
It is underpinned by the individual Environmental Policy Statements of each Department and Agency, and a wide range of programmes and activities designed to reduce our harmful impact on the environment. Everyone working for the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Departments and Agencies or on our behalf is urged to support this statement.
This policy statement updates and replaces all previous statements. It will be reviewed regularly by the persons listed below and, if necessary, a revised version will be issued to reflect the latest developments. The Chancellor of the Exchequer's Departments and Agencies will communicate this policy and any developments in an appropriate and effective way.
1. Introduction
Organisations of all kinds are, increasingly, determined to achieve and demonstrate sound environmental performance by controlling the impact on the environment of their activities, products and services. They do so in the context of growing environmental awareness, increasingly stringent legislation and other factors promoting environmental protection and best practice.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer's Departments and Agencies are concerned about the environment and recognise that good environmental management must be an integral and fundamental part of our corporate business strategy.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer's Departments and Agencies have committed themselves to introduce the recognised environmental International Standard (ISO14001) into a number of their locations to assess the potential benefits. Following a full appraisal, consideration will be given to extending Environmental Management Systems across the Departments and Agencies.
2. Scope of Policy Statement
This statement applies to all parts of The Chancellor of the Exchequer's Departments and Agencies. It covers all buildings, goods and services used and provided by the Departments and Agencies and everyone working for us. It covers the immediate impacts of our activities and policies.
It excludes:
- indirect impacts of policy, taxation and enforcement that we cannot control or influence;
- our suppliers impacts that we are unable to influence; and
- issues which involve national security.
3. Environmental Commitments
This policy supports the United Kingdom's strategy for sustainable development. It sets out a programme of continuous improvement to reduce the harmful impacts of our operations on the environment and to prevent pollution.
In the course of our operations and within resource constraints, we will improve our environmental performance by:
Resources
3.1 conserving energy, water, wood, paper and other resources, particularly those which are scarce or non renewable, while still providing a safe and comfortable working environment;
3.2 reducing waste through re-use and recycling and by using refurbished and recycled products and materials where such alternatives are economical and suitable;
3.3 ensuring that any products used or derived from wildlife, such as timber and plants, are from sustainable sources, and comply with EU and international trading rules such as CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species);
Pollution
3.4 monitoring relevant discharges and emissions to air, land and water to assess what action is necessary to reduce pollution or the risk of pollution;
3.5 phasing out, where practical, ozone depleting substances and minimising the release of greenhouse gases, volatile organic compounds, vehicle emissions and other substances damaging to health and the environment;
Management - Regulations
3.6 meeting, and in some cases exceeding, all relevant, current and foreseen statutory regulations (including the Environmental Information Regulations), official codes of practice and other requirements that we adopt; specifying contractors do the same when working on our premises; developing and maintaining, emergency procedures for effectively dealing with significant hazards where they exist and limiting the risk to health and the environment;
Management - Communication
3.7 communicating openly with staff and other stakeholders; educating, training and motivating our colleagues, and relevant others, to encourage them to support our environmental programmes and jointly develop new ideas and initiatives;
3.8 responding appropriately to reasonable external requests for environmental information;
Management - Purchasing
3.9 encouraging manufacturers, suppliers and contractors through our contracts and other means to improve or develop environmentally preferable goods and services at competitive prices;
Management - Estates
3.10 ensuring, where practicable, that buildings occupied by us are designed, constructed and operated to optimise their environmental performance;
Management - Environment
3.11 demonstrating that, where relevant, environmental issues are considered when making decisions, planning and developing policy, programmes and projects;
3.12 monitoring progress against the environmental aim and other indicators and producing a regular report for internal and external consumption.
4. You can obtain further information from:
| Department/Agency | Contact | Phone | Fax |
| HM Customs & Excise | John Cole | 0171 865 5069 GTN: 3913 55069 |
0171 865 5042 GTN: 3913 55042 |
| HM Treasury |
Jean Farley | 0171 270 5686 GTN: 270 5686 |
0171 270 4843 GTN: 270 4843 |
| Inland Revenue |
Paul King | 0115 974 0404 GTN: 6206 0404 | 0115 974 0405 GTN: 6206 0405 |
| Office for National Statistics |
Ian Lewis | 01623 813 091 GTN: 1211 3091 |
01633 813 438 GTN: 1211 3438 |
| National Savings | Caroline Donaldson | 0141 636 2229 | 0141 6362110 |
| Royal Mint | Jeff Payne | 01443 623 067 | 01443 623 178 |
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