Sustainability
Introduction
Government Property Agency (GPA) are fully responsible for delivering all our estates services to include all elements of sustainability and Net Zero across our estate. Our team partners with their counterparts within the wider GPA teams (property, workplace services, capital projects and sustainability) to ensure we receive the best service possible. We work together to finalise the appropriate level of investment into the CPS estate that ensures we continue to improve on how sustainable our estate is.
This report sets out the Sustainability Performance of the GPA estate occupied by the Law Officer’s Departments (LOD), including CPS, for 2022-23 covering key performance data on estate-based activities such as electricity, gas and water use.
GPA’s vision is to deliver a transformed, shared, sustainable and value for money estate, driving forward the Net Zero programme by delivering projects to reduce carbon emissions and energy usage. The GPA Workplace Design Guide builds sustainability into every stage of the asset lifecycle.
Below is a summary on the key greening government commitment reporting areas with specific updates for the properties that CPS occupies.
| Greening government commitment area (property related) | Updates |
|---|---|
| Mitigating climate change: working towards net zero by 2050 | GPA has a key strategic objective to contribute to the achievement of Net Zero carbon by 2050 including contributing to meeting the Government commitment to a 50% reduction in carbon emissions across the Public Estate by 2032. To support this objective GPA has established a Net Zero Programme for the whole Government Office Portfolio. Projects:
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| Minimising waste and promoting resource efficiency and reducing our water use | Data for LOD (that includes CPS) shows recycling rates at 81% above the GGC target of 70%. Waste has increased by 30% since 2017-18, and 8% of waste is currently sent to landfill. Further details can be found in the data section at the end of this report. Water use continues to be monitored across the sites. |
| Nature recovery – making space for thriving plants and wildlife | GPA are currently developing a Nature and Biodiversity annex to the Design Guide. This annex will include a range of initiatives to enhance biodiversity and nature recovery, particularly in new constructions and when refurbishing outdoor areas. |
| Sustainable construction | GPA have published a Net Zero and Sustainability Annex to our design guide. This sets out the ambitions for both new buildings as well as major refurbishments we undertake for clients. The guide includes consideration of carbon emissions from construction and operation as well as Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) targets. |
| Adapting to climate change | During 2022-23 GPA has completed a preliminary Climate Change Adaptation Risk Assessment. The work has followed the Office for Government Property Framework. This is work in progress and will be continued during 2023-24 to consider what action plans may be needed as part of a wider Climate Change Adaptation Strategy. |
Sustainability performance of estate-based activities
Summary
In 2022-23 the LOD saw an increase in electricity use and water consumption compared to the baseline year, and a decrease in gas use.
The LOD subscribes to a number of targets including the mandatory Greening Government Commitments (GGC) for reducing energy, water, paper, reducing travel and managing waste.
These targets were updated during 2022-23 with a new target period to 2025. In 2022-23, the LOD are yet to meet the GGC targets for greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction.
The greenhouse gas emissions target for overall emissions by 2025 is a reduction of 49% compared to a 2017-18 baseline. 2022-23 performance against this target improved on 2021‐22. LOD have met the target for recycling rates. The targets for reducing overall waste, waste to landfill and reducing water consumption are yet to be met.
Scope
The data below shows the Department’s present position for the financial year 2022-23 against a 2017-18 baseline (unless otherwise stated). Environmental data is for a 12-month reporting period from January 2022 to December 2022 and covers the LOD, including CPS, His Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI), Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Government Legal Department (GLD), and the Attorney General’s Office (AGO). In accordance with annual reporting conventions across other UK Government departments, the Department’s non-financial indicators are compiled using data from the final quarter of the previous reporting year plus the first three quarters of the current reporting year.
2021-22 non-financial indicators have been restated to include actual environmental performance for the 2021-22 financial year.
Governance and data validation
The GPA was responsible for managing the Department’s property portfolio in 2022-23. However, overall responsibility for sustainability remains with the CPS executive teams. Internal data validation checks are carried out by Accenture.
In order to report the greenhouse gas emissions associated with activities, ‘activity’ data such as distance travelled, litres of fuel used, or tonnes of waste disposed has been converted into carbon emissions. The Greenhouse gas conversion factors used in this report can be found in the Government environmental impact reporting requirements for business.5
Summary of performance
Below is a summary of performance against the GGC quantitative targets which largely relate to estate-based activities (the first target also includes scope 3 business travel emissions).
The years between 2017-18 and 2022-23 are not part of the current targets. Performance for these years is covered by the previous GGC targets, further details and results on which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greening-government-commitments-2016-to-2020
GGC headline performance
Table 1: Summary of Greening Government Commitments performance
| Requirement (from the 17/18 baseline unless otherwise stated) | 2017-18 performance | 2018-19 performance | 2019-20 performance | 2020-21 performance | 2021-22 performance | 2022-23 | Achievement against target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reduce overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 49%6 | 4,999 | 2% | 2% | 27% | 22% | 29% | Emissions have decreased compared to the baseline. The target is yet to be met. |
| Reduce direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 25% | 1,124 | 26% | 25% | 26% | 7% | 17% | Emissions have decreased compared to the baseline. The target is yet to be met |
| Reduce the overall amount of waste generated by 15% | 873 | -13% | -51% | -2% | -22% | -30% | Waste has increased. For further information please see waste section |
| Reduce the amount of waste going to landfill to less than 5% of overall waste | 3% | 2% | 0% | 0% | 10% | 8% | Waste to landfill has increased compared to the baseline. For further information please see waste section. |
| Increase the proportion of waste which is recycled to at least 70% of overall waste | 92% | 89% | 92% | 90% | 81% | 81% | The amount of waste recycled remains above the target. |
| Reduce water consumption by at least 8% | 21,239 | 5% | -5% | 9% | -22% | -11% | Water use has increased. For further information please see water section below. |
For the 2021-22 reporting year, the baseline year for the Greening Government Commitments was updated from 2009-10 to 2017-18. As part of the rebasing process disclosures for the 2017-18 baseline year have been subject to review and revision and may differ from previously published data for this year.
Greenhouse gas emissions and financial costs
The Department has decreased its total in-scope gross greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 26% since the 2017-18 baseline year.
Table 2: Greenhouse gas performance 2022-23
| Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-financial indicators (tonnes CO2e) | Total Gross Scope 1 (Direct)* | 1,124 | 837 | 843 | 837 | 1,050 | 934 |
| Scope 2 (Energy indirect) | 3,006 | 3,180 | 3,209 | 2,442 | 2,456 | 2,263 | |
| Total Gross Scope 3 (Official business travel)8 | 869 | 886 | 837 | 384 | 785 | 779 | |
| Total emissions – Scope 1, 2 and 3 | 4,999 | 4,900 | 4,889 | 3,663 | 4,290 | 3,976 | |
| Non-financial indicators (MWh) | Electricity: non-renewable | 3,461 | 8,931 | 10,261 | 1,428 | 2,311 | 2,211 |
| Electricity: renewable | 2,748 |
|
| 6,754 | 6,963 | 7,199 | |
| CHP bought electricity |
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| 2,292 | 2,292 | |
| Gas | 4,721 | 3,103 | 3,484 | 3,455 | 4,641 | 4,022 | |
| Gas oil | 914 | 954 | 778 | 779 | 769 | 769 | |
| Total energy consumption | 11,844 | 12,988 | 14,523 | 12,416 | 16,975 | 16,493 | |
| Financial indicators (£000) | Expenditure on energy9 | 1,088 | 757 | 657 | 469 | 675 | 179 |
| CRC licence expenditure | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | N/A | N/A | |
| Expenditure on official business travel | 4,697 | 5,075 | 6,009 | 813 | 1,766 | 3,433 | |
| Total expenditure on energy and business travel | 5,786 | 5,833 | 6,667 | 1,283 | 2,441 | 3,612 | |
Due to the nature of the CPS’ estate and the data available, from 2017-18 onwards it has not been possible to split out the CPS emissions and consumption from LOD overall.
*Definitions for Scope 1-3 emissions can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/ file/69282/pb13309-ghg-guidance-0909011.pdf
Waste minimisation and management
Table 3: Waste minimisation and management
| Waste | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-financial indicators (tonnes) | Total waste | 873 | 987 | 1,321 | 889 | 1,061 | 1,135 | |
| Hazardous waste | 5 |
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| Non-hazardous waste | Landfill | 23 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 101 | 90 | |
| Reused/ Recycled | 800 | 883 | 1,215 | 798 | 850 | 917 | ||
| Composted |
| 5 | 20 | 15 | 16 | 19 | ||
| ICT waste | Reused |
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|
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| |
| Recycled |
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| 1 |
| 5 | 0.001 | ||
| Incinerated with energy from waste | 45 | 82 | 80 | 74 | 89 | 109 | ||
Previous years’ data for total waste has been restated to reflect the new requirement to include waste sent for incineration.
Waste has increased by 30% since 2017-18, and 8% of waste is currently sent to landfill.
Water consumption
Table 4: Water consumption and costs 2022-23
| Water consumption | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-financial indicators (m3) | Whole estate | 21,239 | 20,253 | 22,363 | 19,276 | 25,843 | 23,571 | |
| Financial indicators (£000)10 | Water Supply and Sewage Costs | 65 | 46 | 58 | 49 | 64 | 4 | |
Due to the nature of the CPS’ estate and the data available, from 2017-18 onwards it has not been possible to split out CPS the consumption from LOD overall.
Since 2017-18, the Department has increased water use by 11%.
Non-estate based items
Table 5: Non-estate based items 2022-23
2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Single Use Plastics (CSUPs) | Number of items | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2,794 | 1,223 | |
| Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs) | % of overall of fleet | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 0 | 0 | |
| Domestic air travel | Emissions (Tonnes CO2eq) | 22 | 7 | 24 | 4 | 30 | 31 | |
| Paper | Reams | 94,310 | 55,776 | 45,979 | 44,872 | 50,059 | 50,967 | |
| Paper | % movement from previous financial year | N/A | -41% | -18% | -2% | +12% | +2% | |
Data of CSUPs and ULEVs was not collated prior to 2021-22; data for CSUPs only comprise of Q1-3 procurement.
Due to the nature of the data available, it is not possible to split out CPS flights from LOD overall flights.
The CPS makes use of a centrally sourced travel contract which provides details of alternatives to travel, and the travel and subsistence manual informs staff that alternative methods of travel should be considered before booking a flight.
| Other sustainability commitments | |
|---|---|
| Sustainable procurement | The CPS Commercial team are embedding Carbon Net Zero provisions in all appropriate tenders (£5m+ annual spend) and are working with our key suppliers to ensure that our social value models are also driving greater sustainability. This includes for example, ensuring that in seeking to dispose of equipment, re-use is considered ahead of recycling, particularly with schools and charities to support community engagement. Commercial Contract Management (CCM) review sustainability performance indicators in all applicable contracts and will be working closely with our most critical suppliers to build upon their existing work in the field of Carbon Net Zero across their own organisations and supply chains. The CPS Commercial function ensures that sustainability clauses are embedded within the CPS’ contracts and meet the Government Buying Standards, both at procurement stage and through effective contract management. Financial stability checks for gold contracts (most critical and strategic) have been introduced to further monitor supply chain sustainability, and the contracts state that suppliers must support Corporate Social Responsibility and ensure sustainability is at the forefront of their purchase of goods and services. The CPS Commercial team has undergone a major re-structure over the last 12 months and continues to evolve to meet the challenges of applying Cabinet Office Policy initiatives across all commercial activity. |
| Social Value | Together with Commercial Contract Management (CCM), this role will target social value at new initiatives including re-use and recycling of equipment, digital inclusion, employment for underrepresented groups and capability development across supply chains in key areas such as anti-slavery and carbon net zero. Under our new structure, the new role of Head of Commercial Policy will monitor the inclusion of social value in tenders and the CCM will track benefits realisation to ensure commitments are delivered. |
| Policy making and rural proofing | The CPS is committed to working with the GPA to mainstream sustainable development in the policy making process. The CPS seeks to ensure that due consideration will be given to impacts often seen as peripheral such as sustainability and rural proofing (where applicable). |
| Reducing environmental impacts from Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Digital | As part of the CPS’ commitment to reducing the environmental impacts from ICT and Digital, we regularly complete the HMG Greening Government ICT Assessment Worksbook for sustainable ICT (known as the STAR report – Sustainable Technology Asset Reporting). We completed this again in 2022-2023 and this was submitted to DEFRA in early May. This report provides the means to demonstrate the progress being made with embedding Sustainable ICT best practices into business operations and the handling of e-waste and avoidance of landfill. It shows compliance with the Technology Code of Practice as well as evidence towards meeting the obligations from the Greening Government Commitments. The CPS has made changes to its ICT circular economy to reduce e-waste, including donating redundant laptops to schools, ensuring devices are either recycled or reused as opposed to being securely wiped and disposed. We work with a supplier called Restore to ensure that ICT devices are reused securely or recycled if there is no way to reuse them. The CPS has also committed to reducing paper usage through the introduction of digital case files for prosecutors and by creating digital jury ‘bundles’ to reduce the need for paper evidence to be used in trials. The use of Microsoft Teams has not only improved the CPS’ digital working capability, but has created an alternative to meeting face-to-face, thereby keeping official business travel to a minimum. In the last 6 months we had 352,899 scheduled Teams meetings, and 1,511,347 Teams phone calls. |
- Government conversion factors for company reporting of greenhouse gas emissions - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- To align with the GGC guidance and allow like for like comparisons with the base year, international travel has been excluded.
- For the 2021-22 reporting year, the baseline year for the Greening Government Commitments was updated from 2009-10 to 2017-18. As part of the rebasing process disclosures for the 2017-18 baseline year have been subject to review and revision and may differ from previously published data for this year.
- To align with the HMT Sustainability Reporting Guidance, international travel was included from 2021-22
- The figure provided by GPA for 2022-23 for expenditure on energy does not include expenditure where it is billed to GPA by the landlord of a property as a single figure as part of a Landlord Service Charge and therefore the figure for 2022-23 is not directly comparable with the prior year figures.
- The figure provided by GPA for 2022-23 for water supply and sewage costs does not include expenditure where this is billed to GPA by the landlord of a property as a single figure as part of a Landlord Service Charge and therefore the figure for 2022-23 is not directly comparable with the prior year figures.