Driving Sustainability: Active Gloucestershire’s Commitment to a Greener Future

At Active Gloucestershire, we recognise that our most significant opportunity to foster sustainability lies within our supply chain. Reflecting this priority, our latest carbon plan emphasised evaluating our most utilised suppliers to ensure they possess robust carbon, sustainability, and environmental policies or plans.

In an effort to embed sustainability within our organisational culture, we have integrated sustainability considerations into every paper presented to our committees and board. This strategic focus ensures that all decisions made at the highest levels of our organisation are aligned with our commitment to environmental stewardship.

Our latest sustainability report, accessible here, details our progress. While the report indicates an increase in carbon emissions last year compared to the previous year, this rise is primarily attributable to international travel.

Committed Actions for Future Sustainability

To further our sustainability goals, we have committed to the following actions:

• Energy-Efficient Office Accommodation: We pledge that any future office spaces we acquire will have an energy performance rating of A, ensuring minimal energy consumption and reduced carbon footprint.

• Green Energy Initiatives: We are exploring the cost-effectiveness of adopting “green” energy sources and assessing their impact on staff, particularly those working remotely.

• Supplier Engagement: We will require all suppliers to provide information regarding their own carbon reduction measures, with a particular focus on printing and software suppliers, to ensure our supply chain aligns with our sustainability values.

• Environmental Strategy Development: We are in the process of creating a comprehensive Environmental Strategy to guide our sustainability efforts and ensure long-term commitment to environmental responsibility.

Completed actions demonstrating our progress

We have already made progress in our sustainability journey by completing the following actions:

• Car Sharing Scheme: We have explored the implementation of a formal car-sharing scheme for staff commuting and travel, reducing individual car usage and associated emissions.

• Travel Policy Review: Our staff travel policy has been reviewed to eliminate incentives for individual car travel, promoting more sustainable commuting options. We have also introduced an incentive for those who cycle to work and to meetings to encourage uptake of cycling. We also have a bike which staff are able to use.

• Performance Review and Improvement Targets: We have established a system to review our environmental performance and set annual improvement targets, ensuring continuous progress in our sustainability efforts.

• Staff Carbon Emission Understanding: We have undertaken measures to understand individual staff carbon emissions, including those related to travel and working from home, enabling us to develop targeted reduction strategies.

• Solar Generation Impact: We have quantified the solar energy generation at our City Works facility and its associated positive environmental impact, demonstrating our commitment to renewable energy.

At Active Gloucestershire, we are committed to becoming sustainable and reducing our emissions. By addressing our supply chain’s environmental impact and embedding sustainability into our strategic decisions, we are paving the way for a greener, more sustainable future.