ANNEX A
CUSTOMS AND EXCISE AIMS OBJECTIVES AND TARGETS
The Department continually aims to improve its
environmental performance within resource constraints by:
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;
reducing waste through re-use and recycling and
by using refurbished and recycled products and materials where
such alternatives are available;
monitoring discharges and emissions to air, land
and water to assess what action is necessary to reduce pollution
or the risk of pollution;
phasing out ozone depleting substances and minimising
the release of greenhouse gases, volatile organic compounds, vehicle
emissions and other substances damaging to health and the environment;
encouraging manufacturers, suppliers and contractors
through tighter specifications to develop environmentally preferable
goods and services at competitive prices;
working with contractors to improve environmental
performance where this is relevant to the contract and to the
achievement of value for money;
meeting all relevant current and foreseen statutory
regulations and official codes of practice and specifying contractors
do the same when working on Department premises;
developing and maintaining, where significant
hazards exist, emergency procedures for effectively dealing with
them and limiting the risk to health and the environment;
ensuring, where practicable, that buildings occupied
by the Department are designed, constructed and operated to improve
their environmental performance;
educating, training and motivating staff and
contractors to work in an environmentally responsible manner and
to play a full part in developing new ideas and initiatives;
communicating openly with staff about environmental
policies and best practice (including best available scientific
advice) and co-operating with others in the public and private
sectors to develop and promote environmentally sound practices;
developing a Departmental System (EMS) that delivers
these aims.
OBJECTIVES
The Department will preserve natural resources
and reduce pollution by striving to achieve the following objectives
within resource constraints.
Conserving Resources
ENERGY
— to reduce annual energy emissions
of CO2 on the Department's estate by 20 per cent. below
1990 levels by 31 March 2000 by:
extending the M&T system to monitor
all fuel consumption and meter readings and publicising target
benchmarks by 31 March 1998 for each site;
promoting best practice, and trialing and
choosing energy efficient equipment which achieves value for money;
and
introducing new techniques and technologies
for using energy more efficiently without loss to productivity
or comfort.
WASTE
— to increase the volume of collected
mixed paper against building benchmarks and comparing to other
waste streams where information is made available; and
all waste is dealt with in accordance with
legal requirements and best practice;
training of key staff adequately covers
legal requirements and best practice; and
staff are encouraged to practice the 3
"Rs", i.e., reduce, re-use and recycle.
WATER
— to monitor water consumption across
the estate by monthly meter readings;
— to use the information to publicise
benchmarks by 31 March 1998;
— to reduce water consumption by:
following best practice;
where feasible, installing flow restricting
devices, waterless urinals and more efficient technologies where
it is economic and practicable to do so; and
WOOD
— to purchase sustainably produced
timber and timber products which, as far as possible, come from
forests and plantations that have been independently verified
as well managed with the trees grown and harvested in a way which
maintains biodiversity.
— productivity and vitality and prevents
harm to other eco-systems and any indigenous people or forest-dependent
people; and
— to consider buying reclaimed timber
or products made from reclaimed timber where it is cost effective
and practicable to do so.
PAPER
— to reduce the use of paper e.g.,
by double sided printing and copying and maximising the use of
alternative technologies and electronic media;
— to use recycled paper in publicly
available Departmental Reports containing genuine post consumer
waste (to NAPM standards);
— to ensure that any virgin pulp used
in the manufacture of paper used by the Department comes from
sustainably managed woodlands and that both the virgin pulp and
the recycling process is chlorine free, i.e., manufactured using
non chlorine bleaching agents such as oxygen, peracetic acid,
sodium peroxide or more efficient pulping techniques; and
— to ensure that material published
or printed by the Department is, where necessary, sealed using
a water miscible varnish (not a plasticised finish) and is bound
using a water based adhesive or other material which does not
impede recycling.
HORTICULTURE
— to substitute the use of slow renewables
such as peat with organic wastes such as coir, manure, leaf mould
and bark chippings) for improving the soil; and
— to maintain grounds on the Department's
estate by using good husbandry and encouraging native flora and
fauna.
Reducing Pollution
CLIMATE CHANGE
— where feasible, to reduce emissions
of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by reducing energy
consumption in the Department's buildings and to control other
gaseous and non gaseous pollutants which contribute to climate
change. For example, by:
switching from HCFCs and HFCs to environmentally
preferable substitutes having a low global warming potential;
reducing emissions of carbon dioxide, carbon
monoxide, volatile organic compounds and oxides of nitrogen by
cutting vehicle emissions.
OZONE-DEPLETING
SUBSTANCES
— to ensure that no products are purchased
which contain CFCs and —except in special circumstances—no
HCFCs, halons, carbon tetrachloride, 111 trichloroethane, methyl
bromide or any other ozone-depleting substances;
— to comply with Sections 33 and 34
of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 by continuing to prevent
the venting of ozone-depleting substances from appliances used
on Departmental premises and ensuring that they are recovered
for recycling or destruction using appropriate technology;
— to extend the leakage control programme
through regular servicing of all refrigeration and air conditioning
equipment containing ozone depleting substances in compliance
with professional codes of practice.
EMISSIONS TO
AIR FROM
INCINERATORS
— To fully comply with local authority
authorisation for each of our facilities and to require that third
party destruction is similarly compliant.
TRAFFIC CONGESTION
AND VEHICLE
EMISSIONS
— To contribute to reduced congestion
and exhaust emissions by requiring Green Transport Plans to be
drawn up for all key premises to reduce the impact which commuting,
business trips and transport operations have on the environment
by April 1999.
PESTICIDES AND
ARTIFICIAL FERTILISERS
— To minimise the use of pesticides
and artificial fertilisers, e.g., by switching to natural methods
of controlling weeds and insects and maintaining the fertility
of soil.
ASBESTOS
— to continue to check for the presence
of asbestos in all buildings;
— to manage undamaged materials in
situ through regular monitoring for signs of deterioration
and, where there is deterioration, to seal, encapsulate and label
it as appropriate;
— where necessary to remove and dispose
of asbestos materials, to do so in accordance with relevant regulations
and guidance to minimise the release of fibres and the risk they
might pose to the health of workers, staff and visitors; and
— to require, for new applications
or where asbestos materials are being replaced, that asbestos
free materials be used where these exist, are equally effective
and less hazardous.
HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES
— to minimise their use and to use
less hazardous substances or techniques where these are sufficient
for the task;
— to ensure that hazardous substances
are stored, used and disposed of in accordance with legislation
and best practice;
— to encourage the use of the building
materials, furnishings etc., which are low emitters of formaldehyde,
volatile organic compounds and other potentially hazardous substances;
and
— to continue to discourage smoking
through education and by prohibiting it except in designated smoking
areas.
BATTERIES
— to avoid the use of batteries (especially
those with high level of lead, mercury and cadmium) where there
is a better environmental option offering value for money (e.g.,
rechargeable or solar cell products) and, where batteries are
essential, to recycle them if suitable outlets can be found. To
recycle all NiCad batteries.
SOLVENTS AND
PAINTS
— to continue to check the use by staff
and contractors of products containing potentially harmful solvents
to identify those which can be eliminated or replaced by low-solvent,
or solvent-free products such as water based paints, varnishes
and glues.
BIO-DEGRADABLE
SUBSTANCES
— to use fully bio-degradable substances
such as wood, cardboard and vegetable based lubricating oils where
they represent the best environmental option and value for money.
LITTER
— To comply with the Environmental
Protection Act 1990 by keeping the Department's grounds clear
of litter and refuse—taking account of the statutory Code
of Practice on litter.
NOISE
— To comply with statutes, regulations,
by-laws and codes of practice on noise levels and, in particular,
to keep daily personal exposure levels below 40dB(A) in cellular
offices, 45dB(A) in open plan offices and well below 77dB(A) for
cars and 84dB(A) for heavy goods vehicles used by or on behalf
of the Department.
PROCUREMENT OF
GOODS AND
SERVICES
Procurement has a very significant environmental
impact. The Department is therefore committed through its buying
decisions to:
— require that all purchases are made
in accordance with this policy statement, relevant current and
foreseen legislation, its guides for suppliers and other official
guidance (Environmental Purchasing Guide);
— ensure that the practice of its buyers
is consistent with this statement;
— take account of whole life costs
and not just the initial price when assessing value for money;
— specify recycled products and re-refined
mineral oils where practicable and they provide value for money
taking account of whole life costs;
— use the European Commission's mandatory
energy labelling scheme by giving preference to the most energy
efficient products where they give value for money taking account
of whole life costs.
— use ecolabels to help identify environmentally
preferable products (i.e., those with a low environmental impact
over their life cycle) and, where available and relevant to the
contract, use eco-label criteria developed by the competent bodies
to improve specifications for products and services;
— evaluate, as appropriate, the environmental
performance of tenderers when relevant to the contract.
ESTATE MANAGEMENT
The Department will continue to apply best practice
in the management of its buildings within resource constraints
in particular by:
— undertaking Building Research Establishment's
Environmental Appraisal Method (BREEAM) assessments when planning
new or substantially refurbished premises;
— ensuring that land owned by the Department
does not pose an actual or potential threat to man and the natural
and built environment, e.g., from contamination of the soil, ground
water and surface water, hazards to buildings and building materials
and the migration of gas;
— introducing high standards of energy
and environmental management;
— improving indoor air quality;
— working closely with the Central
Advice Unit of the Property Advisors to the Civil Estate; and
— adhering to advice on best practice
given in our own internal guidance and others such as the:
Building Research Establishment's and Energy
Technology Support Unit's best practice programmes;
Building Services Research and Information's
(BSRIA) Environmental Code of Practice;
the Construction Industry Research and
Information Association's (CIRIA) Environmental Handbook for Building
and Civil Engineering Projects;
developing a robust specification for Estates
2000 (PPP) for environmental management.
MONITORING AND
AUDITING
The Department's Environment Team is developing
an improvement programme to implement the above policies, prepare
reports on the progress to the Green Minister and senior management,
and
— consider opportunities for achieving
and implementing EMSs across the department's estate;
— review and develop other systems
as required to deliver environmental compliance with this document
and the policy;
— set targets and performance indicators
to measure performance.
February 1998
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