National Records of Scotland recognises the global climate emergency and is committed to playing its part in Scotland’s national endeavour to end our impact on climate change within a generation.
We do this through sustainable management of our estate and operations and by engaging with our staff to embed the key principles of sustainable development into our everyday working practices.
The actions we are taking contribute towards the delivery of the wider Scottish Government’s National Outcomes:-
- We value, enjoy, protect and enhance our environment: Scotland is a beautiful country and we are blessed with abundant natural resources and architecture to rival the best in the world. Through this Outcome, we recognise that it is our duty to protect and enhance these assets as essential to our economy, culture, way of life and the wellbeing of future generations.
We have specific corporate environmental management objectives to enable us to contribute towards the National Outcomes:-
- We use energy and water efficiently to reduce our carbon emissions.
- We minimise our waste generation and disposal through considered procurement and reusing or recycling end of life resources wherever possible.
- We are reducing the risks of pollution by avoiding the unnecessary use of hazardous and ozone depleting substances (e.g. refrigerants); where their use is essential within our business, we shall effectively manage the associated activities, processes, and disposals.
- We reduce the need for business travel and promote alternatives to travel or sustainable travel options where business travel is necessary.
- We are decarbonising our fleet vehicles.
- In allocating our public sector procurement budget, we adopt sustainable procurement best practice to make sure that the products and services we buy are as sustainable as possible; we work with providers to create a culture that supports a circular economy and low carbon supply chain.
- We encourage and protect biodiversity on our estate.
- We are working to make the most efficient use of our space to best deliver our business objectives.
- We are adapting our business to the impact that climate change brings.
- We collect and make our environmental information as openly accessible to our employees and the public as we can.
- We are educating our employees in respect of the climate emergency; a particular focus includes reducing emissions associated with staff home-working and commuting.
- We will engage with stakeholders and collaborate to the benefit of all.
To ensure National Records of Scotland contributes to National Outcomes, ends our impact on climate change and contributes to public sector leadership in respect of the global climate change emergency, we have adopted a range of climate change targets. The targets are largely consistent with those of the Scottish Government, with the ambition to improve upon these targets wherever possible:
Quantitative Targets
- Achieve net zero emissions across our direct Scope 1 emissions, indirect Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions including water, waste, business travel, staff commuting and homeworking and purchased goods and services by 2045.
- Decarbonise the heating in our buildings, in line with the phased targets for publicly owned buildings by 2038 at the latest.
- Transform our fleet vehicles, removing petrol and diesel cars by 2025, adding no new petrol or diesel light commercial vehicles from 2025 and adding no new petrol or diesel heavy vehicles from 2030.
- Reduce the distance our staff travel by car, both for business travel and commuting, in line with the national commitment to reduce car kilometres by 20% by 2030.
- Send no biodegradable waste to landfill by 2025 and send zero waste to landfill by 2030.
Qualitative Targets
- Ensure that our investment decisions, including procurement, are aligned with Scotland’s net zero targets and support the move to a circular economy.
- Maximise opportunities to enhance and restore biodiversity on our estate.
- Influence climate emergency behavioural change to positive effect.
- Ensure adaptation to the impacts of climate change alongside our efforts to reduce our emissions as far as we can, as fast as we can.
To ensure that our targets remain both appropriate and challenging, we will continue to monitor, review and publish the environmental performance information in respect of our journey to mitigate our impact on climate change and to adapt to its consequences. Our Carbon Management Plan implementation has already contributed greatly and our next generation plan, the Climate Change Action Plan, will pave the way further in respect of our Net Zero ambitions.
