Sustainability Report 2005-2006
Department of the Environment and Water Resources, 2007
Canberra environmental performance
Suppliers
EN33: Environmental performance of suppliers
Goals 2005-06
Continue to use our position in the supply chain to improve the environmental performance of our suppliers through the use of the Environmental Purchasing Guide- Deliver, collate, and assess findings of the Supply Chain Environmental Performance survey
- Introduce and promote the importance of product stewardship in future procurement requirements
Performance 2005-06 and trends
The DEH Environmental Purchasing Guide continues to be a useful tool for staff involved in the procurement of goods and services covered by the checklists. The Chief Executive Instructions require the consideration of the Guide in the procurement of all goods and services.
The Supply Chain Environmental Performance survey was distributed to 120 organisations, to determine the extent to which DEH providers employ environmentally responsible practices in the production and delivery of the their goods and services.
| Respondents who have… | Energy & Greenhouse | Transport | Water | Waste | Purchasing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taken action on | 75% | 62% | 65% | 85% | 86% |
| And set targets | 60% | 28% | 29% | 39% | 19% |
Some other outcomes and conclusions:
- 86% of respondents have an environmental policy or system, but only 21% are ISO 14001 certified
- improving environmental performance in all the areas mentioned above has the potential to also save businesses money, and many cost-effective initiatives exist
- little attention is being paid to setting targets and baselines, and measuring performance against these. This indicates that organisations may not be able to reliably determine whether their efforts are producing environmental and economic benefits.
The 2005-06 period saw a large-scale refresh of information technology equipment for the department, with a move to replacing remaining CRT monitors with more efficient flat screens. All equipment is processed for resale or recycling at the end of its life with the department under the terms of our group services contract, to prolong the lifecycle of the equipment and reduce landfill disposal. Existing contracts for large appliances such as photocopiers have similar stewardship provisions.
Major construction work performed for the department, though infrequent, includes a preference for low-embodied energy or recycled materials as part of the project brief. For example, wherever possible glass and door fittings are reused when restructuring internal offices. Where relevant, request for tender processes also require tendering parties to identify the efforts they will make to reduce the impact of travel and other environmental impacts associated with the provision of the requested services.
Commentary
Consumers of goods and services have the ability to achieve positive outcomes and influence the behaviours of others by integrating environmental considerations and requirements into purchasing procedures, policies and decision-making structures.
Goals 2006-07
- Continue to use product stewardship clauses to pursue environmentally beneficial outcomes with our suppliers and service providers.
Related Indicators
Contents
- Sustainability Report 05-06
- Executive summary
- Vision and strategy
- Our organisation
- Governance
- Policy and influence
- Environmental performance
- Social performance
- Economic performance
- Report assurance statement
- Case studies
- GRI index
Key
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