Our Environmental Plan is green for go

We are proud to publish our first Environmental Plan which sets out how we will reduce our impact on the environment over the next three years.

The plan supports the Scottish Government’s target that the country will have net zero emissions by 2045.

Social Security Scotland is committed to taking actions which will cut our carbon footprint to its lowest possible level.

The plan sets out how we will reduce emissions, improve how we manage our buildings and services and support our colleagues and contractors to make the environment a priority.

We will do this by developing environmental learning and volunteering opportunities for colleagues, supporting the sustainable delivery of our services and increasing awareness of our environmental impact.

We will have a dedicated team in place to support business areas and colleagues, and we will report on our performance on a quarterly basis. This will allow us to monitor progress, adapt to legislative change and take further action as required.

The Environmental Plan, which was launched internally by our Strategy Lead Cath Mackay and our Chief Executive David Wallace during Scotland’s Climate Week, is a significant milestone in our journey towards becoming a more sustainable public sector organisation.

However, we have already taken steps to reduce our environmental impact. Our central buildings have energy efficient heating and cooling systems, our fleet of pool cars are electric, and we have identified our baseline carbon emissions that will be used to record our progress and form our Carbon Management Plan.

Cath Mackay, Strategy Lead, said:

“Social Security Scotland’s first Environmental Plan reflects our commitment to tackling the climate emergency. It sets out how we will embed sustainability into our culture and operations while retaining our values of dignity, fairness and respect.

“We know that climate action is not a one-time effort. That’s why this plan is designed to evolve, ensuring we remain aligned with the latest science, legislation and best practice.

“Our colleagues have been central to the development of this plan and their passion and dedication are helping to shape a greener future for Social Security Scotland and for the communities we serve.”