Attachments
INTRODUCTION
In line with the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organisations which IFRC, ICRC and various Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies have endorsed, this short Guide aims to help practitioners integrate environmental and climate change considerations into their work. It has been developed primarily for logistics staff, administrative staff, and management. It is not necessary to be an environmental expert to use this Guide.
The Guide consists of the following sections:
- Procurement 2. Supply chain planning 3. Travel and Fleet 4. Waste 5. Premises
Before we start, here are some general considerations:
Introducing environmental sustainability1 into our practices can seem like an overwhelming job, so an incremental approach is necessary. It is not possible to become 100% sustainable overnight, so start with some of the easy ‘quick wins’ suggested in this Guide and remember: there’s no single path to sustainability!
Being environmentally responsible is about:
• Changing behaviour e.g. reducing energy consumption
• Upgrading our premises and equipment e.g. energy efficient equipment
• Updating processes and policies e.g. travel or procurement, to ensure good practices are systematised.
Environmental sustainability does not have to be costly! Most of the tips suggested here need little financial investment and can even help you make savings.
The supply chain management function accounts for a significant part of the carbon footprint (on average 50%2) and overall environmental footprint of an organisation. Therefore, staff and volunteers working in Logistics functions have a big role to play, but need to be supported by management and other departments. Decisions about supply chains are not made only by Logistics staff. Regular feedback and communication between programme and logistics staff is key.
Reducing our environmental footprint is complex as we need to take into consideration many factors when making decisions: finance, security, speed of humanitarian response etc. Humanitarian assistance will always have an environmental impact, our first aim is to be aware of it, and then to reduce it as much as possible.
The Guide includes examples of how National Societies around the world are being more environmentally sustainable. The suggestions are context specific: pick and choose the ones you think apply to your setting.
Consult the IFRC Green Response Working Group to help you find solutions for your context, and share your experiences, lessons and challenges so that we can learn from each other.