The use of standards by the Met Office is allowing the department to save resources and control its environmental impact.
Every department's duty
All government departments have a responsibility towards the environment. The way we work places a burden on the planet and we all have a duty to minimise any adverse impact.
The Prime Minister has stated that every government department must contribute to the goal of sustainable development. The Met Office has fulfilled this duty in its implementation of ISO 14001. It offers compelling evidence that introducing a standard can simultaneously yield environmental and financial benefits.
Tangible benefits
Evidence of the benefits of ISO 14001 can be seen in small details, including the design features of the Met Office headquarters.
David Smith, Head of Health, Safety and Security for the Met Office, says these features enable sustainable procurement:
"Rainwater collected on the site is treated with UV light and then reused to flush the toilets. We also make significant savings on heating by utilising the heat produced by our power generators to control the temperature of the whole building. There's also an automatic lighting system that responds to occupancy. In a building that employs over 1200 people, the savings on utilities are considerable, and largely due to the implementation of ISO 14001."
David says the standard is more than just a certificate to brandish; it is fundamental to the organisation's success:
"Before the standard was in place, there were ad-hoc procedures, but they weren't joined up. We now have a very clear framework which allows us to demonstrate that environmental impacts are well controlled."
As part of ISO 14001 there is an environmental performance committee which monitors the success of environmental measures, ensuring that systems are performing as well as they should.
David notes the impact of this monitoring on carbon dioxide emissions:
"Data we've gathered shows that our emissions are around 30% lower than our annual allocation, meaning we can sell or bank the surplus emissions. Without the standard, there wouldn't be the same impetus to monitor and control these emissions, which would mean the loss of financial benefits."
Promoting best practice
The introduction of ISO 14001 has improved efficiencies across the board at the Met Office. The organisation is now demonstrably improving its environmental impacts while reducing resource use.
David Smith says:
"As well as the obvious environmental benefits, there are genuine business benefits, and the standard has improved customer satisfaction."
"For our stakeholders, ISO 14001 is evidence of our commitment to continuous improvement and shows that we are proactively improving our internal processes for the benefit of the environment."
Mark Hutchinson, Met Office Chief Executive added:
"The Met Office is a world class science organisation for the prediction of weather and climate. Having an Environmental Management System certified to ISO 14001 ensures we lead by example by demonstrating our commitment to minimise as far as possible our impacts on the environment. Additionally, the certification has yielded several business benefits including increased efficiency, greater customer satisfaction and positive engagement from Met Office staff and contractors."
