The impact of climate change on children and young people is one of the biggest public health challenges and in 2020 the College joined others in declaring a climate emergency.
The College has an active Climate Change Working Group made up of member volunteers who are working to deliver the RCPCH Climate Change Action Plan 鈥 which covers Advocating for Change, Research, Support for Members and International Action - and is actively collaborating with other health organisations to promote research and advocacy on climate change.
Our commitment
Our environmental commitment can be demonstrated in our established objectives and goals below:
- Complying with all applicable standards, laws, requirements, regulations and member expectations
- Monitoring our key resource usage and implementing conservation techniques to achieve our environmental targets
- Implementing a waste and recycling policy
- Minimising unsustainable transport through the development of a travel plan
- Working with suppliers to ensure they acknowledge and decrease the environmental impact of their products and transportation
- Publishing and distribution of an annual organisational sustainability report
- Commitment to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2040
To achieve the above, we are working with Investors in Environment (iiE), who are supporting us to understand our environmental impact, take action, and demonstrate progress by working through the iiE accreditation framework.
By working through their Bronze, Silver and Green accreditation framework, we will be in a better position to develop a comprehensive roadmap to enable the College to reach net zero by 2040.
Bronze accreditation
We are delighted to report that in September 2023, we achieved Bronze accreditation from Investors in Environment (iiE). This means that we now:
- Measure and monitor our gas, electricity, water and paper use on a monthly basis, and have calculated our carbon footprint for these resources.
- Have a dedicated action plan in place to reduce our use of each of these resources, with agreed targets to improve our resource efficiency
- Have an advanced recycling system in place
- Support an active green champions network of staff from across the organisation to organise activities with staff
Best Waste Reduction - Runner Up
In November 2023 we were also delighted to be nominated and commended as runner up in the IiE Annual Awards for Best Waste Reduction thanks to the new 鈥渂infrastructure鈥 we now have in place across the College. We were also nominated in the Best Newcomer category in recognition of the progress we have achieved in our first year of working through their accreditation process.聽
Next steps
We have identified the following key areas of focus that will contribute to reducing our environmental and carbon footprint:
- Making the RCPCH鈥檚 use of its building and resources as sustainable and low-carbon as possible, including consumption of electricity, gas, water and waste generation
- Ensuring that RCPCH conferences and publications are produced and managed with sustainability of all kinds in mind
- Monitoring and offsetting the carbon footprint incurred in undertaking RCPCH work, including work outside the UK
- Embedding sustainability and low-carbon thinking in all RCPCH procurement processes
- Being resilient and adapting to the challenge of adjustment to processes and behaviour both internally and externally
Download a copy of our Environmental Policy for more information or visit the website.