This report provides an overview of the International Institute for Environment and Development's carbon emissions for 2022/23, and details plans to reduce its impact across our operations. Emphasising transparency and accountability, the report underscores IIED's dedication to creating a more sustainable and equitable world. The report highlights ways IIED has changed to reduce its environmental impact and promote positive changes in social, financial and governance operations. As an organisation IIED is committed to becoming a net-zero organisation, aligning with science-based targets and reflecting short- and long-term emission reduction targets, which will be monitored annually.

1. www.iied.org @IIED
Environmental sustainability
impact report
Financial year 2022/23

2. 2
Foreword
I am pleased to present IIED’s inaugural environmental
sustainability impact report.
This report provides an overview of our carbon emissions for
2022/23, detailing plans to reduce our impact across our
operations. Emphasising transparency and accountability, this
report underscores our dedication to creating a more sustainable
and equitable world.
IIED has been a trailblazer in championing sustainable
development solutions, collaborating with partners and
stakeholders globally and our commitment to innovative and
inclusive approaches guides us in addressing pressing
environmental challenges, including our own impact.
Explore our actions during 2022/23, highlighting ways we have
changed to reduce our environmental impact and promote
positive changes in social, financial, and governance operations.
As an organisation we are committed to becoming a net-zero
organisation, aligning with science-based targets and reflecting
short- and long-term emission reduction targets, which we will
monitor annually.
While celebrating our achievements, we also acknowledge that
we can go further and so we remain dedicated to continuous
improvement, adaptation, and innovation.
We also recognise that sustainability requires collaboration, and
we are committed to continue working closely with partners,
stakeholders, and staff to deliver transformative change.
In a rapidly changing global landscape, sustainability is more
critical than ever and IIED’s commitment to positive impact,
informed by research, policy analysis, and inclusive engagement,
influences decisions globally.
I invite you to explore our environmental sustainability impact
report and join us in embracing the challenges and opportunities
as we work towards a world where people and nature thrive in
harmony.
Tom Mitchell, Executive Director of IIED

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We understand that sustainable development encompasses not only
environmental concerns but also influences aspects of our society,
economy and relationships.
As an environmental development organisation, we have made a
deliberate commitment to align our strategies and activities with the
United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The SDGs serve as a global rallying call to eradicate poverty,
safeguard our planet and ensure universal peace and prosperity.
IIED is resolute in its dedication to instigate changes that address
climate change, halt the degradation of ecosystems and alleviate
disparities that adversely affect individuals and societies.
To this end, we have aligned our action plans with the relevant SDGs.
This alignment empowers us to highlight and report on the positive
impact we aim to make across economic, social and environmental
sustainability and we believe that this commitment will help drive
meaningful and lasting change across these critical domains.
United Nations’ Sustainability Development Goals

4. Over the past decade, IIED has actively
measured and managed its environmental
footprint, establishing a baseline for emissions
in 2013. While total carbon emissions saw an
increase between 2017-19, the COVID-19
pandemic in 2020 led to a significant reduction
due to restricted travel.
In 2022, after relocating to a new London
office and with air travel resuming, IIED
recalculated its emissions, creating a fresh
baseline for setting future targets and
trajectories.
The data presented in this impact report
reflects the organisation's new baseline.
Our journey so far

5. 5
To implement sustainable practices into our own operations to reduce our environmental impact and to help address the urgent
global climate and ecological emergency.
Promote ethical
pensions, banking and
procurement
Demonstrate accountability for our environmental performance
We will improve how we deliver our business by developing new ways of working and implementing sustainably-focused changes
that support our staff, partners and suppliers to reduce their environmental impact without compromising the work that they do.
Establish eco-friendly
office environments
Show environmental
leadership and
campaigning
Reduce our carbon
emissions
Promote and support
an environmentally
aware workforce
VISION
MISSION
STRATEGIC
OBJECTIVES
MONITORING AND
REPORTING
IIED’s strategic approach
SDGs ALIGNED TO
OUR OBJECTIVES

6. Our impact

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IIED’s total emissions 2022/23
This summary outlines our scope 1-3 emissions,
encompassing direct and indirect greenhouse gas
emissions associated with our operations and
value chain.
Scope 1 emissions represent direct emissions
from our controlled sources, which includes
emissions from the generation of heating and
cooling our offices.
Scope 2 emissions cover our indirect emissions
resulting from the generation of purchased
electricity accounting for under 1% of our total
emissions.
Scope 3 emissions include indirect emissions
from our entire value chain, accounting for 99% of
our total emissions. The majority of these
emission are attributed to our business travel with
the remainder as a result of events staff attend
and the purchasing of services.
1357.9
tCO2e
Scope 1
Scope 2
0.69 tCO2e
7.2 tCO2e
t = tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent
Scope 3: business travel
Scope 3: activities and events
Scope 3: services purchased
765 tCO2e
311 tCO2e
205 tCO2e
Scope 3: other
69 tCO2e

8. 8
Carbon offsetting
In 2022/23, IIED offset 765 tons of CO2e from its business travel,
maintaining our commitment to offsetting this activity while actively
working to reduce emissions from our business travel where
possible.
IIED has purchased carbon offsets from COTAP for over
10 years. This provider focuses on global poverty alleviation and
fighting inequality through certified forestry projects.
Our offsetting approach involves an annual review of providers and
certified schemes to ensure ethical alignment and effective carbon
mitigation.
We are also exploring emerging opportunities like biocredits and
climate finance to enhance support for nature preservation and
climate change mitigation.
Annual review of our offset provider
Explore new offsetting opportunities
Collate data on IIED offsetting projects
Align offsets to our overall impact
IIED’s approach to carbon offsetting

9. Strategic actions

10. 10
IIED updated its travel policy to provide improved guidance to staff to support
them travel in the most sustainable way and reduce travel related emissions.
We undertook a comprehensive calculation of our scope 3 emissions to
support better understanding of the impact of our value chain and to inform
new strategies for change.
Organise discussions with staff to identify opportunities to reduce
business travel related emissions.
Re-circulate our travel policy to inform staff of guidelines around
sustainable business travel.
We continued to promote virtual meetings — including online meetings,
conferences and IIED events — to reduce the need for staff to travel.
Action taken in 2022
Provide information on individual travel activity to allow staff to better
understand their impacts and support changes where possible.
Proposed action in FY23/24
Reduce our
carbon emissions
Taking positive steps to actively reduce our
operational emissions for a healthier planet

11. 11
Promote ethical
banking, pensions
and procurement
Taking positive action in 2022 to change to
more ethical and sustainable suppliers
As part of our objective to promote ethical finance, we signed up to the Make
My Money Matter campaign and carried out a review of our workplace pension
plan, including the range of ethical investments offered.
Recommendations of pension schemes with strong environmental stewardship
considerations were provided to the board of trustees resulting in IIED
changing pension providers to Aviva from 1 January 2023.
Review and update our existing procurement policy to align it with
our sustainability objectives.
Engage with our suppliers to understand what environmental
sustainability plans they have in place.
Following requests from staff, a decision was made to move banking services
provided by Barclays to a different provider in line with IIED’s policy of not
working with fossil fuel investors.
Action taken in 2022
Develop a plan to transition banking services currently
provided by Barclays to other ethical banking providers.
Proposed action in FY23/24

12. Establish eco-friendly
office environments
12
Greening our workspaces to cut emissions
and enhance staff work environment
IIED adopted motion sensitive LED lighting within its offices in London and
Edinburgh to improve energy usage and to help reduce emissions.
A comprehensive set of sustainability credentials was developed for inclusion
in criteria top aid the search for a new London office in 2023.
Work with our building management team in London to set up improved
recycling facilities and work with other companies on our floor to improve
recycling levels.
Engage with our building management team in London to collate data
on our water usage.
Procurement of recycled paper, toner and printing cartridges was implemented
to reduce waste and ensure high standards of recycling for office supplies.
Action taken in 2022
Identify further opportunities for reducing energy usage across our London
and Edinburgh offices.
Proposed action in FY23/24

13. Show environmental
leadership and
campaigning
13
Committing to lead by example in environmental
sustainability and operational excellence
IIED was certified as ISO14001 compliant in 2022, showing our continued
commitment to protecting the environment and helping us comply with
increasingly stringent environmental laws and regulations.
A policy was formalised in 2022 that committed IIED to not accepting any
funding from fossil fuel producing organisations.
Develop a broader sustainability strategy that goes beyond the current
environment policy to consider the social and governance aspects of our
operations.
Review our carbon offsetting policy and provider and explore potential for
additional offsetting opportunities.
IIED signed up to the We Mean Business Coalition, which aims to take climate
action by supporting businesses to halve their global emissions by 2030 in line
with a 1.5°C pathway.
Action taken in 2022
Develop plans for a net zero target with specific reduction trajectories for our
scope 1-3 emissions in line with science-based targets.
Proposed action in FY23/24

14. 14
Promote and support
an environmentally
aware workforce
Engaging with staff to nurture sustainability
and help shape a greener future
An environment champions network was set up to engage staff and help
identify new ideas for sustainability improvements.
An environmental improvement group was established to develop and manage
IIED’s environmental improvement plans.
Set up further engagement sessions with staff to discuss opportunities and
ideas for reducing business related travel emissions.
Develop an online hub for staff to access information on sustainability and keep
up to date on IIED’s environmental sustainability progress.
Staff were asked to complete a survey to collect data on how frequently they
commuted to the office to support ideas for more sustainable forms of travel
and to provide data on working from home related emissions.
Action taken in 2022
Organise social activities for staff to participate in to promote sustainability
within IIED’s local communities.
Proposed action in FY23/24

15. Looking ahead

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Focus area Action/target Status Progress
Targets and trajectories Agree date to become a net zero
organisation
In progress Discussions underway with expected decision
to be made by the Board in March 2024
Business travel Identify air travel reduction target In progress Analysing travel data and having discussions
with staff to set out potential reduction
scenarios
Activities and events Collect data on all IIED activities run across
2022/23 and 2023/24
In progress Data analysis underway to identify and
understand volume of events and activities
Suppliers Implement sustainable practices and
credentials within our procurement policy
In progress Review of procurement policy underway
Suppliers Identify current suppliers and send out
engagement communication
Complete Key suppliers contacted to request
information on their sustainability plans
Suppliers Transition all banking services supplied by
Barclays to other provider
In progress Banking transition plan developed, Barclays
services identified and tender process being
set up
Buildings and energy Install secondary glazing in Edinburgh
building
In progress Identification of cost underway to inform
business case for purchase
Buildings and energy Complete installation of LED lighting in
Edinburgh building
In progress Identification of cost underway to inform
business case for purchase
Buildings and energy Collect water usage data for London and
Edinburgh buildings
In progress Edinburgh data analysis underway, London
office data to be started following move in
November 2023.
As part of our commitment to be
transparent, we have identified the key
actions that we will work to deliver over
the next year.
The actions identified are aligned to our
strategic objectives and are activities
that we believe will enable us to have
the most impact to reduce our carbon
emissions.
We will present this information in our
next environmental sustainability
impact report to provide an update on
our progress, where we have had
successes and where we need to make
improvements.
We believe that by presenting this
information on an annual basis, we can
ensure that we hold ourselves to
account for delivering the necessary
changes to make us a more
environmentally sustainable
organisation.
Action plan

17. 17
We believe that to have a successful
environmental sustainability programme,
we need to provide it with the necessary
support and oversight to ensure that it is
maximising opportunities, addressing
challenges and delivering on the targets
we have set ourselves as an organisation.
Our governance structure ensures we
have the right people in the right place to
deliver on the plans and targets we have
set ourselves as an organisation.
Our environmental sustainability
programme will be underpinned with a
robust set of improvement plans, helping
us to manage our actions, focus on our
priorities and support successful delivery.
Programme governance
Organisation
functions and
business units
Senior Management
Team (or equivalent)
Responsible for reviewing proposals, planned changes and
providing support, guidance and sign off authority.
Led by a dedicated Sustainability Lead, this team will oversee the
development and delivery of improvement plans.
Operational teams will support the implementation of
improvement plans across the organisation to support
delivery of the environmental sustainability programme.
IIED Board
Accountable for the delivery of environmental sustainability
improvements as part of IIED’s Sustainability Strategy.
Daily
management
Accountable for
programme
Implementation
Decision making
and oversight
Environmental
Sustainability Team

18. 18
Continuous improvement
IIED is committed to identifying areas for improvement and expanding its influence on supporting change that will enable its objectives
and support initiatives, movements and programmes for environmental sustainability.
Clean air commitment
Project proposal development
Environmental leadership
Develop online environmental hub
Join net zero aviation campaign
Sustainability induction
Poor air quality is a consequence of fossil fuel burning and
contributes to poor health, which disproportionately effects
people from low socio-economic backgrounds. IIED will add
its voice to clean air campaigns in London and Edinburgh.
The work IIED does is focused on making environmental
improvements but as with all things it has its own footprint. We
will work to improve our environmental impact assessments to
ensure we are considering the impact from our work.
IIED will work to amplify its voice on the work it is doing to
reduce its emissions and improve the way it operates,
influencing, encouraging and empowering others to make
positive changes.
We will develop an online hub to present the work that IIED is
doing to improve its environmental footprint as well as provide
information, tools and resources to our staff to help them
understand and improve their own environmental footprint.
As part of our commitment to reducing our impact from flying, we
will collaborate with other organisations across the globe to call
on the aviation industry to accelerate their path to net zero.
We take our commitment to environmental sustainability seriously
and will work to include information on IIED’s approach and action
that staff can take in our corporate induction.

19. 19
IIED’s positive impact
IIED operates at the forefront of the global environmental
sustainability landscape, spearheading positive change
through its impactful research, inclusive design and
equitable and sustainable initiatives.
Our work is focused on actively combating climate
change, addressing nature loss, championing justice and
equality, and challenging the status quo.
Despite not all impacts or initiatives being quantifiable in
emissions reductions, we remain committed to evaluating
our positive influence and to actively include this as part
of IIED’s overall environmental sustainability impact.
Over the coming years, we will actively work to enhance
our measurement methodologies and present a more
comprehensive view of our sustainability credentials to
stakeholders.
Continue tackling the big issues
Evaluate our positive impact
Include in our reporting
Continuous improvement
IIED will work on maximising its positive impact towards
global action on environmental sustainability.
Develop mechanisms that allow us to measure our
impact across the range of work we do to reflect the
positive impact we have beyond our commitment to
reducing our emissions.
IIED is committed to incorporating the entire spectrum of
our positive contributions to environmental sustainability
in our communications to stakeholders.
IIED is committed to looking at ways that we can maximise
our impact and increase our efforts to support our
organisation be as environmentally sustainable as possible.