Triple Bottom Line Report released
Media release: 31 March 2003
The Ministry for the Environment has released its first triple bottom line report, the first core public sector agency to do so.
“The release of Towards a Triple Bottom Line reflects a more open and accountable approach at the Ministry. However, we recognise we are taking a risk and we may be opening ourselves up to criticism.” Says Ministry for the Environment Chief Executive, Barry Carbon, “I am proud of the report as it gives an honest insight into where we stand and how we can improve.”
“The report is essentially a stocktake of the environmental, economic and social performances of our offices. What is far more difficult to assess is how our work makes a difference for the environment and affects New Zealand’s economy and society. We are just beginning to learn how to evaluate and report on our contribution to the wider environmental, social and economic outcomes, as demanded by the Government’s goal of sustainable development”.
“We have reduced the environmental impact of our office activities in the last year. We used 10% less electricity per staff member and reduced the amount of air travel. We recycled 26 tonnes of solid waste and sent 4 tonnes to landfill.”
“However, there is still room for improvement. We need to formalise some policies and work out alternatives to printing large numbers of publications as a way of achieving our objectives.”
“We report on who are our staff are, the culture they work in and what we do to be a good employer. We also discuss how we consider our own economic footprint, in terms of our management of government funds”
“Our stakeholders have told us to provide leadership on priority environmental issues, to make sustainable development meaningful through partnerships and to fix problems with the RMA” Mr Carbon said.
The Ministry for the Environment is currently reviewing its functions and priorities. This will influence what we do next.
