Sustainability savings could unlock justice efficiencies

A report on sustainability in the UK’s Ministry of Justice makes for “dismal reading” but does show how efficiencies could be achieved, says IEMA.

The report, published in February, addresses sustainability “gaps and weaknesses” in the ministry’s departmental plan. With the UK government’s second largest estate size, the ministry has a huge opportunity to drive down energy and resource use to make a significant contribution to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Martin Baxter, chief policy advisor at IEMA, says the report is “dismal reading”, but does highlight how necessary efficiencies in the court and prison system would help to financially underpin the department’s core purpose and functions.

In a blog published on the day the report went live, Baxter said: “The way our prisons and courts are managed offers huge potential to improve energy efficiency, cut down on waste and reduce greenhouse gas emissions; doing so in a cost-effective way allows money to be ploughed back into the ministry’s core purpose.”

Read the full blog at bit.ly/2EEKMNr

Image credit: iStock