Policy
Lived Experience Advisory Panel: Managing conflicts of interest policy
The policy on managing conflicts of interest for the Gambling Commission's Lived Experience Advisory Panel. The policy aims to maintain public trust and confidence.
Sustainability report
In response to the growing imperative for environmental stewardship and sustainability across all sectors and in line with the Greener Commitments, the Gambling Commission is proud to present our 2023 to 2024 Sustainability Report. As the regulatory authority responsible for overseeing the gambling industry in the UK, we recognised the pressing need to integrate environmental considerations into our regulatory framework and operational practices.
This report marks a significant step in our journey towards embracing sustainability as a core principle in our approach. With a firm belief in the interconnectedness of environmental, social and economic well-being, we have embarked on a path to reduce our environmental footprint, promote eco-friendly practices, and contribute to a greener, more sustainable future.
From reducing energy consumption and waste generation to promoting sustainable procurement practices and supporting biodiversity conservation, our greener commitments encompass a broad spectrum of initiatives aimed at mitigating climate change and preserving natural resources. By leading by example and encouraging industry-wide adoption of sustainability practices, we aspire to set new standards for environmental responsibility within the gambling sector.
This report serves as a testament to our commitment to environmental sustainability and our determination to make a positive impact on the planet.
Sustainability Performance Summary
2023 to 2024 compared to 2022 to 2023
Direct Greenhouse from buildings: Direct greenhouse gases generally increase during the third and fourth quarter as these are colder months. We have made a consistent effort to reduce temperatures within the office and the benefits of this can be seen through comparison between quarter 3 and quarter 4 of 2022 to 2023 in comparison to quarter 3 and quarter 4 of 2023 to 2024.
Landfill: Waste management is managed by our landlord, however through consultation we are aware that what is not recycled is incinerated and used to produce energy.
Recycling: Whilst there is a general trend that the percentage of waste that is recycled has decreased, it is worth noting the remainder is processed into energy; we have also seen a steady decrease in overall waste produced as part of our efforts to reduce waste.
Overall Greening government commitments (GGC) performance
Scope 1:
Direct Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions – these occur from sources owned or controlled by the Commission, for example, emissions as a result of combustion in boilers, or emissions from fleet vehicles.
Scope 2:
Energy indirect emissions – as a result of electricity that we consume which is supplied by another party, for example, electricity supply in buildings.
Scope 3:
Other indirect GHG emissions – all other emissions which occur as a consequence of our activity but which are not owned or controlled by the Commission, for example emissions as a result of staff travel on official business.
Details of the Commission's performance - Total tonnes CO2
Overall emission reduction and/or increase - Total tonnes CO2
The Commission's 2017 to 2018 baseline: minus 62 percent.
Government's target 2017 to 2018 baseline: minus 58 percent.
| Scope | Type | 2023 to 2024 | 2022 to 2023 | Baseline 2017 to 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scope 1 | ||||
| Tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) | Gas | 8.16 | 8.07 | 4.55 |
| Kilowatt hour (kWh) | Gas | 44,616 | 44,206 | 24,725 |
| Cost | Gas | £10,103 | £10,823 | £9,148 |
| per full time equivalent staffing | Gas | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.01 | Scope 2 |
| tCO2e | Electricity | 39.02 | 39.06 | 102.45 |
| Kilowatt hour (kWh) | Electricity | 173,419 | 185,044 | 266,504 |
| Cost | Electricity | £12,126 | £51,938 | £28,139 |
| per full time equivalent staffing | Electricity | 0.10 | 0.12 | 0.32 | Scope 3 |
| tCO2e | Travel | 40.89 | 44.06 | 132.22 |
| Kilowatt hour (kWh) | Travel | 518,859 | 365,500 | 1,184,066 |
| Cost | Travel | £147,34 | £92,921 | £301,816 |
| per full time equivalent staffing | Travel | 0.11 | 0.13 | 0.41 |
| Total tCO2e | - | 88.07 | 91.19 | 239.22 |
Gambling Commission greening commitments
Overview
The Commission utilise a rented private building that has a multitenancy occupancy which makes management of energy consumption difficult and closely linked to the building usage. The building is also not Public Sector owned so adjusting the building parameters requires consultation and Landlord approval.
Adapting to climate change
We are beginning the process of understanding and preparing a plan for the risk of climate change to our operations. This will be developed to work towards meeting our Greening Commitments. The Commission expects to achieve its commitments before the government targets.
Reduce the overall greenhouse gas emissions from a 2017 to 2018 baseline and also reduce direct greenhouse gas emissions from the estate and operations from a 2017 to 2018 baseline.
This is primarily made up of 2 sub-targets.
Meet the Government Fleet Commitment for 25 per cent of the Government car fleet to be ULEV by 31 December 2022, and 100 percent of the Government car and van fleet to be fully zero emission at the tailpipe by 31 December 2027.
The Commission does not own any vehicles, so we have no target to reach.
Reduce the emissions from domestic business flights by at least 30 percent from a 2017 to 2018 baseline and report the distance travelled by international business flights, with a view to better understanding and reducing related emissions where possible.
Travel costs and our emissions output have increased as the Commission is growing from a small base. Travel policies will be reviewed during 2024 to 2025 to compensate for emissions so that they require lower carbon options to be considered first as an alternative to each planned flight.
Mitigating climate change: working towards Net Zero by 2050
The Commission are focused on our continued use of renewable energy and have liaised with the landlord to ensure that all the energy used within our building is sourced from renewable sources and that our waste is either recycled or utilised to create energy.
We are focused on reducing our CO2 footprint through initiatives around use of vehicles and travel along with a focus to reduce our annual footprint through means of reducing waste and energy consumption across the wider Commission.
Details of the Commission's performance - Total travel
Overall emission reduction and/or increase - Total travel
The Commission's 2017 to 2018 baseline: minus 69 percent.
Government's target 2017 to 2018 baseline: minus 30 percent.
| Travel type | 2023 to 2024 | 2022 to 2023 | Baseline 2017 to 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passenger vehicles - cars | |||
| Kilometres (km) | 47,510 | 41,238 | 276,376 |
| Cost | £13,285 | £11,531 | £77,279 |
| tCO2e | 7.79 | 7.03 | 51.32 |
| Number of trips | 468 | 453 | 523 |
| Other domestic rail | |||
| Kilometres (km) | 265,752 | 173,088 | 657,442 |
| Cost | £85,896 | £57,435 | £196,303 |
| tCO2e | 9.42 | 6.14 | 31.03 |
| Number of trips | 1,263 | 885 | 3,660 |
| Other domestic flight | |||
| Kilometres (km) | 9,179 | 4,394 | 50,420 |
| Cost | £1,575 | £739 | £12,173 |
| tCO2e | 1.19 | 0.57 | 13.31 |
| Number of trips | 13 | 5 | 69 |
| Other short haul flight (economy) | |||
| Kilometres (km) | 77,449 | 20,500 | 66,671 |
| Cost | £8,403 | £2,904 | £8,866 |
| tCO2e | 8.36 | 1.69 | 10.95 |
| Number of trips | 25 | 13 | 42 | Other short haul flight (business) |
| Kilometres (km) | 103,129 | 0 | 0 |
| Cost | £33,596 | £0 | £0 |
| tCO2e | 11.13 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Number of trips | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Other international long haul travel | |||
| Kilometres (km) | 15,839 | 126,280 | 133,157 |
| Cost | £4,589 | £20,312 | £7,195 |
| tCO2e | 2.99 | 28.63 | 25.61 |
| Number of trips | 2 | 9 | 6 |
| Total travel | |||
| Kilometres (km) | 518,859 | 365,500 | 1,184,066 |
| Cost | £147,345 | £92,921 | £301,816 |
| tCO2e | 40.89 | 44.06 | 132.22 |
| Number of trips | 1,777 | 1,365 | 4,300 |
Minimising waste and promoting resource efficiency
Data on waste is collated (in line with Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate (SOGE) targets) for all offices and land owned by the Commission:
- waste to landfill (residual office waste)
- waste reused and/or recycled (paper, aluminium cans and glass)
- waste incinerated
- hazardous waste.
| Type | 2023 to 2024 | 2022 to 2023 | Baseline 2017 to 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waste Refuse and paper - (reused and/or recycled) | |||
| tCO2e | 5.31 | 4.36 | 4.13 |
| Cost | £2,212 | £1,676 | £1,352 |
| per full time equivalent staffing | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.1 | Waste Refuse and paper - (incinerated with energy recovery) |
| tCO2e | 12.79 | 12.94 | 14.64 |
| Cost | £1,262 | £1,276 | £380 |
| per full time equivalent staffing | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.05 |
Waste increased in 2023 to 2024; this was primarily due to greater office occupancy and steadily increasing headcount.
Landfill: The target has been achieved, 0 percent of our waste goes to a landfill. Landfill delivery is managed by our landlord, however through consultation we have managed to secure sustainability in our energy supply. Whatever is not recycled is incinerated and used to produce energy.
Recycling: Whilst there is a general trend that the percentages of waste that is recycled has decreased, it is worth noting that the remaining percentage is processed into energy
Single-use consumer plastics are not utilised within the Commission. We do not produce food or food waste, nor do we require single use plastics in any part of our operations. We provide staff with washable cutlery, glasses, and cups. We are currently aligned with the commitment to eliminate all single use consumer plastics.
Total waste, water and paper consumption
| Type | 2023 to 2024 | 2022 to 2023 | Baseline 2017 to 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A4 paper (reams) | |||
| Reams | 5.31 | 4.36 | 4.13 |
| Cost | £657 | £275 | £3,271 |
| per Full Time Equivalent staffing | 0.37 | 0.24 | 4.04 | A3 paper (reams) |
| Reams | 5 | 0 | 40 |
| Cost | £45 | £0 | £198 |
| per Full Time Equivalent staffing | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.12 |
Reducing our water use
The Commission’s water usage has increased by 327m³ year on year; this will primarily be due to greater office occupancy and steadily increasing headcount.
| Type | 2023 to 2024 | 2022 to 2023 | Baseline 2017 to 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water consumption (m³) | 2,446 | 2,119 | 2,067 |
| Water supply costs (office estate) (£) | £4,098 | £3,997 | not applicable |
| per full time equivalent staffing | 6.40 | 6.44 | 6.42 |
Reducing environmental impacts from ICT and Digital
The Commission continuously leverages technology to reduce our overall environmental impact. Initiatives include replacing desk phones with softphones (software for making telephone calls over the internet) and promoting the use of softphones over mobile phones to further reduce our physical impact and footprint. Additionally, improvements to our videoconferencing capabilities support effective hybrid working, thereby minimising the need for travel. All end user equipment is configured with automated sleep timers, and only energy efficient monitors are used. We recycle all ICT plastics, such as toner and ink cartridges, for reuse. More broadly, sustainable ICT solutions will be integrated into the Commission as a standard practice through sustainable procurement, design, implementation, and asset management.
Nature Recovery and biodiversity action planning
The Commission do not own or manage any natural lands or green areas – we are located on the fourth Floor of an office building with no access to roofs and/or gardens, so we have been limited with what we are able to do regarding improving natural assets. We are however moving to a new building in approximately 2026 to 2027 and should the new building grant us opportunity to invest further in this area, we will do so and include in any future reports.
Procuring sustainable products and services
In relation to sustainable procurement, we follow Crown Commercial Services guidelines.
“We follow the Government Buying Standards which set out mandatory minimum standards for goods and services such as paper, office equipment, ICT, cleaning products, furniture, construction and fleet. Our product expertise helps us keep pace with other international standard setting bodies, and where these are more appropriate to consult to ensure we give you access to the best sustainable solutions possible, we do so.”
Government buying standards are adhered to at each procurement level within the Commission.
Andrew Rhodes Chief Executive and Accounting Officer 5 September 2024
Last updated: 17 October 2024
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