Report
Annual Report and Accounts 2022 to 2023
The Gambling Commission's 2022 to 2023 Annual Report and Accounts. For the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.
Sustainability report
Greening Government Commitments reporting
The Gambling Commission subscribes to a number of targets including the mandatory Greening Government Commitments (GGC) for reducing energy, water, paper, reducing travel emissions and managing waste. These targets were updated during 2022 to 2023 with a new target period to 2025.
The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions target for the Commission is a reduction in total emissions and in direct emissions compared to previous years. These targets are restricted to our corporate operations. We recognise a small increase in the Commission’s total GHG tonnage from 40.97 to 47.13 for scopes 1 and 2 from 2021 to 2022, to 2022 to 2023 and an increase from gross emissions attributable to scope 3 from 5.41 to 44.06 due to increased business travel, as 2021 to 2022 travel was still restricted due to COVID-19. We have also doubled our expenditure on energy over the last year, but this is largely attributable to price increases as opposed to usage as reflected previously in the paragraph.
Sustainability recognises that the three pillars of the economy, society and the environment are interconnected. It is a long-term, integrated approach, to achieving quality of life improvements while respecting the need to live within environmental limits.
Adapting to climate change
The Commission has undertaken a significant investment in technology to support hybrid working, reducing emissions in commuting to and from work, and work-related travel.
As a single site organisation in a shared, listed building, our ability to influence meaningful change is limited. We can and will look for further reductions in travel and other carbon producing activities. For these reasons, a Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) has not been undertaken to date but will be considered in future years.
Details of the Commission's performance - Total travel
Overall emission reduction and/or increase - Total travel
The Gambling Commission's 2017 to 2018 baseline: minus 69 percent.
Government's target 2017 to 2018 baseline: minus 30 percent.
| Travel type | 2022 to 2023 | 2021 to 2022 | Baseline 2017 to 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passenger vehicles - cars | |||
| Kilometres (km) | 41,238 | 2,266 | 276,376 |
| Cost | £11,531 | £3,695 | £77,279 |
| tCO2e | 7.03 | 0.63 | 51.32 |
| Number of trips | 453 | 146 | 523 |
| Other domestic rail | |||
| Kilometres (km) | 173,088 | 70,118 | 657,442 |
| Cost | £57,435 | £27,163 | £196,303 |
| tCO2e | 6.14 | 3.18 | 31.03 |
| Number of trips | 885 | 411 | 3,660 |
| Other domestic flight | |||
| Kilometres (km) | 4,394 | 830 | 50,420 |
| Cost | £739 | £96 | £12,173 |
| tCO2e | 0.57 | 0.20 | 13.31 |
| Number of trips | 5 | 1 | 69 |
| Other short haul flight (economy) | |||
| Kilometres (km) | 20,500 | 12,044 | 66,671 |
| Cost | £2,904 | £1,258 | £8,866 |
| tCO2e | 1.69 | 1.40 | 10.95 |
| Number of trips | 13 | 5 | 42 |
| Other international long haul travel | |||
| Kilometres (km) | 126,280 | 0 | 133,157 |
| Cost | £20,312 | £0 | £7,195 |
| tCO2e | 28.63 | 0.00 | 25.61 |
| Number of trips | 9 | 0 | 6 |
| Total travel | |||
| Kilometres (km) | 365,500 | 85,258 | 1,184,066 |
| Cost | £92,921 | £32,212 | £301,816 |
| tCO2e | 44.06 | 5.41 | 132.22 |
| Number of trips | 1,365 | 563 | 4,300 |
Summary of Greening Government Commitments (GGC) performance
In 2021 to 2022, we saw a decrease in gas and water use, and an increase in electricity use compared to 2020 to 2021.
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 Greenhouse Gas (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 Gambling Commission's 2017 to 2018 baseline: minus 62 percent.
Government's target 2017 to 2018 baseline: minus 58 percent.
| Scope | Type | 2022 to 2023 | 2021 to 2022 | Baseline 2017 to 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scope 1 | ||||
| tCO2e | Gas | 8.07 | 6.08 | 4.55 |
| Kilowatt hour (kWh) | Gas | 44,206 | 33,189 | 24,725 |
| Cost | Gas | £10,823 | £10,103 | £9,148 |
| per full time equivalent staffing | Gas | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.01 | Scope 2 |
| tCO2e | Electricity | 39.06 | 34.89 | 102.45 |
| Kilowatt hour (kWh) | Electricity | 185,044 | 150,966 | 266,504 |
| Cost | Electricity | £51,938 | £30,346 | £28,139 |
| per full time equivalent staffing | Electricity | 0.12 | 0.10 | 0.32 | Scope 3 |
| tCO2e | Travel | 44.06 | 5.41 | 132.22 |
| Kilowatt hour (kWh) | Travel | 365,500 | 85,258 | 1,184,066 |
| Cost | Travel | £92,921 | £32,212 | £301,816 |
| per full time equivalent staffing | Travel | 0.13 | 0.02 | 0.41 |
| Total tCO2e | - | 91.9 | 46.38 | 239.22 |
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 Gambling Commission:
- waste to landfill (residual office waste)
- waste reused and/or recycled (paper, aluminium cans and glass)
- waste incinerated
- hazardous waste.
Waste increased in 2022 to 2023, this will primarily be due to greater office occupancy post COVID-19.
Total Information and Communication Technology (ICT) waste recycled, reused and recovered (externally)
Waste minimisation and management and finite resource consumption - Waste Refuse and paper
Overall emission reduction and/or increase - Waste Refuse and paper
Reused and/or recycled
The Gambling Commission's 2017 to 2018 baseline: minus 6 percent.
Government's target 2017 to 2018 baseline: minus 70 percent.
Incinerated with energy recovery
The Gambling Commission's 2017 to 2018 baseline: minus 12 percent.
Government's target 2017 to 2018 baseline: minus 5 percent.
| Type | 2022 to 2023 | 2021 to 2022 | Baseline 2017 to 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waste Refuse and paper - (reused and/or recycled) | |||
| tCO2e | 4.36 | 3.64 | 4.13 |
| Cost | £1,676 | £2,839 | £1,352 |
| per full time equivalent staffing | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.1 | Waste Refuse and paper - (incinerated with energy recovery) |
| tCO2e | 12.94 | 7.96 | 14.64 |
| Cost | £1,276 | £1,298 | £380 |
| per full time equivalent staffing | 0.04 | 0.02 | 0.05 |
Waste minimisation and management and finite resource consumption - A4 and A3 paper reams
Overall emission reduction and/or increase - A4 and A3 paper reams.
A4 paper reams
The Gambling Commission's 2017 to 2018 baseline: minus 94 percent.
Government's target 2017 to 2018 baseline: minus 50 percent.
A3 paper reams
The Gambling Commission's 2017 to 2018 baseline: minus 100 percent.
Government's target 2017 to 2018 baseline: minus 50 percent.
| Type | 2022 to 2023 | 2021 to 2022 | Baseline 2017 to 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A4 paper reams | |||
| Reams | 80 | 30 | 1,300 |
| Cost | £275 | £81 | £3,271 |
| per full time equivalent staffing | 0.24 | 0.08 | 4.04 | A3 paper reams |
| Reams | not applicable | 5 | 40 |
| Cost | not applicable | £29 | £198 |
| per full time equivalent staffing | not applicable | 0.01 | 0.12 |
Due to being tenants in a commercial building, we have not been able to secure all the information expected in accordance with the Government Financial Reporting Manual (FReM). We have estimated costs based on available contract rates and average market rates. We will continue to work with our landlords to ensure this is available for 2023 to 2024.
Use of finite resources
This category is broken down into use of water, energy and other finite resources. Water sources are classified by the following.
Scope 1:
Water owned or controlled by the Commission. This would include water reserves in lakes, reservoirs and boreholes.
Scope 2:
Purchased water, steam or ice. This would include mains water supply as well as other deliveries of water for example for coolers.
Scope 3:
Other indirect water. This would include embodied water emissions in products and services.
Reducing our water use
The Commission’s water usage has increased by 52m³ year on year; this will primarily be due to greater office occupancy post COVID-19.
Total waste, water and paper consumption
Overall emission reduction and/or increase - Water usage
The Gambling Commission's 2017 to 2018 baseline: minus 3 percent.
Government's target 2017 to 2018 baseline: minus 8 percent.
| Type | 2022 to 2023 | 2021 to 2022 | Baseline 2017 to 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water consumption (m³) | 2,119 | 2,067 | 2,067 |
| Water supply costs (office estate) (£) | £4,098 | £3,997 | not applicable |
| per full time equivalent staffing | 6.44 | 5.86 | 6.42 |
Consumer single use plastics
Consumer Single Use Plastics (CSUP) are not used within the Gambling Commission. We do not produce food or food wastes, nor do we require use of single use plastics anywhere in our operation. We provide staff with washable cutlery, glasses and cups. We currently meet the Government’s commitment to remove all CSUPs.
Reducing environmental impacts from Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and digital
The Commission continues to utilise technology to improve our overall environmental impact. Recent initiatives include replacing desk phones with softphones (software for making telephone calls over the internet) and encouraging the use of softphones over mobiles further supports a reduction in our physical impact and footprint.
In addition, improvements to our videoconferencing provision seeks to aid and enable effective hybrid working, reducing the need for travel. All end user equipment is configured with automated sleep timers and only energy efficient monitors are in use. We recycle all Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plastics to be re-used (for example toner and ink cartridges). Redundant end user equipment (for example laptops and mobile phones) is recycled for reuse and surplus office furniture is donated to charity for reuse.
More broadly, sustainable ICT solutions will be integrated into the Commission as standard, via sustainable procurement, design, implementation, and asset management.
Procuring sustainable products and services
Many of the Commission’s contracts are awarded through pan government frameworks operated by Crown Commercial Services (CCS). This allows us to take advantage of the CCS active sustainable procurement policy to ensure that environmental obligations are properly reflected. CCS has also implemented the DEFRA2 sustainable procurement prioritisation tool to support decision making and, where appropriate, sustainability obligations are included within contracts let by CCS to ensure that:
- goods and services are purchased on a whole life cost basis
- performance can be monitored throughout the life of the contract.
During 2022 to 2023, 35 percent of our procurement expenditure was sourced from Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) for supply of goods and services across the Commission, which is above the Government’s 25 percent target (13 percent, 2022 to 2022), which is due to the increased expenditure for the National Lottery competition.
Mitigating climate change: working towards Net Zero by 2050
During 2023, the Commission will start development of a strategy for sustainability and climate change that runs through all of its operations and functions to work towards Net Zero by 2050. To deliver these, four specific action areas have been established to support delivery.
Climate education
Focus on providing support to our employees to ensure excellent learning in climate change and a greater emphasis on nature. This will ensure that all employees have robust climate change knowledge that can be used both at work and at home. It will include education and skills for a changing world: preparing all people for a world impacted by climate change through learning and practical experience.
Net Zero
Reducing direct and indirect emissions from all aspects of our work, driving innovation to meet legislative targets practically in the transition to Net Zero.
Supply chains and operations
Ensure all employees consider the environment in all they do, from their choice of suppliers and products (such as energy and ICT supplies) to choice of travel mode. More broadly, by the end of 2023 we will ensure sustainability is part of the assessment and validation criteria for including suppliers on procurement frameworks, to support sustainable purchasing of products and services (including energy).
Hybrid working
We will continue to refine our hybrid working arrangements to ensure that travel to and from our office and other work related travel activities are minimised where possible. We will continue to invest in equipment and technology that supports this way of working.
Nature recovery and biodiversity action planning
In accordance with our biodiversity duty, we will complete our first consideration of what action to take for biodiversity by 1 January 2024.
Andrew Rhodes
Chief Executive and Accounting Officer
19 July 2023
Performance analysis
Last updated: 18 October 2023
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