ARCHIVED - Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat - Supplementary Tables

Has the department incorporated environmental performance considerations in its procurement decision-making processes?

Yes

Summary of initiatives to incorporate environmental performance considerations in procurement decision-making processes:

The Secretariat's Sustainable Development Working Group meets regularly to review management of the greening of the Secretariat's operations in such areas as procurement, fleet accommodations, assets, energy conservation, information technology, and paper consumption and recycling.

The Secretariat incorporated the ability to track green procurement through its financial management system (Materiel Management Module).

The Secretariat is currently undergoing an analysis of its acquisition card program in order to maximize the benefits from a green procurement perspective. The results of this analysis will have a direct impact on its green procurement purchases. All acquisition card holders will receive a training package from the coordinator upon receipt of the card. This includes a document of considerations for green procurement purchases.

Results achieved:

• Sustainable Development Working Group has been formed.
• Green procurement training (Campusdirect course on government-wide green procurement) for all procurement and contracting staff is complete, and all staff have certificates.
• The capacity to track green procurement in SAP (financial management system) has been implemented.

Contributions to facilitate government-wide implementation of green procurement:

The Secretariat collaborates with Public Works and Government Services Canada and Environment Canada in the delivery of the Secretariat's responsibilities under Section 8 of the Policy on Green Procurement. This includes developing guidance related to green procurement, contributing to the development of training courses, and providing advice on performance measurement and reporting. The Secretariat also relies on the expertise of Natural Resources Canada in implementing the policy.

Has the department established green procurement targets?

Yes

Summary of green procurement targets:

(1) Introduce green procurement training for 60 per cent of acquisition card holders and ensure that new materiel managers also receive green procurement training

Benefits—Better awareness and application of the Policy on Green Procurement and improved tracking of green procurement performance

(2) Continue to ensure the purchase of green office furniture

Benefits—Increased purchase of better quality furniture, decrease in long-term costs, and improved air quality

(3) Evaluate the multi-function document manager pilot program

Benefits—Depending on the results of the evaluation, improved air quality as well as cost savings from the decrease in paper and energy use and the more efficient use of resources

(4) Update the recycling program to increase the landfill waste diversion rate to 75 per cent

Benefits—Improved waste diversion rate in the facilities occupied by the Department of Finance Canada and the Secretariat

(5) Continue and possibly expand the paper towel composting program

Benefits—Improved waste diversion rate in the facilities occupied by the Department of Finance Canada and the Secretariat

(6) Ensure all vehicles purchased meet the Treasury Board Directive on Fleet Management: Executive Vehicles

Benefits—Improved fuel efficiency and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

(7) Ninety per cent of gasoline purchased will be ethanol-blended, where available

Benefits—Reduced dependence on fossil-based fuels and reduced GHG emissions

(8) Introduce green and defensive driver training for new fleet drivers

Benefits—Improved fuel efficiency and reduced GHG emissions

(9) Purchase lighting user controls to reduce GHG emissions by 5 per cent at L'Esplanade Laurier

Benefits—Decreased energy consumption and reduced GHG emissions

(10) Develop a shared environmental management system

Benefits—Compliance, due diligence, and reduced environmental risk

(11) Increase Green Citizenship Network membership by 25 per cent and improve opportunities for employee participation, including in green procurement programming

Benefits—Decreased consumption of resources through awareness and program delivery

Results achieved:

The Secretariat's green procurement targets were closely aligned with the Secretariat's former Sustainable Development Strategy, which covered the period from 2007 to the end of 2009. Most of these targets have been fulfilled and reported in the Secretariat's 2008–09 DPR under Table 3: Sustainable Development Strategy. Continued tracking of the targets over 2009–10 proved challenging because they had been developed under the former organizational structure where the Department of Finance Canada and the Secretariat shared corporate services, including procurement functions.

Early in 2009, the Secretariat underwent organizational changes that involved the integration of employees from the Department of Finance Canada into the Secretariat to provide dedicated services and a new Corporate Services Sector. In addition, the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer was created from the former Canada Public Service Agency and selected Secretariat functions.

As a result of these changes, the Secretariat is lacking comprehensive data to report on all targets listed in the Green Procurement Table for the period 2009–10. However, the Secretariat has made significant efforts to advance its green procurement up to and including the relevant reporting period. Specifically, all acquisition card holders now receive a training package that includes a document of consideration for green procurement purchases. This is a step to increase awareness and change previous procurement practices. The training is consistent with the Policy on Green Procurement.

In addition, general awareness of greening operations is strengthened through the continued use of the Green Citizenship Network. The Secretariat has also met its green procurement target to ensure that all purchased vehicles meet the Treasury Board Directive on Fleet Management: Executive Vehicles. The Secretariat's recycling has been improved through the introduction of paper towel recycling at L'Esplanade Laurier. The Secretariat also purchased and installed more centralized printers to decrease paper consumption. All paper purchases are green as the Secretariat only purchases recycled paper.

Work initiated prior to 2009–10 to modernize lighting continued throughout the fiscal year to make the lighting at L'Esplanade Laurier more efficient and to minimize energy consumption and reduce GHG emissions (new switches and motion censors have been installed). Desktop computers are also set to shut down after a time period of not being in use.

In preparation for the implementation of the Federal Sustainable Development Act, the Secretariat is also directing its efforts toward establishing mechanisms to effectively track and report on new green procurement targets.