Sustainability and environmental protection: Sustainability management in the GRC

The aim is to continuously check the energy consumption, to specifically identify large consumers and to initiate measures to reduce energy consumption (e.g. replacement of inefficient lighting). For this purpose, an energy audit is carried out at the GRC HQ every four years. Furthermore, the audit serves to monitor and benchmark consumption values. 

The aim of the GRC HQ's travel policy is to reduce CO2 emissions. Therefore, every business trip must be checked to see if it is necessary or whether alternative solutions can be considered, e.g. telephone or video conferences. The necessity of a trip must be briefly justified in the travel request.  

When travelling, trains are preferred to aeroplanes and cars. Domestic flights should be avoided as far as possible. The possibility of CO2 offsets will be investigated by the GRC internal working group. If a car is necessary, car-pooling should be made use of, if possible. If a car has to be rented, the rental of an electric car should be preferred. 

Job interviews should be conducted virtually, at least in the pre-selection phase, to avoid unnecessary travel. 

Travel documents should only be printed out if required by law or by the donor. 

When organising and carrying out events, it is important to act as resource oriented as possible. For sustainable event planning, it is particularly important to minimise use of disposable products and to reduce waste. Sustainability and climate friendliness can also be regarded in the choice of venue and catering.  

For example, when choosing a caterer, sustainability criteria such as the use of regional products should be considered. When looking for a venue, a good connection to the public transport network to avoid trips by taxi should be assured. 

Recommendations and guidelines for sustainable event planning exist and are made available to employees for orientation, including a collection of sustainable suppliers, caterers and venues.  

In the area of procurement, not only the legal requirements should be fulfilled, but also international and national agreements, conventions and strategies on sustainability should be considered. The aim is to implement sustainability aspects firmly, bindingly, and comprehensively in the procurement process. 

Sustainable procurement is understood as the consideration of economic, ecological, and social aspects as decision-making criteria in the entire procurement process.  

Negative environmental impacts should be avoided in the production, delivery, use, and disposal of the goods or services to be procured, taking into account economic and operational aspects. The use of environmentally friendly products compared to conventional products is recommended. 

The employees of the GRC are encouraged to examine which sustainability criteria can be implemented and realised in the individual procurement process.  

In the procurement process, the following approaches should be followed: 

• Consideration of sustainability in the tender specifications or in technical requirements or implementation specifications. 
• Consideration of sustainability in the context of the bidder's suitability, and 
• Consideration of sustainability in the award criteria. 

Many discarded materials can be reused through waste separation and recycling. As a result, raw materials and energy may be saved compared to the production of new materials. 

In favour of waste avoidance, the five-stage waste hierarchy should be followed. It is also anchored in §6 of the German Circular Economy Act. According to this, the primary goal is to prevent waste from being generated in the first place. If this is not possible, only reusable materials should be used, and these should then actually be recycled. Remaining materials which cannot be reused or recycled should be disposed of in an ecologically sound manner. 

To achieve this, the GRC HQ must critically question its consumption habits, waste production and disposal systems and optimise them step by step towards less wastage, more resource efficiency and structured waste separation. 

To this end, the measures for waste avoidance, recycling and waste separation are to be continuously evaluated and improved. 

The GRC HQ and its staff are the first to be affected by the policy in their day-to-day work. At the same time, they are of central importance regarding a "living policy". Communication within the GRC in Germany should include all levels of the association, the voluntary and the full-time staff. Numerous initiatives already show that there is interest and willingness to promote a sustainable GRC. 

The most important target groups outside the GRC are other National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Some of them are already working intensively in the field of climate change adaptation and environmental sustainability. Regarding anticipatory humanitarian aid GRC is already known for its expertise within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The policy will be used as an opportunity to inform the partners about the long-term, and sustainability-promoting work within and with the GRC. 

Outside of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, it is the public and private donors, as well as the supporting members, who form a central pillar of the GRC's work. They also request a more sustainable handling and implementation of projects. 

The media and the public are also of great importance for the success of the GRC's work. The desire and demand for more climate protection is becoming increasingly evident in many different societal groups. The GRC's goal is to become visibly, credibly, and proactively involved in this discourse and to be perceived in it as an organisation that takes sustainability seriously - in its day-to-day business and across its various fields of activity and impact.