International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
www.ifad.org
HQ: Rome, Italy
Number of staff: 900
Number of locations: 30
Key figures
Total emissions: 5,599 tonnes CO2 equivalent
Emissions per staff member: 6.2 tonnes CO2 equivalent
Emissions from air travel: 3,796 tonnes CO2 equivalent
Air travel as a proportion of total emissions: 68%
Air travel per staff member: 4.2 tonnes CO2
Building-related emissions: 71 kg CO2 equivalent per square metre
Mission
IFAD's goal is to empower poor rural women and men in developing countries to achieve higher incomes and improved food security.
Greening achievements to date
- In 2010 IFAD was awarded the prestigious LEED certification by the US Green Building Council. This internationally recognized green building certification was awarded, at the Gold level, in recognition of IFAD's state-of-the-art headquarters design and environmental management practices. A strategic gap analysis was carried out in late 2011 and as a result IFAD will aim for either Gold or Platinum level certification when the current certification expires in 2015.
- A 12% reduction in consumption of electricity between 2008 and 2009, and an additional 3.2 % reduction in 2010.
- All electricity purchased in 2009 and 2010 has been certified as green energy by the Renewable Energy Certificate System (RECS).
- Power consumption in the IFAD data center has remained unchanged since 2008, despite the growing demand for computing resources. Further, new “blade” technology being introduced in the data center will decrease future power consumption.
- IFAD’s external contractor for cleaning services selected on the basis of guarantees to use cleaning products that are biodegradable, phosphate-free, ammonia-free and non-toxic.
- A new parking policy in 2011 to support carpooling and encourage use of public transportation. Provision of shuttle bus to metro station to reduce car usage by staff
- Installing drinking water fountains to reduce usage of plastic water bottles in 2011, as well as distributing free, reusable water bottles to all staff. This has led to a reduction of 27% for the 1, 5 l. bottles and 15% for the 0, 5 l. bottles.
- A 20 % reduction in paper use from January – August 2011 compared with same period in 2010 as a result of a paperless workflow initiative.
- Improved waste management; implemented bins for paper and plastic, glass and metal in all public and open spaces.
- Greening the IFAD page on intranet developed with tips, suggestions, best practice and inbox for ideas.
Next steps
The organization will continue to move forward, exploring new ways to achieve an even greener workplace and further reduce its carbon imprint. Over the coming year this will include:
- Finalization of Emission Reduction Plan during spring 2012.
- Better measurement and monitoring of our emissions and environmental footprint - with clear and monitorable goals for improvement.
- Sustainable corporate procurement guidelines being developed to select products and services on the basis not only of their technical and economical characteristics, but also of their impact on the environment throughout their life cycle (raw materials, production process, use, reuse/recycling, and waste disposal).
Offsetting
Proposals for long term offsetting are outlined in the forthcoming Emission Reduction Plan.
