{"id":1026,"date":"2021-10-13T18:53:56","date_gmt":"2021-10-13T17:53:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theoneplanetlife.com\/?p=1026"},"modified":"2021-10-17T16:56:49","modified_gmt":"2021-10-17T15:56:49","slug":"swansea-first-council-to-commit-to-one-planet-standard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theoneplanetlife.com\/cy\/swansea-first-council-to-commit-to-one-planet-standard\/","title":{"rendered":"COP26 example: first UK council commits to One Planet Standard!"},"content":{"rendered":"

SWANSEA COUNCIL ANNOUNCE PILOT AS NEW ONE PLANET STANDARD LAUNCHES<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In perfect timing for COP26, the Safon Un Blaned<\/a> was launched on August 28 2021 in collaboration with the Good Governance Institute at the Festival of Good Governance using the hashtag #NOMOR<\/strong><\/u>EGREENWASH! <\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s going to be showcased at COP26<\/strong> in the Green Zone on Oct 11 at 3pm with guests including Sophie Howe, the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales.<\/p>\n

Book to attend here: https:\/\/ukcop26.org\/the-conference\/green-zone-programme-of-events\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Andrea

Andrea Lewis<\/p><\/div>\n

Cllr Andrea Lewis<\/strong>, Deputy Leader of Swansea Council, stepped out of the Labour Party Conference during the launch to announce that Swansea Council will be piloting the new Standard, a good exmple to others of how to respond to COP26.<\/p>\n

Joan Walley,<\/strong> ex-chair of the Commons Environmental Audit Committee, said the Standard “needs to be at the heart of the public and private sector to get everyone on the agenda. You’ve got to have\u00a0 a standard, best practice, auditing and teamwork. It’s not whether we have to act, but how, and this shows how.”<\/p>\n

Former environment minister Jane Davidson<\/strong> talked of the relevance of One Planet Development to the principle of reducing the ecological footprint. “It’s holistic, nothing gets left out,” which is why, she said, the Safon Un Blaned<\/a> i<\/u>s helpful for tracking Scope 3 impacts, and for creating a bespoke culture change plan in organisations.<\/p>\n

Andrew Corbett-Nolan,<\/strong> Director of the Good Governance Institute said the Standard has “real substance and importance”.<\/p>\n

All speakers underscored that “You can’t manage what you can’t measure.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Paul Bridle<\/strong> of Assessment Services spoke of how their independent advice supports a process of continuous improvement.<\/p>\n

Virginia Isaac<\/strong>, the One Planet Centre\u2019s assistant director, spoke of the benefits to busy SMEs, chiefly, that \u201cit’s an investment not a cost\u201d that pays off in many ways.<\/p>\n

How does it work?<\/h3>\n

The One Planet Standard incentivises companies and public bodies to commit to reducing their ecological footprint and helps them create a road map towards net zero with the necessary targets and metrics to keep them on their journey. They will develop a culture of continuous improvement, moving through bronze, silver and gold levels as they reach their targets, guided by independent assessors.<\/p>\n

At its core, the One Planet Standard uses integrated reporting methodology to assist an organisation to measure, account for and improve on the environmental impact of its activities.<\/p>\n

Professor Mervyn King,<\/strong> chair of the Integrated Reporting Council and special advisor to the Good Governance Institute<\/a>, used integrated reporting and the concept of corporate social responsibility to establish clean drinking water as a basic human right sanctioned by the United Nations.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cIt\u2019s the responsibility of every organisation to demonstrate\u00a0 value to their community and society as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Standard\u2019s developer, the One Planet Centre CIC’s founder-director, David Thorpe, <\/strong>said:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe One Planet Standard helps organisations of all types combat climate change and re-introduce more biodiversity and nature into our environment, by adjusting the complete impacts of their activities \u2013 their estate, products, services, and operations. The One Planet Standard will assist organisations to use integrated reporting to account for the progress they are making towards achieving the 17 UN sustainability goals<\/u>.<\/p>\n

The One Planet Standard is supported by the Welsh Future Generations Commissioner, Sophie Howe, and many of the top environmentalists in Wales, a nation recognised as a world leader in this field.<\/p>\n

Sophie Howe <\/strong>on the One Planet Standard:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Standard aligns and builds on my existing advice in the area of decarbonisation and enhancing nature resilience, and it can help not only the public sector but all organisations in Wales with practical actions towards meeting carbon emission and biodiversity targets.\u201c<\/p>\n

Councillor Andrea Lewis, <\/strong>Deputy Leader of Swansea Council, on the council piloting the Standard:<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m confident that we can reach bronze accreditation. The plan is to take the cabinet report to November, not just to outline the climate and nature emergency plan that we have but also to formally commit to adopting the standard, fully engaging with [the Centre] and we really look forward to piloting it and championing it for other local authorities to take part as well.”<\/p>\n

The launch was chaired by Jane Davidson<\/strong>, the architect of the Well-Being of Future Generations Act in\u00a0 Wales, who called the Standard \u201can impressive tool to help people be confident in their emission reduction\u201d.<\/p>\n

Good Governance Institute partner Jaco Marais,<\/strong> who collaborated with the One Planet Centre on the launch of the Standard, said: \u201cThe Good Governance Institute exists to make the world a better, fairer place. We are not na\u00efve. Our impact relies on influencing the organisations we work with, such as the\u00a0 NHS, universities, local authorities and charities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Standard is independently assessed and accredited by Assessment Services Ltd, whose CEO Paul Bridle said at the launch<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re delighted to be supporting the One Planet Centre with their aims to create a better planet. The Standard will help organisations wishing to ensure they play their part in securing the future of our planet in a practical way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cllr Andrea Lewis<\/strong> concluded by saying:<\/p>\n

“It’s important to have measurable standards and an independent set of eyes making sure that we don\u2019t have gaps in things that we should be focusing on. We\u2019ve made a commitment to reach net-zero as a council by 2030. We hope that across the city of Swansea we reach net zero by 2050. But this is about changing behaviours, winning hearts and minds, bringing businesses, bringing the public along with us and of course engaging our staff.”<\/p>\n

Downloading the Standard is free. For more information visit: https:\/\/oneplanetstandard.org\/cy<\/u>.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Notes<\/u> <\/strong><\/p>\n

The Standard was launched on Tuesday (28th) as part of the Good Governance Institute\u2019s Festival of Governance 2021<\/a>. The launch was chaired by Jane Davidson.<\/p>\n

She was joined by a panel including:<\/p>\n