Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy

1. Context for the Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy

The  2016–2019 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS):

• sets out the Government of Canada’s sustainable development priorities
• establishes goals and targets
• identifies actions to achieve them, as required by the  Federal Sustainable Development Act

In keeping with the objectives of the Act to make environmental decision-making more transparent and accountable to Parliament, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) supports reporting on the implementation of the FSDS and its Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy, or equivalent document, through the activities described in this supplementary information table.

2. Sustainable Development at Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

NSERC’s Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy for 2017 to 2020 describes the department’s actions in support of achieving Theme IV: shrinking the environmental footprint, beginning with government. This supplementary information table presents available results for the departmental actions pertinent to this goal. Last year’s supplementary information table is posted on the department's website.

3. Departmental performance by FSDS goal

Theme IV: shrinking the environmental footprint, beginning with government

Under Theme IV, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada contributed to the 2013–16 FSDS through two implementation strategies for Goal 7: waste and asset management.

The following table provides performance information on departmental actions in support of the FSDS goal listed in section 2.

FSDS goal: low-carbon government

FSDS target(s)	FSDS contributing action(s)	Corresponding departmental action(s)	Support for UN Sustainable Development Goal target	Starting point(s), target(s) and performance indicator(s) for departmental actions	Results achieved
Target 7.2: green procurement As of April 1, 2014, the Government of Canada will continue to take action to embed environmental considerations into public procurement, in accordance with the federal Policy on Green Procurement.	Support the transition to a low-carbon economy through green procurement	Ensure that decision makers have the necessary training and awareness to support green procurement	12.7	Number and percentage of procurement and/or materiel management specialists who have completed the Canada School of Public Service Green Procurement course (C215) or equivalent, in the given fiscal year.	Planned Number: 5 Planned percentage: 100% FY 2017-18 Result: 100%. Achieved
		Ensure that key officials include contributions to, and support for, the Government of Canada Policy on Green Procurement objectives in their performance evaluations		Number and percentage of managers and functional heads of procurement and materiel whose performance evaluation includes support and contribution toward green procurement, in the given fiscal year.	Planned number: 2 Planned percentage: 100 % FY 2017-18 Result: 100%. Achieved
		Accommodation stays will take place in establishments that have a high environmental rating (three green environmental keys or higher) based on an industry recognized tool.		Number of accommodation stays that meet the target objective relative to the number of all accommodation stays in the year in question.	By March 31 2018: 80 % FY 2017-18 Result: 90%. Achieved
		Toner cartridges are recycled at end of life.		Number of toner cartridges recycled relative to the total number of all toner cartridges purchased in the year in question.	By March 31 2018: 95 % FY 2017-2018 Result: Achieved The corporate printer contract includes full recovery of used toner kits – internal process requires an exchange of spent cartridge for a new one; recycle rate 100%. The few residual stand-alone (personal) printers are managed by individual/divisions. Quantities and rate of recycling is unknown therefore overall result is listed as 95%.
		Implement the use of the Card Authentication function on all printers in order to reduce the cost of printing and continue to configure new printers to minimize excessive printing and re-printing.		Reduce the output cost of printing by reducing the number of documents being taken by mistake by other users printing to the same central machine and having to re-print. Reduce printing in favour of‎ digital ways of working.	By March 31, 2018 : Reduce the cost of paper by 15% FY 2017-2018 Result: Achieved Result from printer device (card authentication): Over all paper cost savings = 25% (reduced paper purchases).

FSDS target(s)	FSDS contributing action(s)	Corresponding departmental action(s)	Support for UN Sustainable Development Goal target	Starting point(s), target(s) and performance indicator(s) for departmental actions	Results achieved
Target 7.3: sustainable workplace operations As of April 1, 2015, the Government of Canada will update and adopt policies and practices to improve the sustainability of its workplace operations		Integrate environmental considerations into procurement management processes and controls<	12.7	Integrate environmental considerations into corporate policies, processes and practices in accordance with departmental refresh cycles	Seeking to reach “Achieved” FY 2017-2018 Result: Achieved
		Maintain or improve existing approaches to sustainable workplace practices (printer ratios, paper usage and green meetings)		Leverage common use procurement instruments where available and feasible.	Seeking to reach “Achieved” FY 2017-2018 Result: Achieved
		Reuse or recycle workplace material and assets in an environmentally sound and secure manner.		Train acquisition cardholders on green procurement.	Seeking to reach “Achieved” FY 2017-2018 Result: Achieved
	Demonstrate innovative technologies	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable
	Promote sustainable travel practices	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable
	Understand climate change impacts and build resilience	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable
	Improve transparency and accountability	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable
	Develop policy for low-carbon government	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable

4. Report on integrating sustainable development

During the 2017–18 reporting cycle, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada had no proposals that required a Strategic Environmental Assessment and no public statements were produced.