Carbon reduction plan 

Reducing our carbon footprint

Buildings and energy use

In spring 2019, Anna Freud moved to a new purpose-built Centre of Excellence near Kings Cross. The building has been built in line with BREEAM standards and is achieving an Excellent rating. By using high performance materials, energy efficient systems and sustainable power generation our carbon emissions were expected to be 41% less than similar buildings.  

Features which support a carbon neutral building include: 

• Water consumption reduction through rainwater harvesting for flushing toilets, aerator filters, toilet and sink sensors, trickle fed urinal cisterns 
• Green roofs and tanks to reduce rainwater to less than 50%, reducing the impact on the local drainage system 
• Smart energy systems, which return energy to the grid, including solar panels and hot water heated by a CHP 
• High levels of natural light to minimise the waste and cost of artificial light, which is provided via a highly efficient LED system 
• Controls on heat and light, including internal lighting with sensors, external lighting on timers, air handling units with heat reclamation (designed to save 75% in heating energy), and a natural ventilation system and automatic windows to manage room temperature during summer months. 

Additional measures we take to reduce our carbon emissions from our buildings include: 

• Metered energy, monitored annually, provided by a green supplier 
• Signage and stickers to explain sustainability features, reminders to turn off electrical appliances and turn down radiators in rooms not centrally controlled 

• Roof garden with wildflowers and vegetable plots, encouraging bee and insect populations. 

The Anna Freud Centre also has a Northern Hub in Manchester. Huckletree Manchester is our landlord for the Northern Hub. Huckletree are in the process of applying for BREEAM accreditation. 

Business travel and employee commuting

To reduce emissions from business travel and employee commuting we:

• Promote the reduced reliance on cars in preference for cleaner and more efficient modes of transport 
• Offer a Cycle Scheme, secure bicycle storage at our business addresses, and rail season ticket loan scheme for staff 
• Provide video conference facilities to support remote working, and remote delivery of teaching, training and some services 
• Minimise travel budgets on projects to encourage only necessary travel 
• Invest in our digital infrastructure, skills and capacity to deliver remote support and solutions. 

Waste

To reduce emissions from waste we:

• Operate an effective waste management programme, in accordance with WEEE (Waste, Electrical and Electronic Equipment recycling) Regulations 2013, reducing waste to its lowest practical level.  
• Provide recycling points in every office and communal space, including food waste, and regular recycling collections by First Mile. 
• Display signage to encourage ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ attitude. 
• Minimise waste on packaging for bought-in goods 

Printing and paper

We operate paper light working, including: 

• Print settings requiring manual release of jobs 
• Printers automatically set to print double-sided and greyscale 
• Printing cost and allocation system to help staff consider and reconsider if printing is necessary. 
• TV screens in meeting rooms negate the need for hardcopy papers. 

We aim to use natural resources responsibly, and all paper stock is FSC certified. 

Transportation and distribution

The Anna Freud Centre does not routinely transport or distribute goods to service users, customers or stakeholders. 

Organisational culture and ways of working

We recognise that we cannot rely on systems to deliver on our carbon reduction ambitions. The Anna Freud Centre also operates the following ways of working initiatives: 

• A Sustainability Policy, overseen by the Chief Financial Officer 
• A Green Group representing all charity departments to champion green-working practices, initiatives and ideas 
• Regular updates in our staff newsletter about green working, our sustainability policy, and this carbon reduction plan 
• Environmental impact assessments to systematically evaluate all operations and activities against environmental criteria. 

Further initiatives planned

To reduce our emissions, we are also:

• Developing ethical purchasing and procurement guidelines 
• Creating minimum environmental standards for suppliers, partners and collaborators 
• Implementing a continuous improvement methodology to improve the environmental management system 
• Reporting to the Senior Management Team on environmental challenges and achievements, including showing carbon emissions in the target areas for reduction.

Emissions reduction targets

To continue our progress to achieving Net Zero, we have adopted the following carbon reduction targets. 

We project that carbon emissions will decrease over the next five years to 28 tCO2e by 2027. This is a reduction of 25%. 

Declaration 

This carbon reduction plan has been completed in accordance with the Procurement Policy Note 06/21 and associated guidance and reporting standard for carbon reduction plans. 

Emissions have been reported and recorded in accordance with the published reporting standard for Carbon Reduction Plans and the GHG Reporting Protocol corporate standard and uses the appropriate Government emission conversion factors for greenhouse gas company reporting.

Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions have been reported in accordance with SECR requirements, and the required subset of Scope 3 emissions have been reported in accordance with the published reporting standard for Carbon Reduction Plans and the Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard. 

The Anna Freud Centre’s Board of Trustees and company directors have reviewed and approved this plan. 

Signed by 

The Hon Michael Samuel MBE, Chair of Trustees 

Christine Kanu, Chief Financial Officer