2 SUSTAINABILITY THEMES
1/ Environmental:
With respect to environmental sustainability, City of
Glasgow College will play a major role in the strategy to
secure a 'Sustainable Glasgow' and reach the Scottish
Governments target of net zero from all greenhouse
gas emissions by 2040 at the latest. Through our
commitment to minimising our impact on the environment
and development of sustainable estates initiatives, we
aim to improve our energy effi ciency, reduce our carbon
footprint and infl uence positive behaviours amongst our
staff and student population.
We will embed the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals within our strategies, policies and
procedures in reaching all parts of the College. Working
with Procurement and our supply chain, we will measure
our actual carbon emissions and aim to reduce our scope
3 impact in line with our 2045 targets of net zero.
We will raise awareness of our impact within the
curriculum and promote green travel. The College
acknowledges the climate emergency and will do
everything possible to achieve the aims and objectives set
out in this document.
2/ Financial:
As a publicly funded body, the College is bound by
the requirements of the SFC Financial Memorandum
(FM) and, as an assigned college, by the Financial
Memorandum with the Glasgow Colleges Regional Board
(GCRB). This requires the College to comply with the
principles set out in the Code of Good Governance for
Scotland's Colleges. SFC also requires the governing
body to ensure that public funds are used in accordance
with relevant legislation and only for the purpose(s) for
which they were given.
The FM also requires that the College is open and
transparent in its use of public funds - to be able to
justify publicly its decisions, to secure value for money,
and be effi cient and economical. We are also required to
exercise effective planning, manage risk, and to ensure
that the College is being managed on a sustainable basis
year on year. This includes an imperative to ensure that
the College generates suffi cient income to cover its
costs and allow for maintenance of and investment in
its infrastructure (physical, human and intellectual) at a
level which enables it to maintain the adaptive capacity
necessary to meet future demands.
The College Board of Management has also charged
the Executive with securing diversifi cation of income
to better balance the demand from commercial clients
and to protect the College from some of the variations
associated with reliance on public sector funding.
Procurement
It is the City of Glasgow College's obligation to meet
the requirements of the Sustainable Procurement
Duty. In doing so the College will give consideration
to the environmental, social and economic issues
relating to not just regulated procurements, but
all procurements. Identifying how benefi ts
can be accrued, on a contract-by-contract
basis, by taking proportionate actions to
include Climate Change objectives, and
involve SMEs, third sector bodies
and supported businesses in our
procurement activities, benefi ts
not only the College but the
wider community.
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