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Climate Action Plan case study: Library Services work to reduce emissions and waste

Two East Asian women with dark hair standing across a table from a south Asian woman wearing a headscarf and colourful dungarees are making paper using mesh screens. Handmade paper is on a drying rack in the background.
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Two East Asian women with dark hair standing across a table from a south Asian woman wearing a headscarf and colourful dungarees are making paper using mesh screens. Handmade paper is on a drying rack in the background.
Khadijah Carbery running a Generous Waste workshop as part of Earth Quest 2022 | Photograph: Hydar Dewachi

Rowan Williamson, Associate Director of Library Services explains the tangible action being taken in our libraries to reduce our emissions and environmental impact.

We worked on several projects across Library Services this year to address our impact on the environment. We focused on the supply chain, considering how to manage the demand, procurement and disposal of materials in a more sustainable way.

Reducing carbon emissions

We sought to reduce the carbon emissions of our daily courier service between sites. On revisiting the service this year, we renegotiated the contract stipulating the use of electric vehicles. While ad hoc couriers, using petrol vehicles, are still needed in some instances, we hope that all vehicle use will be zero carbon in the future.

Influencing the Green Supply Chain

Karen Carden, Resources and Systems Manager, has been representing all UK libraries on the Book Industry Communication (BIC) Green Supply Chain Committee. The Committee is made up of publishers and their representative trade bodies, booksellers, and sector bodies such as CILIP and the British Library.

They are working to identify the carbon footprint of the book industry using supply chain data. The project helps organisations to establish best practice and monitor their own environmental impact. Part 1 of the Design for Recycling Project (Life Cycle Assessment) is now published.

Reuse and recycling

This year, three libraries were refurbished and three new library sites were opened. While procuring sustainable furniture has been challenging, we have found opportunities

for re-use. Furniture has been sourced and refurbished from across all sites for new spaces and we have identified specialist recycling for items that could not be reused.