About Us

Environmental Policy

GCHQ Environmental Policy Statement

This environmental policy statement is consistent with the Greening Government Commitments. It underpins GCHQ’s Sustainable Development Action Plan.

GCHQ recognises that the day-to-day operations and activities at its sites can impact upon the environment in many ways. Therefore, we are committed to minimising our negative environmental impacts.

This policy commits GCHQ to the following:

Identifying and complying with all environmental legislation and associated regulations relevant to its activities; specifying that contractors do the same when working on our sites
Using energy and water in a responsible and economic way to minimise negative impacts on the environment
Avoiding, where reasonably practical, the use of environmentally damaging substances and materials and those harmful to human health.
Identifying significant environmental aspects of our activities and seeking continual improvement in our environmental performance, through implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS) compliant with ISO 14001
Working with suppliers and contractors through a sustainable procurement strategy to improve sustainability performance
Minimising the generation of waste. Choosing to re-use and recycle waste wherever possible and minimise waste to landfill
Implementing travel plans for business and commuter travel that minimise environmental impact
Preserving and enhancing biodiversity on our estate wherever possible
Preventing damage to the environment resulting from the release of polluting substances

This policy is freely available to all staff, contractors and any other interested parties. It will be reviewed annually to ensure it continues to reflect GCHQ’s commitment to the environment.

Travel Plan

GCHQ is committed to further improving the sustainability of our travel choices and helping our staff do the same.

Download the 2012 Travel Plan