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Sector Sustainability Challenge

Recognising the continuing need to integrate sustainability into business practice and the products and services they provide, government is once again running the Sector Sustainability Challenge.

This builds on the successes of the 2005/06 Challenge, which helped sectors to deliver practical actions addressing differing aspects of sustainable consumption and production.

The deadline for applications is 13 October 2006.

Introduction

Government remains committed to “doing more with less” reflected in its Sustainable Development Strategy “Securing the Future” and its drive for more sustainable patterns of consumption and production. Business and sectors have a major role to play in this, through improving resource productivity, boosting business competitiveness and decoupling economic growth and environmental degradation.

Recognising the continuing need to integrate sustainability into business practice and the products / services they provide, Government is to once again run The Sector Sustainability Challenge building on the successes of last year’s Challenge, which helped sectors to deliver practical actions addressing differing aspects of sustainable consumption and production.

Background

Experience to date demonstrates that proactive sectoral bodies willingly engage in activities promoting sustainable activities for a number of reasons, including:

  • to raise awareness amongst their members
  • to protect and enhance the reputation of the sector by collective action,
  • to increase competitiveness of member companies,
  • to take advantage of hard commercial benefits,
  • to be able to respond effectively to national/EC legislation,
  • to build good relations with stakeholders
  • to help members appreciate the contribution they need to make to help create a one planet economy.

The Pioneers Group played a significant part in stimulating initial behavioural change (e.g. helping sectors to translate concepts and generalities into practical actions and outputs delivering clear benefits), including new organisational structures and new approaches to collaboration.

The key output of the Pioneers mostly involved the publication of sector strategy documents and progress reports. As a follow up to this, in 2005 the Government introduced the Sectoral Sustainability Challenge to help fund individual projects designed to take this further and stimulate practical action.

Case studies from the 2005/06 Sector Sustainability Challenge

Case studies from last year’s Sector Challenge illustrate how different sectors responded to this opportunity and helped us understand further the drivers for different sectors. Encouraged by their success we (Defra and DTI) are inviting similar projects to apply for support available under this year’s Challenge.

Sector Sustainability Challenge 2006/07

This year’s Challenge aims to build on what has been demonstrated so far by again seeking to stimulate forms of practical action by sector bodies and their members for their benefit and from which others might also learn.

We are looking to support projects that focus on practical action across sectors or within supply chains and particularly ones involving the development and dissemination of best practice, benchmarking or product based initiatives.

Aims and objectives

Sector Sustainability Challenge funding will be made available to support a limited number of initiatives promoting, developing, or implementing practical actions that lead to improved performance across a sector.

This would ideally include one or more of the following actions:

  • Researching and evaluating best practice initiatives. Compiling and disseminating results throughout the sector and beyond.
  • Developing practical toolkits to promote best practice, enhance sustainability performance and innovation.
  • Enhancing sustainable development skills through development of formal training/awareness raising.
  • Trade Associations collating data in order to set their members benchmarks (e.g. on water/energy use) and obtaining real commitments to sign up to them.
  • Contributing to the development of high impact "product roadmaps" as outlined in the Sustainable Consumption Roundtable report "I will if you will" including, collection of data to identify where the largest environmental impacts occur in the product's life cycle and development of best practice interventions (eg. better design, closing the loop, different sourcing of raw materials) to reduce those impacts.
  • Demonstration projects that seek to apply the Sustainable Procurement Taskforce’s "Flexible Framework" within the sector and evaluate its impact.
  • Supply Chain Initiatives – encouraging the supply chain in the take up of Environmental Management Systems or resource/energy efficiency programmes etc.
  • Given the nature of Challenge, we are receptive to and would encourage collaborative projects - Trade Associations/Sector Bodies working with others or with specific groups of companies or with academia.
Desirable outcomes
  • Increased focus on product lifecycle and product road maps.
  • More wide spread consumer Raising awareness throughout the sector on key aspects of sustainable consumption and production
  • Enhanced shared understanding within sector and key supply-chains of opportunities, obstacles and solutions to achieving more sustainable patterns of consumption and production.
  • Stimulating real sector wide action and improvements and enhanced collaboration between sectors or through supply chains with a lasting legacy.
  • Identifying best practice within the sector and disseminating to members
  • Workforce at all levels demonstrating knowledge of operational impacts and how to address them.

Successful proposals will demonstrate quantifiably the ability to deliver:

  • Tangible action towards improving collective business performance (within the sector/supply chain).
  • Change in behaviour be it through business or consumers.
  • Evidence on the impact of the activities.

While demonstrating some of the following:

  • Innovation
  • Impact
  • Feasibility (referencing timescales/limited funding)
  • Commitment from sector; match funding (cash or in kind).
  • Level of collaboration – extent of joint working particularly with other relevant bodies.
Funding

£100k is available in total for the Sector Sustainability Challenge over the financial year 2006-07.

In view of the limited funding bids are expected to be in the region of £10,000 - £25,000. However, all bids regardless of amount sought will be considered. The offers to successful bidders may not match the sum applied for.

Process and timing

Proposals must be submitted by no later than 13 October 2006 to:

Gerry Duignan
email: gerry.duignan@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Defra

Proposals will be assessed jointly by a team from DTI/Defra/Sustainable Development Commission and applicants will be notified by 27 October 2006.

Note: The Departments will look to release information concerning successful projects, and may use them in various literature and publications. Projects will be notified in this event.

The Departments may also be required to release information, including personal data and commercial information, on request under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 or the Freedom of Information Act 2000. However, the Departments will not permit any unwarranted breach of confidentiality nor will we act in contravention of our obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998.

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Page published: 18 August 2006

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs