1. Context for the Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy
The 2016–2019 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS):
- sets out the Government of Canada’s sustainable development priorities;
- establishes goals and targets; and
- identifies actions to achieve them, as required by the Federal Sustainable Development Act.
In keeping with the objectives of the Act to make environmental decision-making more transparent and accountable to Parliament, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) supports reporting on the implementation of the FSDS and its Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy, or equivalent document, through the activities described in this supplementary information table.
2. Sustainable Development in SSHRC
SSHRC’s Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy for 2017 to 2020 describes the department’s actions in support of achieving the low-carbon government. This supplementary information table presents available results for the departmental actions pertinent to this goal. Last year’s supplementary information table is posted on the department’s website. This year, SSHRC is also noting which UN Sustainable Development Goal target each departmental action contributes to achieving.
3. Departmental performance by FSDS goal
Context for the FSDS goal: low-carbon government
FSDS goal: low-carbon government
| FSDS target(s) |
FSDS contributing action(s) |
Corresponding departmental action(s) |
Support for UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target* |
Starting point(s), target(s) and performance indicator(s) for departmental actions |
Results achieved† |
| Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from federal government buildings and fleets by 40% below 2005 levels by 2030, with an aspiration to achieve it by 2025 |
Support the transition to a low-carbon economy through green procurement |
Ensure that decision-makers have the necessary training and awareness to support green procurement |
SDG 12.7 |
100% |
Achieved |
| Ensure that key officials include contributions to, and support for, the Government of Canada Policy on Green Procurement objectives in their performance evaluations |
100% |
Achieved |
| Number of toner cartridges recycled relative to the total number of all toner cartridges purchased in the year in question |
95% |
The corporate printer contract includes full recovery of used toner kits—internal process requires an exchange of spent cartridge for a new one; recycle rate 100%.
The few residual stand-alone (personal) printers are managed by individual/divisions. Quantities and rate of recycling is unknown therefore overall result is listed as 95%. |
| Reduce the output cost of printing by reducing the number of documents being taken by mistake by other users printing to the same central machine and having to reprint. |
Reduce the cost of paper by 15% |
Over all paper cost savings: 25% |
| Promote sustainable travel practices |
Number of accommodation stays that meet the target objective relative to the number of all accommodation stays in the year in question |
SDG 12.7 |
80% |
Achieved—96% |
* This new element shows how departments are contributing to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals and targets.
† This column is new.
4. Report on integrating sustainable development
During the 2017–18 reporting cycle, SSHRC had no proposals that required a Strategic Environmental Assessment and no public statements were produced.