Contents

Introduction

Our Vision 2030 states that the Nordic Region will become the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030, with the initiative divided into three strategic priority areas: A green Nordic Region, a competitive Nordic Region, and a socially sustainable Nordic Region. The action plan for the Vision for the period 2021 to 2024 states that the Paris Agreement and Agenda 2030 shall lead the way, and that the Nordic Region must work even more ambitiously and faster than the rest of the world. Under the strategic priority of a green Nordic Region, the overall objective is:

Together, we will promote a green transition of our societies and work towards carbon neutrality and a sustainable circular and bio-based economy.

Through the Declaration of Helsinki on carbon neutrality, the five Nordic prime ministers made a commitment to work towards carbon neutrality. In this, they encourage Nordic companies, investors, local authorities, towns, organisations and consumers to step up their own efforts towards achieving carbon neutrality.

Nordens Hus as a good example

Based on our Vision, the organisations of the Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic Council and the Nordic Culture Fund – all located in Nordens Hus in Copenhagen – must turn their attention to their own operations. It is for this reason that the three organisations have chosen to join forces on a joint climate and environmental action plan which will ensure that the organisations themselves and Nordens Hus work actively and purposefully towards the goal of carbon neutrality. This will be achieved by:

• measuring emissions,
• setting targets for reduction,
• implementing changes in order to achieve the goals, and
• ongoing monitoring to ensure that the goals are achieved.

Together, we will make Nordens Hus a future-oriented workplace that will set a good example and contribute positively to Our Vision 2030, the declaration on carbon neutrality and of course, Agenda 2030 and the Paris Agreement.

Background

Our Vision 2030 was adopted by the Nordic prime ministers in August 2019 and states that the Nordic Region will become the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030. In order to realise this vision, there are three strategic areas to be prioritised in the work of the Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers over the next four years, namely: a green Nordic Region, a competitive Nordic Region, and a socially sustainable Nordic Region.

As early as January 2019, the Nordic prime ministers also adopted a declaration on carbon neutrality in which they emphasised their aim to lead by example and to work towards achieving carbon neutrality in the five Nordic countries, among other things. The declaration places particular emphasis on working toward the goal of reducing global warming to 1.5 °C, which requires a comprehensive rejigging of our societies and the way that the organisations and communities around them are currently structured. This includes Nordens Hus and the three organisations within it. In addition, the Nordic Council has adopted the recommendation to conduct a study into the organisation’s annual greenhouse gas emissions and to develop an action plan based on how these can be reduced with the goal of operating as a carbon-neutral organisation. The climate and environmental action plan was formulated as a response to this.

With our existing technology solutions, policies and financing, as well as high levels of education and gender equality, we stand ready to deepen our co-operation in climate action and demonstrate our strong leadership in tackling climate change at a national, regional and global level.

The Nordic Prime Ministers’ Declaration on Nordic Carbon Neutrality

To achieve the objectives adopted by the prime ministers through Our Vision 2030 and the declaration on carbon neutrality, we also need Nordic co-operation as a whole, in and of itself, to lead by example. The hope is that this can inspire the other Nordic institutions and offices to work towards carbon neutrality. The Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic Council and the Nordic Culture Fund have therefore joined forces to carry out this thorough work to ensure a goal-oriented, effective and ambitious plan to reduce our own climate and environmental footprint. In collaboration with the consultancy agency COWI, we came together to prepare our climate accounts in the spring of 2021 based on the internationally recognised Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol). Furthermore, we sought to set out proposals for our objectives and initiatives, and to compose a few pieces of sound advice on how the organisations can reduce their emissions.

Since 2009/2010, the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic Council and the Nordic Culture Fund have developed environmental action plans and mapped the CO₂ emissions from all the activities carried out within Nordens Hus, as well as emissions connected to our meetings and travel activities.

In 2012, the Ministers for Nordic Co-operation adopted a Nordic strategy for sustainable development, in which they recommended, among other things, that the operations of the Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers should also be sustainable. One of the overarching objectives of the strategy was that all  the work carried out within the framework of the Nordic Council of Ministers must contain an integrated sustainability perspective. As part of efforts to this effect, various initiatives have been implemented on an ongoing basis in order to make the organisations more sustainable. These include the introduction of light sensors and LED light bulbs, the use of paper and office equipment featuring the Nordic Swan ecolabel, and other requirements, such as that the canteen must take environmental considerations into account in its creation of menus and procurement, as well as ensure a wider range of organic and plant-based food.

In the period 2014 to 2018, the following CO₂-emission accounts were recorded:

• 2014: 447,631 kg
• 2015: 494,177 kg
• 2016: 472,468 kg
• 2017: 531,484 kg^{[1]This year, there was an exceptionally high level of flight activity between Copenhagen and Helsinki (Session of the Nordic Council) and Copenhagen and Oslo (Norway’s presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers).}
• 2018: 430,177 kg

The project with COWI has shown that our total emissions are much higher than this – almost twice as much (see Figure 2). The new accounts, include more categories and measure the emissions of more travellers/organisations than previously.

This illustrates the need for more detailed and systematic work with climate accounts within the organisation. In order to know where and what we should cut, we must first know where the emissions are coming from, and how high they are.

With the Vision and the declaration on carbon neutrality as a backdrop, the time has come to commence more systematic and targeted efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and our own environmental impact.

Climate accounts as a tool for reducing emissions

We must measure our own emissions and carbon footprints if we are to reduce them. This is where climate accounts come in. Namely, by measuring our own emissions systematically and over time, we can set good and effective targets, which can then be easily followed up on. Climate accounts can also be a source of inspiration, to see where there is the greatest potential, and to find new solutions that can reduce both emissions and costs.

In our collaboration with COWI, we prepared climate accounts in the spring of 2021, based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol). One of the outcomes of this work with COWI was the realisation that it is not as easy to extract data as we had assumed. This highlights the need for the Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic Council and the Nordic Culture Fund to allocate resources and initiate systematic and targeted work with climate accounts and the following objectives, and to initiate ongoing work to improve data collection.

In our climate accounts, emissions have been divided into three categories, known as ‘scopes’. Scope 1 includes direct emissions from operations – e.g. from organisation-owned vehicles or production – and is therefore not relevant to the Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic Council and the Nordic Culture Fund. Scope 2 includes indirect emissions from energy supplies. Scope 3 applies to other indirect emissions that we do not control or own ourselves. It is in Scope 3 that the Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic Council and the Nordic Culture Fund see their largest emissions, which for example, come from flights.

Figure 1 – CO₂ emissions divided into 'scope 1', 'scope 2' and 'scope 3' (Figure based on the GHG Protocol).

With a view towards being able to monitor, measure and assess our ambition to become both carbon neutral and the most sustainable region in the world, it is important that we lay the foundations for a concrete plan regarding how this can be achieved, and just as important, to follow up on this on an ongoing basis. This will take place in three steps:

1. Measure our own emissions (climate accounts)
2. Reduce our own emissions as much as possible (for Scope 2, this can also include guarantees of origin for electricity, although energy efficiency can also contribute a lot here)
3. Consider neutralising residual emissions through climate quotas or credits (offsetting the emissions we have not yet managed to cut)

For Scope 2, this means first looking at whether you can reduce consumption, then improve efficiency (such as through LED light bulbs), and from there, consider buying guarantees of origin for residual emissions.

As far as offsetting is concerned, it is of particular importance that we are aware of the risk of being accused of greenwashing, as there is uncertainty regarding the effect of this measure, regardless of the model used. It is therefore vital that we are careful with using this in our communications, such as by claiming that the organisations are now climate-neutral.

Overview of the three organisations

While CO₂ emissions from the activities carried out in Nordens Hus, as well as emissions in connection with meetings and travel activities, have been mapped since 2009/2010, efforts to develop a tool have shown that there is significant room for improvement, and a need for the further systematisation of the work. It is of utmost importance that we have good data to use as a basis for our climate accounts so that we have the best possible picture of our emissions. This is therefore a task that must be prioritised going forward. Efforts should also include working towards joining the

Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), which functions as a standard that ensures that the organisation’s climate accounts and objectives adhere to the Paris Agreement. SBTi sets strict requirements for delineation and data quality, which is why it is important that this is improved before we are able to join. Furthermore, this is something that can support us in the quality assurance of our own objectives, and can help to ensure that our objectives are ambitious enough.

Our total emissions

To measure our development, we chose to use 2019 as our baseline year. Based on the data it has been possible to collect so far, the results show that the Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic Council and the Nordic Culture Fund released 801 tonnes of CO₂-equivalents  (CO₂-e) in 2019. As can be seen in the figure below, travel activity constitutes the largest share of this by far.

Figure 2 – overview of the overall climate accounts based on 2019 figures

Objectives

In order to contribute to the overall objective of reducing our own emissions and achieving carbon neutrality, the Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic Council and the Nordic Culture Fund will undertake efforts to achieve the following objectives:

• Achieve zero emissions by 2050, as a contribution towards the prime ministerial declaration on carbon neutrality in the Nordic Region and Our Vision 2030
• Reduce our total emissions by 30 percent by 2025 and 70 percent by 2030, using 2019 as the baseline year
• That Nordens Hus, with the Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic Council and the Nordic Culture Fund, will join SBTi by the end of 2023
• That all of the Nordic institutions and offices will establish their own climate and environmental action plans
• To establish a sustainability culture in which consideration for the climate and biodiversity is diffused through all our activities and operations.

Success criteria

The success criteria for goal attainment include:

• Drafting annual climate accounts, and that the results are shared with the management and employees, and published externally
• Ensuring that there is a clear division of roles where an internal co-ordinator is given the time and opportunity to carry out the work
• Establishing a plan for revising the climate and environmental action plan
• Ensuring that all relevant stakeholders contribute to producing and delivering annual data from 2022 onwards
• Ensuring that data collection and data quality are continuously improved in order to be able to join SBTi and that all relevant categories in Scope 3 are included in the climate accounts by the end of 2022
• Ensuring that all employees/managers are familiar with the climate and environmental action plan, and the advice given (especially when it concerns the parts relevant to the specific employee/manager)
• Ensuring that experiences are exchanged with the Baltic offices, the institutions, and other collaborative organisations
• Ensuring that all institutions and offices draft their own climate accounts

Initiatives

To achieve the objectives, the Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic Council and the Nordic Culture Fund will:

• Publish annual climate accounts for the organisation, as well as continuously work to improve on these, which includes identifying the most efficient and simplest ways of collecting data and continually improving this process
• Set concrete objectives for the organisation, based on the annual climate accounts, and update these objectives as data collection continues to improve
• Allocate resources (both in terms of funds for external assistance and time to carry out the work internally) for working specifically with climate accounts and the implementation of the climate and environmental action plan, including its objectives and initiatives
• Consider the climate impact on finances, including investments, banking and pension schemes
• Calculate an estimate of how much money can be saved by implementing the climate and environmental action plan (by way of fewer trips, for example)
• Arrange meetings for the Nordens Hus as a whole in order to share knowledge, inspire action and collate suggestions for improvements – this is also particularly important during the early phase of the climate and environmental action plan
• Initiate dialogue with the Baltic offices, the institutions and other collaborative organisations to ensure the exchange of knowledge and experiences
• Update the Nordic Council of Ministers’ project handbook as well as its guidelines and application forms in accordance with the climate and environmental action plan, and then during the action plan period, decide on whether (and which) climate requirements should be included in the projects and, if so, how they should be implemented

Travel activity

Travel activities make up most of the climate accounts, totalling 82 percent (615 tonnes CO2-e) of overall emissions. Air travel accounts for as much as 93 percent of the emissions in this category, while trains and hotel stays account for 6 percent and 1 percent of emissions respectively. This is a good example of how climate accounts function as a useful tool for setting clear objectives for our work now and in the future. The absolute most effective thing that those of us who work in Nordens Hus can do to reduce our total climate footprint is to reduce the number of flights we take.

Figure 3 – overview of emissions divided by source from travel, 2019

Objectives

In order to contribute to the overall goal of reducing our own emissions and achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, we must prioritise changes in our travel habits. As a result, the Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic Council and the Nordic Culture Fund will:

• Reduce our greenhouse gas emissions from business travel by 30 percent by 2025 and by 70 percent by 2030, using 2019 as the baseline year
• Ensure that by 2024, 75 percent of purchased hotel stays and conference rooms are certified in accordance with the Nordic Swan ecolabel (or an equivalent certification where the Nordic Swan ecolabel is not available)
• Ensure that by 2024, the organisations have a professional system and set-up in place for digital and hybrid meetings, making this an attractive alternative to in-person meetings

Success criteria

The success criteria for goal attainment include:

• Revisions to the travel policy in accordance with this action plan during 2022, and that all employees subsequently adhere to the travel policy
• A decision being made as to how we can offset flights and other emissions by the end of 2022.
• That the travel booking system contributes to objectives in the climate and environmental action plan by, for example, proposing train travel as a means of transport and indicating the hotels certified in accordance with the Nordic Swan ecolabel in the booking portal, no later than mid-2022
• Employees having the skills and adequate equipment to hold good quality online and hybrid meetings, and the ongoing development of these skills
• The number of physical meetings being reduced (for the Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers, this can be done by encouraging the Nordic Committee for Co-operation/the Ministers for Nordic Co-operation to agree that the committee may have a maximum of two in-person meetings per year/that at least half of meetings have to be held as video meetings, or to encourage the presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers to plan committee meetings in a way that minimises travel via fossil-fuel powered transport. For the Nordic Council, this can be done by travel to committee meetings also being combined with travel to party group meetings)

Initiatives

To achieve the objectives, the Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic Council and the Nordic Culture Fund will:

• Update our travel policy with, among other things, the following proposals:
  • Trains must be the norm where the destination can be reached within 5 to 6 hours (for example between Copenhagen and Stockholm) and transport to meetings within a radius of 300km from Nordens Hus must be made by train or public/shared transport
  • Public transport or bicycles must be the norm fortransport to meetings within a radius of 6km from Nordens Hus
• Shorter meetings must be held digitally where possible, or in combination with other meetings
  • Electric/zero-emission vehicles must be chosen if there is a need to take a taxi, if this is possible
  • When flying, unnecessary stopovers must be avoided, and an assessment must always be made as to how many employees need to travel
• A system for booking travel being established so that it contributes to the climate and environmental action plan, for example by ensuring that trains and hotels certified in accordance with the Nordic Swan ecolabel are the first options for trips and overnight stays, or other similar solutions
• Funding schemes within Nordens Hus that contribute to increased greenhouse gas emissions must be removed, such as schemes whereby employees from who move to Copenhagen on Nordic terms can acquire a car tax-free (possibly with the exception of zero-emission cars)
• The number of in-person, external meetings must be reduced or multiple meetings should be held one after the other, and meeting venues must be easily accessible – for example via easy access by train or other forms of public transport
• Video-based meeting formats must be developed, and efforts must be undertaken to identify which types of meeting work best as video-meetings, and how these can be optimised
• Skills must be developed and IT equipment and meeting rooms optimised to better cater for digital and hybrid meetings, and more venues must be provided for holding digital meetings

Operations and procurement

Operations and procurement account for a total of 143 tonnes of CO2-equivalents, in other words, 18 percent of total emissions. Here, procurement accounts for most of the emissions at 45 percent, with electricity and heating accounting for roughly the same amount as the other factors, with 18 and 19 percent respectively.

Figure 4 – overview of emissions divided by source from operations and procurement, 2019

Objectives

To contribute to the overall goal of reducing our own emissions and achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, we must prioritise changes to our operations and procurement. As a result, the Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic Council and the Nordic Culture Fund will:

• Ensure that all procurement is in accordance with the climate and environmental action plan
• Ensure that the consumption of energy and water as per Scope 2 is reduced by 10 percent by the middle of 2022
• Ensure that a minimum of 50 percent of all waste is recycled by 2023
• Ensure that 10 percent of the company’s residual waste is reduced from that of the base year 2019
• Ensure that the IT strategy includes a special focus on climate-friendly and sustainable solutions for the organisation
• Ensure that 90 percent of IT equipment is recycled, either where the entire product or parts of the product can be reused, by 2023
• Ensure that meetings and conferences under Nordic auspices do not serve meat (with sustainable fish as an exception)

Success criteria

The success criteria for goal attainment include:

• The procurement policy being revised during 2022 in accordance with this action plan
• All employees, for whom it is relevant, using the updated and green procurement policy
• A plan being drawn up to ensure the reduction of water and energy consumption as well as waste
• Relevant employees responsible for the IT strategy and its implementation receiving training and support
• Internal and external expertise being leveraged in order to ensure the most up-to-date and relevant knowledge in the field
• By 2024, vegetarian meals (and possibly sustainable fish options) being implemented as the norm for the organisation’s catering in the canteen and especially at conferences/meetings

Initiatives

To achieve the objectives, the Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic Council and the Nordic Culture Fund will:

• Update our policy on green procurement which includes buying used rather than new where possible, and prioritising certifications such as the Nordic Swan ecolabel when procuring new products
• Assess which requirements we can set for suppliers, such as that they must have their own climate accounts in place, and include this in the procurement policy
• Assess opportunities for energy and resource savings, such as by making sinks and toilets more water-efficient, and looking into opportunities for insulation and more energy-efficient heating and cooling in Nordens Hus
• Introduce a comprehensive waste recycling system on all floors
• Phase out disposable items entirely, and be absolutely clear on this in all procurement
• Make a plan for the recycling of IT equipment and the optimisation of data storage
• Use internal and external skills regarding the most effective and sustainable IT solutions in order to ensure up-to-date and relevant knowledge within the field, and that we make the correct choices
• Work with the canteen to further reduce food waste and increase the range of climate-friendly and sustainable food, as well as ensure the reporting of the canteen’s climate and environmental impact
• Develop guidelines for meetings and conferences which include that vegetarian options must be the norm when serving food (and potentially climate-friendly and sustainable fish), that disposable items are not used, that the venue is environmentally certified if possible, and to set requirements for CO₂ neutrality or climate accounts for the event

Offsetting residual emissions

The Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic Council and the Nordic Culture Fund will offset emissions that cannot be cut completely or immediately. Offsetting emissions is not a perfect solution, but it can be a good tool to use during a transitional period, where efforts are made to cut emissions as much as possible. It is important that the offsetting methods used are carefully considered and that the chosen method is transparent and deemed the most effective.

Offsetting will not be used to present Nordens Hus as climate-neutral, as there is uncertainty around the effectiveness of this. If someone is hired by the organisation to specifically work with following-up on the climate and environmental action plan, then this person will identify the method to be used. This can either be based on dialogue with climate and environment advisors, as well as energy advisors, or if it is deemed necessary, following on from a political discussion and processing.

Objectives

The Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic Council and the Nordic Culture Fund will:

• Reduce the need for offsetting by reducing our own emissions as much as possible and as quickly as possible
• Offset what we cannot cut during the transition period
• Identify which offsetting methods will be most effective and update these when relevant according to the latest research in the field, if necessary

Success criteria

The success criteria for goal attainment include:

• Offsetting residual emissions as of 2022 (when the annual climate accounts are due)
• Identifying the most effective offsetting method
• Reducing offsetting once emission targets are achieved (in which case it could then be considered whether we continue to over-offset)

Initiatives

To achieve the objectives, the Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic Council and the Nordic Culture Fund will:

• Investigate, and if necessary, enter into a political dialogue regarding in which ways the organisation can conduct offsetting to ensure the greatest possible impact
• Start with offsetting residual emissions
• Clearly define what carbon neutrality means

The process going forwards

An implementation plan will be developed for the objectives and initiatives covered in this action plan. This will be assessed on an ongoing basis with a view to following up on and evaluating progress towards achieving the objectives.

At the end of each year, the objectives, success criteria and initiatives should be evaluated and, if necessary, revised. This will be carried out on the basis of an improved database and not least a more systematic approach to the work conducted within Nordens Hus.

The work outlined in this action plan requires that resources be set aside in order for efforts to progress.

The first period of the action plan covers 2022 to 2024 and will therefore be updated during 2024 at the latest. The objectives in the action plan extend up to and including 2050, and the work requires ongoing development throughout the period.

Appendix

Overview of the activities included in current the climate accounts (overview of the Climate and environmental initiatives for Nordens Hus report, COWI 2021):

Overview of travel and meeting activities which are respectively included and excluded in the current CO₂ accounts (from the Climate and environmental initiatives for Nordens Hus report, COWI 2021):

The Nordic Council’s meeting activities, where the expenditure is covered by its own budgets and is deemed to be under its own operational control, and is therefore included in the CO₂ accounts:

• Travel and accommodation for employees of the Secretariat to the Nordic Council
• Travel and accommodation for interpreters for committee meetings, etc.
• Travel and accommodation for the President and Vice President in special cases
• The committees’ summer meetings: Travel, accommodation and meeting catering
• Catering for consultation meetings and international guests
• Travel and accommodation in connection with pre-conferences for the committee meetings and presidium meetings
• Travel and accommodation for the participation of international guests at the sessions of the Nordic Council
• The Nordic Council’s prizes: Travel and accommodation for nominees and companions at awards ceremonies
• Travel and accommodation for members of the Nordic Council who participate in public meetings, conferences etc. on behalf of the Nordic Council
• Catering for committee meetings
• Annual travel home for employees and their families
• Employment interviews

The Nordic Council pays the party groups an annual sum which is deemed to be under the Nordic Council’s operational control, and is therefore included in the CO₂ accounts. This covers, among other things:

• Travel, accommodation and catering for the members, interpreters and the party group secretariat at the party groups’ summer meetings
• Travel, accommodation and catering at the party group meetings (parliamentarians, party group secretaries and interpreters)
• Party group dinners

• Secretariat dinners
• Lunch at committee meetings
• Flowers at sessions
• Transport for common needs
• Catering at sessions
• Travel and accommodation for rapporteurs and stenographers

• The Secretariat’s employees in connection with the Nordic Council of Ministers’ meetings, other meetings and Committees of Senior Officials
• Catering for meetings
• The Secretariat’s employees in connection with meetings for other groups (expert groups, high-level groups, other groups and committees)
• New presidency – the Secretariat’s travel to meetings with the new presidency
• Meetings with institutions and co-operative bodies
• Other business travel
• Annual travel home for employees and their families
• Employment interviews

About this publication

Climate and environmental action plan for Nordens hus 2022–2024

US2023:436

© Nordic Council of Ministers 2023

Published 17/5/2023

Photo: norden.org, Lukas Salomon/norden.org, Nordic Innovation, Ricky Molloy

Nordic co-operation

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Nordic co-operation has firm traditions in politics, the economy, and culture. It plays an important role in European and international collaboration, and aims at creating a strong Nordic community in a strong Europe.

Nordic co-operation seeks to safeguard Nordic and regional interests and principles in the global community. Shared Nordic values help the region solidify its position as one of the world’s most innovative and competitive.

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