Environmental statement

Progressio is committed to environmentally sustainable development both in our international development work and our office working practices.

We believe that it is important to see the connection between the choices we make as an organisation and the environmental impact of those choices for the planet as a whole, and particularly for people in the global South. Many of the communities we work with are telling us that they are being affected by climate change.

Damage to the environment threatens livelihoods and increases people's vulnerability to natural disasters. Invariably the poor are worst affected. We believe that communities have a right to a better quality of life through safeguarding the environment. Promoting development without also responding to climate change will undermine any progress we make towards the millennium development goals on poverty reduction.

In our international development work, we therefore promote the sustainable use and local management of natural resources in order to help improve the lives of poor urban and rural communities. For example, we work alongside small-scale farmers to help them reduce both their poverty and their environmental vulnerability by farming in a way that protects and conserves natural resources. We also work to raise awareness and understanding of how policy and practice in the global North can contribute to environmental degradation and poverty in developing countries.

Sustainability is not just an aim of our development work. It is also a value embodied in the activities and practices of the organisation.

As a charity, Progressio must ensure cost-effectiveness in order to maximise the use of our resources to achieve our charitable objectives. Similarly, as an international organisation, some overseas travel is unavoidable for the effective management and implementation of our programmes. However, wherever possible within the terms of our charitable objectives, Progressio will seek to minimise the environmental impact of all our activities.

In 2009 Progressio produced its first audited Environmental Assessment covering the year 2008/9. We have also completed an Environmental Assessment for the year 2009/10, which shows a significant fall from the previous year of 22% in our overall emissions.

These assessments itemise the environmental impacts of activities at the London office and all of Progressio’s flights. The information will inform decisions we make over the coming years as we aim to dramatically reduce our environmental footprint, in line with the specific commitment in our strategic plan for 2010-2015 to reduce the size of Progressio’s carbon footprint.