Our commitment to sustainability
The Climate crisis is a child rights crisis
At UNICEF UK, we recognise the climate crisis is urgent and affects everyone—but it disproportionately affects the world’s children.
Rising temperatures, changing weather, floods, and droughts threaten their health, food security, and future. This is why we are committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions across all our activities by 2050.
Reaching net zero means actively reducing the carbon we produce to protect those most at risk from climate change. By taking action, we can build a safer, healthier world for every child.
Our Environmental Policy
Our Environmental Policy sets out how we will reduce the environmental impact of our operations, use resources responsibly, and embed sustainability across the organisation. It provides the framework for action, accountability and continuous improvement as we work towards our long-term net zero ambition.
Our strategic pillars are:
- Reducing the environmental impact of our operations, buildings and day-to-day activities.
- Working with suppliers and partners whose approach to sustainability and ethical practice aligns with our own.
- Using our voice to influence policy and advocate for environmental sustainability and climate action.
- Working with partners and supporters to help advance programmes and initiatives that contribute to a more sustainable future.
Our work to date
In 2018, we moved into our headquarters in Stratford, London, a facility designed with sustainability in mind. The building was certified Excellent in New Construction under BREEAM, the world’s leading sustainability assessment framework, and in December 2023, it achieved a BREEAM In Use Very Good rating. In 2025, we also reduced office waste volumes by 5.45% compared with 2023, reduced paper used for printing per employee by 21%, and saw reductions in energy used for heating and electricity.
UNICEF UK’s Environmental Policy was approved in April 2022, laying the foundation for structured governance. By late 2024, we had implemented an ISO14001-certified Environmental Management System and in 2025 we incorporated sustainability into our core values and set a long-term, science-based target to reach net zero, with interim targets along the way.
In 2025, we reduced our overall carbon footprint by 10% compared with 2024, from 310 tonnes to 278 tonnes CO2e. This measurement includes office energy use, office waste, colleague commuting, and business travel (flights and the use of personal vehicles). We are also continuing to improve how we measure our wider greenhouse gas emissions, including those across our supply chain. In 2024, we carried out a detailed review of emissions from purchased goods and services, which showed that they account for over 75% of our total footprint. This means supply chain emissions are now a key priority for future reduction efforts.
We utilise our Responsible Sourcing Code of Conduct and Supplier Questionnaire to collect social, ethical and environmental information from our suppliers. In 2025, we strengthened this approach by including additional sustainability checks in the procurement process and conducted an analysis of our supplier base against key sustainability criteria, giving us a strong foundation to target reductions in this area.
With these insights, we are now better positioned to identify and collaborate with suppliers who share our values, improve transparency, and support progress towards lower environmental impact across our supply chain.
Engaging colleagues is an important part of how we embed sustainability across UNICEF UK. Our Green Group brings colleagues together to share ideas, support practical action, and help build a culture of environmental awareness across the organisation. Through this work, we encourage everyday changes that can reduce our impact and support our wider sustainability goals.
Recent activities have included a net zero lunch and learn, a colleague plant share, our Just One Thing campaign, encouraging colleagues to commit to one action to reduce our collective environmental impact, and an e-waste action day.
Our campaign for climate action
There is mounting evidence of the impact of climate change on children. We use our voice to advocate for change to help achieve our vision of a better world for every child.
Our actions include:
- Campaigning with governments
- Advocating for policy change
- Developing private sector partnerships on climate
- Building meaningful partnerships with our partners and supporters
Climate change is happening now, and we must make changes now. Children around the world, supported by their communities and UNICEF, are acting to create a climate-safe world. Working together, we are finding solutions that transform our world today and tomorrow. Solutions that create a better world for every child.
