Mass Hassan talks about sustainability in DWP

New recruit Massera (Mass) Hassan, Sustainability Strategy Delivery Manager, talks about sustainability in DWP and how her passion for all things green started with a pair of jeans.

“I think it’s safe to say my passion for sustainability started with the hunt for a reliable pair of jeans. “Jeans?’ I hear you ask. Yes, jeans! 

“When I was younger, I would pinch clothes from my mum, and she’d tell me exactly when she’d bought each piece and where it was from, things she’d collected over decades. I soon realised none of the clothes I bought lasted nearly as long as my mum’s oldest wardrobe pieces.  

“When I reached university, I discovered THRIFTING! 

“One day, while hunting for a pair of sturdy jeans, I found my most treasured wardrobe staple – a pair of grey dungarees, unlabelled but with the sort of robust quality, thick fabric. I have no idea what life they lived before I got them, but I’m proud to say I still own and wear them almost 10 years on! 

“Since then, sustainability has trickled into other areas of my life and, of course, I’ve made sustainability my career too.” 

Sustainability in DWP 

“It’s such an exciting time to join DWP as there are already so many exciting initiatives happening. There are things that will help make our estate more sustainable and initiatives that will help make sure our services are delivered more sustainably. Here are a few that have captured my imagination.”

Decarbonisation 

“DWP has implemented decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures at Quarry House, Leeds, halving the building’s emissions by completely removing fossil fuels from the building, replacing its gas boilers with a connection to the low carbon Leeds District Heating Network. We’ve also removed all gas-fired catering equipment from the kitchen and replaced it with an electric system. No mean feat in such a large building I can tell you!  

“We’ll be installing Air Source Heat Pumps to replace more gas boilers across 25 more sites, along with the installation of new energy efficient solar panels across 12 sites shortly.” 

Did someone say coffee…? 

“Disposable takeaway coffee cups are a huge source of single-use plastics and are bad for the environment. So, we trialled the use of re-usable coffee cups at Quarry House, Leeds. It proved to be a great success so we will be rolling this out to all other catered DWP sites this year, which could save 240,000 disposable cups each year.”  

And there’s green jobs… 

“The Green Jobs team is leading the charge across government by helping to identify where we can help remove barriers to green jobs, further helping to contribute towards maximum employment opportunities. 

“A pilot in Wales last year resulted in us engaging with over 125 new employers working in the green economy, and 79% of employer and partnership colleagues reporting that green jobs training had provided them with the confidence required to effectively deliver on the green agenda.”

We’re helping customers too…  

“Poor transport links are a significant contributor that affects how, when and where some customers can find employment. 

“To combat this, and in support of social sustainability, DWP has worked closely with local councils and teams to identify and provide local minibus services to customers living in rural areas and launched outreach services to young individuals affected by poor transport links.”

Sustainability and you 

“My role is to coordinate and report on all the incredible sustainability and environmental work being done across DWP so that we can more easily measure on progress. 

By Massera Hassan, DWP