The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations is the membership organisation for Scotland's charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. Charity registered in Scotland SC003558. Registered office Caledonian Exchange, 19A Canning Street, Edinburgh EH3 8EG.
The Environment
60% of respondents to the Scottish Third Sector Tracker anticipate that climate change will have no impact, or only a small impact, on their organisation. We urge all voluntary organisations to incorporate environmental issues into their planning because:
- Climate change is felt most starkly by the groups many voluntary organisations work with.
- Many voluntary organisations have an important story to tell about the contribution they are already making to a more sustainable future through their work, from local food projects to community transport.
- A growing number of funders are interested in these issues, either setting their own targets or requiring fundees to meet conditions such as having an environmental policy in place or reporting on carbon emissions. Donors and staff also increasingly have hopes or expectations about how organisations are addressing their own role in the climate emergency.
The Scottish Government published a draft Climate Change Plan in November 2025, reaffirming its commitment to net‑zero by 2045 and highlighting the need for accelerated action across buildings, transport, land use, and community resilience. Although not final, this plan will shape future policy direction and may lead to new expectations for organisations. Some voluntary organisations will also be impacted by forthcoming national policies and legislation as discussed below
- The Scottish Government’s Heat in Buildings Bill, originally expected to be introduced during this parliamentary session, has been paused until after the 2026 Scottish Parliament election. Final scope and timelines will depend on the post‑election government.
- Under Scotland’s Circular Economy and Waste Route Map to 2030, the Scottish Government will conduct a review of compliance with commercial recycling requirements in Scotland, and report on this by the end of 2026. New interventions to maximise waste prevention, reuse and recycling will be developed, which may, in turn affect voluntary organisations.
- The Scottish National Adaptation Plan (SNAP) 2024-29 was published in September 2024, and sets out the actions that Scottish Government and partners will take to respond to the impacts of climate change.
- Outcome 2 (Communities) of the SNAP, includes building community resilience for emergencies as a key objective. The SNAP notes the role of the third sector to support emergency resilience measures such as sharing and building knowledge and supporting partnerships like the Voluntary Sector Resilience Partnership.
- Through the Growing Climate Confidence project SCVO, with support from Verture (formerly Sniffer), are offering training and guidance on how organisations can address climate resilience.
- Voluntary organisations may also need to consider their approach to supporting people due to the climate risks and impacts there will be on them, e.g. flooding.
Prompts for planning
Do you have an environmental plan in place for your organisation?
Do you have an adaptation or resilience plan in place for your organisation?
Do you know what steps you could take to reduce your organisation’s environmental impact?
Do you know what your current and potential funders/donors/staff/wider community expect from organisations they fund with regard to the environment?
Do you have an awareness of your (current and future) legal and other responsibilities in this area? Do you have plans in place to help you to meet these?
Do you understand how climate change is likely to impact on the communities you work with?
Have you connected with your regional community climate action hub?
Sources of support
- The Growing Climate Confidence checkup helps you to assess where your organisation currently is, and how to make progress towards improving your environmental sustainability. One to one support is also available with a Climate Development Officer.
- The Growing Climate Confidence website has a range of useful resources and it will also signpost new Bills and help you to understand the impacts on your organisation.
- The ‘funding’ tab on the Growing Climate Confidence website will signpost to funding that is available for this kind of work. You can use the filter function to search for ‘climate’ tagged funds.
- Check the Growing Climate Confidence website for access to training on things like resilience and carbon reduction planning workshops.
- If you haven’t yet considered the impact of climate change on the people and communities you work with, the Everyone’s Environment project may provide useful food for thought.
- The Scottish Government is funding a network of regional community climate action hubs to provide a strategic regional response to climate action. You can find details of your local hub on the Scottish Government website
- SCVO partner Utility Aid can support organisations net zero, carbon reporting, and reducing energy use.
Join us at The Gathering
The Gathering 2025 is over, check back later for information about future events.
