Maximising Quality, Minimising Impact
From our relocation to a green field site in 2005, and three subsequent major site expansions (in 2011, 2015 and 2017), we have always considered our potential impact on the local environment. At every stage of our expansion programme, we undertook extensive reviews to assess all aspects of the works, including the impact on local wildlife and its habitat, the safe capture of waste materials and the effect our additional activities would have on the local community.
Environmental considerations have remained central to our planning, and in 2011 we achieved ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management Systems certification, to help formalise our processes and procedures.
As an ISO 14001 company, we regularly re-evaluate our working practices, ensuring we continually work to minimise the impact of our activities on the environment. As a result, we continue to invest in efficient machinery, effective environmental management systems and waste capture and recycling systems, as well as the use of sustainable power generation.
Responsible Sourcing - BES 6001
Our annual Responsible Sourcing Report is available for download below.
With public authorities, specifiers and architects all increasingly focusing on sustainable development, we felt it important to demonstrate our commitment to responsible sourcing and sustainable construction and in 2017, we achieved the BES 6001 standard for responsible sourcing. BES 6001 was established by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), to enable manufacturers to ensure, and then prove, that their products are made with responsibly-sourced constituent materials. The standard provides an approach based on governance, supply chain and community interaction, with a focus on environmental performance improvements.
In achieving the BRE’s standard, we recognise that how and from whom we buy our raw materials has a significant impact on the broader environment. By purchasing from reputable suppliers who adopt responsible practices, we hope to stimulate demand for socially- and environmentally-preferable products.
Energy Use and Management - ISO 50001
Energy management is a crucial element of our operations and in 2015 we achieved ISO 50001:2011 certification. This standard makes it easier for organisations to integrate energy management into their quality and environmental management systems on a continuous improvement basis.
Since 2015 we have put in place a number of projects and plans to reduce our electricity and diesel consumption, improving our energy performance with respect to our overall output.
Working Towards Carbon Neutrality
Our aim is for our production operation to be carbon neutral, a target we plan to achieve through a combination of continued investment in efficient machinery, effective environmental management systems, waste capture and recycling and the use of sustainable power generation.
As part of this goal, we are committed to generating our power requirements from renewable natural resources.