In July 2009, a sustainability policy covering all our UK business was introduced. It encompasses three key pillars: social (health and well being of employees and neighbours), economic (stable employment and sustainable growth of the business) and environmental (protection of the environment and local habitats).
Policy framework
We provide employment and economic activity and build our business and our success on the basis of responsible practices. We empower our employees and supply chain to operate in accordance with these practices and we actively engage with our customers, communities and other stakeholders to promote their wider adoption.
Our commitment to responsible practices is expressed in the following ways:
Management systems
We adopt a systematic approach to all aspects of our business and aim to meet the requirements of BES 6001, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, BS18001 and the CE certification marking schemes relevant to our products where applicable.
Compliance
As a minimum we comply with the law and other requirements applicable our business.
Continual improvement
We aim to continually improve our Safety Health Environment Quality and Responsible Sourcing (SHEQRS) performance and systems.
Objectives
We maintain a documented framework for setting, implementing and reviewing SHEQRS objectives and targets.
Communication
We communicate our policy to all employees and our supply chain and seek to ensure it is understood and implemented. We identify and consult with local community stakeholders affected by our operations. Our policy is made available to interested parties to inform and promote wider adoption of responsible practices.
We inform our customers about the functional, environmental and safety performance of our products.
Prevention
We strive for the prevention of injury, ill health and pollution; the minimisation of environmental harm and the fair treatment of everyone in our supply chain.
Procedures and work practices
We incorporate comprehensive SHEQRS criteria in the following business processes:
- design, selection and installation of plant
- management of suppliers and services
- identification of customer needs
- supply of products and services to meet or exceed customer expectation
- development of rules, standards and procedures
- provision of information and assistance to those who distribute, use, recycle or dispose of our products
- recruitment, induction and development of skilled, competent employees, contractors and suppliers
- consultation and involvement of employees, their representatives, contractors and suppliers
- reporting and investigation of incidents, near misses, hazards and non-conformances
- operation and maintenance of plant and processes
- provision of welfare facilities
- development and testing of emergency procedures
- management and supervision of practices and performance.
Climate protection
We set reduction targets for the emission of greenhouse gasses and aim to reduce our use of fossil fuels and utilise renewable energy sources. We optimise our distribution operations to reduce CO2 emissions and other social and environmental impacts. We promote best practices in sustainable construction, including use of a life-cycle approach.
Environmental stewardship
We develop products that improve the quality/sustainability of the built environment.
We manage and restore sites to protect and enhance biodiversity, geo-diversity and ecology.
We respect and protect our national heritage.
Resource and waste
management
We use resources appropriately and sustainably and where appropriate substitute them with alternative materials.
We adopt the waste reduction hierarchy.
We use water efficiently and recognise that we must reduce consumption of this resource.
We treat process water and run-off water.
Monitoring, auditing, reporting and review
We routinely audit the SHEQRS performance of our business and supply chain where applicable, in accordance with recognised standards and methods.
We respond to non-conformances against our standards.
We implement a thorough management review process to ensure we meet our objectives.
We review our policy annually to assess its continued relevance, suitability and our commitment.
Responsibility
The resourcing and implementation of this policy is management’s responsibility. Co-operation in the effective implementation of the policy is a condition of employment, partnership and supply.