News stories of the month British precast concrete products industry raises the B
ritish Precast [The British Precast Concrete Federation] has launched a bold initiative to lead the industry to new heights of sustainability, safety and quality performance. From May this year, BPCF will make it mandatory for all members of the UK concrete products trade body to sign up to the British Precast Charter scheme.
This scheme sets out a challenging set of performance targets, which are aimed at improving wellbeing in the industry, reducing carbon dioxide emissions and waste from the £2 billion precast industry. As well as minimising energy and materials waste, the British Precast Charter mark proves precast companies are striving for the highest
standards in health and safety and delivering on quality.
All firms must also commit to the
industry’s health and safety scheme, Concrete Targets 2015, which aims for a 50% reduction in lost time injuries from 2010 ultimately leading to a zero harm industry. British Precast members will also be expected to achieve a set of internationally agreed quality and management standards and liaise with local communities where they manufacture.
Speaking at the Action Sustainability Conference on Sustainable Procurement at Sainsburys London HQ Martin Clarke, chief executive of British Precast Concrete Federation, said: “We are the only construction products body operating such a scheme
anywhere in the world. “A lot of other construction sectors have made claims about their environmental credentials, safety and sustainability. “We are actually demonstrating that our industry is leading the way with a set of mandatory pledges and collective, measureable targets that are audited for all to see.” He added that clients, designers and other industry stakeholders were rightly demanding higher standards in quality, safety and sustainability for construction products and services. “The precast concrete products industry has taken big strides forward in recent years”, Mr Clarke added. “Along with the rest of the cement and concrete industry, we report on our safety and sustainability Key
ANGLIAN WATER CALLS FOR RADICAL CHANGE OF APPROACH TO TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE
A
nglian Water has set out details of a radical sustainability platform – backed by over 100 business commitments – which together promise to transform the company and put water at the heart of wider efforts to tackle climate change. Peter Simpson, Managing Director of Anglian Water, will tell MPs at a private reception in Westminster that the company is building its future around the new programme. Entitled ‘Love Every Drop’, it commits the business to a far-reaching set of over 100 sustainability commitments pledging to eliminate waste, accidents and pollution and halve carbon use by 2015.
This is the most ambitious move yet by any water company to address the challenges of climate change. It comes as the government is reviewing utilities regulation and preparing a White Paper on the future of the water industry, and follows a timely report for the government’s chief scientific adviser, Professor Sir John Beddington, which
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made it clear that a more joined-up response is needed. “We want to be part of the national and international response to meeting this huge challenge – leading by example with ideas, resources and positive action – but we’ve come to realise we can’t any longer purely engineer our way out of the problem,” Mr Simpson said. “A radical change of approach is necessary, and that’s what is at the heart of our Love Every Drop manifesto.” “This is all about re-defining the role of a water company in the 21st century, going far beyond achieving our regulatory targets, and aspiring to do a whole lot better,” he adds. “Putting water at the heart of a whole new way of living is a call to action. We want to take a lead and work with other bodies to drive behavioral change in households, businesses, communities and local environments.” Anglian Water is taking a lead on sustainability in part because, as the UK water company covering the
largest and driest part of the country, it is most exposed to the challenges of climate change and population growth.
The new platform is outlined in a manifesto with detailed commitments from now to 2015. Grouped in key areas – notably around the business, communities and the wider environment – these commitments cover every aspect of water use. Water use is typically measured on the basis of direct consumption, which averages around 145 litres per person per day in the Anglian Water region. However, Anglian Water hopes to use Love Every Drop to raise awareness of how lifestyle dramatically increases this (to 4,600 litres) once the water used in other products is taken into account – products which often come from much drier parts of the world. It takes, for instance, 11,000 litres of water to produce a pair of jeans.
www.anglianwater.co.uk/ loveeverydrop
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