ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY
CSR is no longer optional At
Chaired by Chris Williams-Lilley, managing director of Rail Champions, the Platform at Railtex 2013 offered delegates the chance to hear best practice on a range of key topics. RTM’s Kate Ashley reports from the session on sustainability.
Railtex 2013, rail professionals came to see more than just the latest
technology. For many companies, work to improve sustainability and corporate social responsibility is making the difference between winning contracts and losing business.
Speaking at the Platform, a panel session led by Rail Champions, a group of experts discussed the progress towards more sustainable business in rail: Chris Leech, national account manager at Business in the Community (BITC); Richard Graham,
head of strategic development
at Balfour Beatty Rail; and Paul Ruddick, managing director at construction sector social enterprise REDS10 Ltd.
Small actions, big impact
BITC works to measure and benchmark CSR within industry, and helps companies demonstrate the social and environmental benefits they can bring. Leech described how perceptions of CSR are changing from it being just “a nice, fluffy thing” that businesses might choose to do, to it being an important and vital “responsible business practice”.
Graham said that a sustainable approach was vital in such a huge industry as construction, and that small actions can have a big impact.
He explained: “We can make a difference. Its good for business, it generates profit. That enables you to reinvest in sustainable development, people and the things that are important for the future.”
Leaving a legacy Impact on
economic growth of those communities. It’s all about how we as an organisation and you as an industry can work together in a collaborative way to make sure that we have a legacy to leave behind.”
The business case communities is also a key
consideration, Graham said. “We have to recognise that when we go about these projects, we are doing it in somebody’s back yard.
“It’s about how we conduct ourselves, and how everyone in the business plays a part, so we know at the end of the day we’ve created a positive impact, as opposed to contributing to yet more landfill.”
Good CSR can set businesses apart from the competition, the panel agreed. Leech offered the example of the economic downturn, with businesses that had been engaging in CSR recovering “far quicker than businesses that didn’t”.
“That’s a real statement of understanding how to get the most out of your workforce; protecting them and working with them in a loyal way.”
“ It’s going to be a very big part of tendering in the very near future.”
This covers how people perceive a brand, and includes community engagement, environmental impact and provision of skills to ensure an organisation’s workforce is future- proof.
He said: “I genuinely think that it touches on every element within the transport sector. Sustainability is now a bit of a buzzword, but we are making very good ground to make sure that you can benchmark and clearly see a return on investment. It’s going to be a very big part of tendering in the very near future.”
Ruddick described social sustainability as “very tangible”, with REDS10 Ltd helping local people into apprenticeships on construction and
infrastructure projects. “In terms of
contracts and procurement, it means that more and more buyers will be asking you about social sustainability.”
The amount of investment in the rail industry offers a key opportunity to make a targeted social and economic impact, he added.
“We’re going to be employing thousands of people, providing thousands of skills, working in communities, creating new infrastructures, which are going to impact on the social and
“Directors will start losing work because they can’t demonstrate their social impact. As soon as someone starts losing work, they start paying attention. It has massive implications.
“Tier 1s and tier 2s are going to have to have case studies; demonstrate what they are going to do. The Social Value Act is changing the market.”
CSR models must be focused at the level where most people are employed – typically tier 3 in rail. Ruddick said: “You need to work bottom- up. The local authorities have wised up to this.
“They can get more bang for their buck, when you start putting tenders out now, they want to know how many local people you are going to employ and why.”
Graham added: “Sustainability can’t stop at our front door, [work has] got to include our complete commercial family, all our suppliers, their labour force and maybe even some of the tier 3s.”
www.rail-champions.com FOR MORE INFORMATION
rail technology magazine Jun/Jul 13 | 79
Graham agreed: “It’s no longer optional.” He described how 5% of the scoring in bids for Network Rail is now based around sustainability, requiring specific examples of savings in waste, energy and
recycling. Dismissing this
percentage as not worth bothering about would lead to missed business opportunities as well as a less sustainable organisation, he said.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100