SUSTAINABILITY


to Net Zero is a highly important one that resonates with our core values as a business. Everything that we do is geared around protecting and enhancing the peoples’ lives and the natural environment. By providing products and design support, we help facilitate the creation of integrated drainage solutions. “Naturally, this filters into what we do internally and we’re proud to launch our Roadmap to Net Zero. While there is a long road ahead, we have set our sights high and want to be Carbon Net Zero ahead of the government’s 2050 deadline. It’s imperative we can play our part in reversing the impacts of climate change as soon as possible.” The company is certificated by BSI to operate an Environmental Management System which complies with the requirements of ISO 14001:2015. ACO also reduced its CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) by 68% between 2015 and 2022, with the results continuously verified by an independent third party during this period and this is ongoing today. The company is also Carbon Neutral for Scope 1 and 2 emissions, using Gold Standard and Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) offsetting credits to offset any residual carbon that it cannot reduce through its manufacturing processes.


Beyond that, ACO is investing heavily into operations around its UK sites in Shefford


provides businesses with a starting point, it is not enough for achieving a 1.5°C pathway. By definition, net-zero requires emission reductions in line with a 1.5°C pathway, so it’s important that businesses work towards achieving net-zero global emissions by 2050.”


Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions The Science Based Targets Initiative’s Corporate Net-Zero Standard provides companies with the guidance and tools they need to set science-based net-zero targets and is the only framework for corporate net-zero target setting in line with climate science. She adds: “Science-based targets must cover scopes 1 and 2 emissions. For companies whose scope 3 emissions cover more than 40% of their combined scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, targets must cover scope 3.” The scopes were introduced by the Green House Gas Protocol and are the basis for mandatory GHG reporting. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol was created to establish comprehensive global standardised frameworks to measure and manage GHG emissions from private and public sector operations, value chains and mitigation actions.


and Bedford. Both use a green energy tariff electricity supply, while the business now operates 100% electric forklifts around the factory floor at Bedford.


A champion for biodiversity, ACO is also pioneering the way in safeguarding urban habitats and tackling biodiversity decline through its Habitat Matters initiative. Habitat Matters has been designed to help the construction industry and the public understand the intricate relationship between humans, infrastructure and the environment. Habitat Matters launched in 2021 through a collaboration with 19 industry partners, and ACO has since gone on to educate built environment professionals through an eight- part webinar series and a six-part podcast series, in collaboration with area experts. Simpson Lane adds: “The mission to get to Net Zero cannot be understated, given all the evidence around climate change and biodiversity losses. That’s why we are dedicated to upholding the highest levels of environmental responsibility across every aspect of the organisation. We constantly strive, in partnership with our suppliers and customers, to continually improve our energy efficiency, lower carbon intensity in operations and embedded within our products, and minimise our environmental and ecological impact throughout the life cycle of the product.” BMJ


It is a 20 year partnership between World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).


Coutinho says that the scopes are categorised into the different kinds of carbon emissions a company creates in its own operations and the wider value chain: • Scope 1 emissions cover the greenhouse gas emissions that a company creates directly from combustion of fossil fuels, such as natural gas, diesel and petrol • Scope 2 emissions are the emissions that a business makes indirectly, such as purchased electricity • Scope 3 emissions include all emissions that the organisation is indirectly responsible for throughout its value chain, upstream in the supply chain and downstream in logistics, manufacturing and disposal


“At ERA, our parent company, Tyman, has recently had its targets validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative to reduce absolute scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions by 46.2% by 2030 from a 2019 base year and reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services by 27.5% within the same timeframe.” she says. BMJ


March 2024 www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net


AG achieves top sustainable status


Paving and building manufacturer, AG Paving & Building Products, has achieved Platinum status, the highest accolade available, in the 2023 Northern Ireland Environmental Benchmarking Survey, organised by Business in the Community (BITC).


Recognising companies that go above and beyond to reduce their environmental impact, the survey benchmarks companies that drive change through integrating sustainable practices into corporate strategies. The firm, which has recently released its Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy, was one of 125 organisations from a range of sectors in Northern Ireland to participate in the survey.


Jewson’s Making Better Homes Awards


finalists revealed Jewson has announced the finalists in its first Making Better Homes Awards. Going through to the next round in the Best Building Fabric in a Project category are Draper Studio, SIP Build UK and Orka Construction. In the Best Use of Renewable Energy in a Project category, Channel Electrical, Castlethorpe Homes and The Vegan Builder will face the national vote. Finally, up for Best Sustainable Project of the Year are A Corner of Eden, Greencore Homes and The Holt Group. The projects include Forest House, a 3,300sq ft 5 bedroom family home built on the site of an old bungalow in Norwich, Harris Hideaway, a grand- designs holiday home in the Outer Hebrides, Sandfield Park, two zero- carbon residential dwellings, and Field View, a traditionally built detached house which reaches the highest EPC rating of ‘A’.


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