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Having been a member of the School since 2017, M O’Brien Group has become the latest Partner to the School.

 

After using the School’s vast library of resources for the past few years to improve their business in terms of sustainability and stay at the forefront of the fast developing industry, M O’Brien has chosen to become a Partner and begin to contribute back to the School and provide input and resources to benefit the School’s members.

Being a company that operates with such a large fleet of plant and haulage vehicles, it is vital that we play our part for a sustainable and more environmentally friendly built environment. It is great that SCSS provides a platform that we can share some of our best practice with members and vice versa so that we can all continue to drive forward and have a positive impact on the areas we work in. We strive to be the best we can in terms of quality, service and safety, the field of sustainability is no different, and becoming a partner of Supply chain sustainability school offers the best learning and sharing platform for this.” – James O’Donnell, Director

Why become a Partner?

M O’Brien strive to be the best they can in terms of quality, service and safety, and the field of sustainability is no different and M O’Brien believe that becoming a Partner to the School offers the best learning and sharing platform for this. Having been a member of the Supply Chain Sustainability School for the past two years and using a lot of useful resources within the school, the group have expanded the company’s knowledge in sustainability. Becoming a Partner feels like the next logical step to continue to grow as a sustainable business and contribute M O’Brien resources and experiences to the School’s members in a collaborative approach to improvement.

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has announced a new task group which will develop a definition of social value for the built environment sector.

Despite growing interest, there is still significant confusion around social value in the context of the built environment. Planners, procurement teams and investors often don’t know what to require from delivery partners and sometimes set requirements in an inconsistent way. There are often calls for standardisation, particularly around the measurement of social value, but also for flexibility, with practitioners recognising that social value must be considered in local contexts.

The task group aims to develop a definition of social value that is relevant to a broad variety of development types, geographies and communities, providing the industry with a common language, consistent principles and an agreed hierarchy of delivery.

UKGBC will undertake a consultation later this summer to canvas views across the industry to inform the definition.

The task group is being supported by, and includes representation from, the following trade associations, professional institutions and non-profit organisations:

  • Better Buildings Partnership (BBP) British Property Federation (BPF)
  • Buildings Research Establishment (BRE)
  • HACT
  • Local Trust
  • Quality of Life Foundation
  • Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
  • Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
  • Supply Chain Sustainability School
  • Urban Land Institute (ULI)

Read more detail in the UKGBC press release here >

School Partner HS2 Ltd has launched a new start-up ‘Innovation Accelerator’ – a call out for entrepreneurial ideas that can help drive project efficiencies and create wider long-term economic benefits around the scheme.

Focused around HS2’s three innovation challenges: productivity, the environment, and the circular economy; the launch of the Innovation Accelerator is a call-to-arms for individuals or firms with bright ideas to help deliver Europe’s largest infrastructure project.

The online portal will be open for one month.

Launching the portal, HS2 Head of Innovation Howard Mitchell said:

“I encourage individuals and firms of all sizes – from start-ups and budding  entrepreneurs to established businesses – to go online and share their ideas with HS2.

“The construction of HS2 will show the world the very best of British skills, innovation and ambition. We hope that the Accelerator programme, which is an innovation itself, will both offer new ways of delivering HS2, but also generate new jobs, technology and opportunities.”

Products already delivered by HS2’s wider innovation programme have included devices for protecting site workers’ hearing and a device to ensure maintenance of distanced working while COVID-19 restrictions remain in place.

HS2 Innovation Accelerator – Link to portal & how to apply

The Supply Chain Sustainability School launches its industry Plant Charter, committing to emissions reductions.

The School has launched its Plant Charter, a commitment by organisations designed to reduce their air quality emissions, and School Partner Flannery Plant Hire, has committed to be its first signatory.

The Plant Group has been working on how the sector can collaborate to reduce both air quality emissions that lead to local health impacts and the global effects of carbon emissions from the plant and equipment we all use.  As a result, the group developed the Charter to encapsulate and communicate their approach to this.

James Cadman, School Plant Group lead & Lead Consultant at Action Sustainability explains:

“Our aim is that the Supply Chain Sustainability School will lead the way for the UK’s built environment to drastically reduce onsite emissions to air that are harmful to human health and the planet, such that they will reach net zero by 2040 and contribute to UN Sustainable Development Goals 3, 11 and 13. We would like organisations up and down the value chain to collaborate with us in coordinating our efforts to reduce these emissions for everyone’s benefit.”

Flannery have been a proactive member of the School’s Plant Category Group and support the collaborative approach across the industry to achieve these goals.

Managing Director Patrick Flannery commented:

“As a business, understanding our environmental impacts and managing these is really important. Sustainability and innovation are two of our key value drivers and underpin the decisions we make and ensure we can support clients in the delivery of the cleanest, and most efficient hire solutions for their construction projects.

It is, however, really important that there is a consistent approach throughout the supply chain and the Supply Chain Sustainability School are best placed to facilitate this. I am sure that this Charter will have a great impact and as a business, we wanted to confirm our commitment and support by being the first signatory.”

The industry has been under increased scrutiny from clients and the government on the negative effect engines have on the air quality of our towns and cities. Coupled with policy and penalties pushing organisations to address these issues via a fleet and plant strategy, the construction industry has been looking closely at how it operates plant, what it invests in, and how plant is disposed.

The Plant Group was established by School Partners and other key industry stakeholders to develop and facilitate the implementation of the School’s position on best practice sustainable procurement within the category. This Partner collaboration, including Flannery (Partners since 2012), is helping to identify and provide the supply chain with information and guidance on plant standards and management.

Flannery’s Strategic Manager Chris Matthew, who sits on the Group’s team, said:

“Being part of the working group that has developed this Charter has proved hugely beneficial for our business. Sharing best practice and ideas can only help to drive the behavioural change our industry needs to meet commitments to papers like this, but also broader papers like Construction 2025.

It has identified, for us, key areas that we know we understand and can now help our supply chain partners develop and adopt, through examples like our ECO-Operator program and our developing data offering for clients (the effective use of telematics to optimise hire fleet).

It has also supported the business as we forward plan, talking to manufacturers about investment and renewal of our fleet and the types of innovation we would like to continue seek out and bring to market.”


More information:

Visit our dedicated page on the Charter and see all the latest signatories here.

To read the Charter, please click here.

If you are interested in becoming a signatory to the Plant Charter, please get in touch with [email protected].

You can also have a look at the Plant Group’s Minimum Standards Guide.