Partner News Archives - Supply Chain Sustainability School

Level 2+ Partners now receive FREE access to measurement solutions on the Sustainability Tool, offering two key functionalities:

To measure Scope 3 carbon emissions using the Scope 3 Carbon Calculator
To benchmark their supply chain’s EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion) performance

What does this mean for my company?

Level 1 Partners: No changes! Speak to your Account Manager if you are interested in upgrading to gain access to the Sustainability Tool solutions.
Level 2 and 3 Partners: You now have the option to choose between the Scope 3 Carbon Calculator or the EDI Supply Chain Benchmarking solution. Contact your Account Manager to discuss which tool suits your needs.
Level 4 Partners: You gain access to both the Scope 3 Carbon Calculator and the Supply Chain EDI Benchmarking solution as part of your package.

Please note that once you have engaged with one measurement solution, switching to the other will not be possible.

For Partners also interested in ESG and sustainability measurement, please contact the Sustainability Tool team directly to explore how they can assist and support your needs Find out more >

The Supply Chain Sustainability School has today released its groundbreaking industry report focused on “Packaging Optimisation in the Housebuilding Sector.” This comprehensive report addresses a critical issue in the built environment – packaging waste – and provides practical solutions for reducing its impact on both cost and carbon.

Packaging waste has emerged as a significant challenge within the built environment industry, contributing to economic and environmental concerns. This report addresses these critical challenges and whilst focusing on the housebuilding sector, known for its substantial packaging demands, its insights extend beyond and are relevant for wider construction, facilities management, infrastructure, and more. 

Ten School Partners have collaborated to co-fund this project, with a total of over 30 organisations joining forces to make this report possible. It encompasses real-world, actionable examples of packaging optimisation, including source elimination, reuse strategies, and optimal recycling conditions. It covers various packaging types, offering a comprehensive guide to implementing effective change.

Importantly, the report sheds light on the policy challenges that organisations dealing with significant packaging volumes are likely to encounter. It addresses key concerns such as the Plastic Packaging Tax and Extended Producer Responsibility, providing essential insights for navigating regulatory landscapes.

Key highlights of the report:

Real-world examples of successful packaging optimisation strategies
Insights into source elimination, reuse, and recycling optimisation
Coverage of major packaging types and their optimisation potential
Examination of common barriers to change and ongoing trials to overcome them
Analysis of policy challenges faced by organisations dealing with substantial packaging volumes

Packaging remains a substantial cost and environmental burden for businesses. The UK construction industry alone generates around 55,000 tonnes of plastic waste annually, with an estimated 35,000 tonnes originating from packaging. Less than half of this plastic packaging is recycled, reinforcing the urgency of effective solutions.

Matt Nichols, Regional Director at Reconomy and Chair of the School’s Waste and Resource Use Leadership Group, said: “Packaging and the waste created by its treatment remains a major contributor to cost and carbon across the entire built environment. Our Housebuilding sector is not alone in experiencing major challenges to address this problem, so this opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in the industry whilst drawing upon insights from so many expert stakeholders within the School partnership could not be missed. This project report contains content applicable not just for Housebuilding, but for anyone interested in optimising and reducing the endless flow of packaging arriving at project sites every day. I cannot recommend it enough”.

Mark Turner, Waste and Resource Management lead for the Supply Chain Sustainability School, highlighted the collaborative effort behind the report: “This has been a brilliant opportunity to help deliver our School mission to enable a sustainable built environment through knowledge and collaboration. We have worked closely alongside four of the UK’s largest Housebuilders and in total over 30 leading organisations within the built environment to produce this report. Insights from the Housebuilders, their suppliers, product manufacturers, along with waste management and policy experts have provided a window into the opportunities for packaging optimisation. Most crucially, all of these organisations have entered into the spirit of open collaboration, providing solutions and practical examples for others to follow. We can only thank them.”

To access the full report and contribute to sustainable packaging practices in the housebuilding sector and the broader built environment, read the full report here.

The Plant Sector Representative Organisation (PSRO) and the Supply Chain Sustainability School’s Plant Group have worked together to develop a new Eco-operations National Training Delivery Framework.

The construction plant sector is providing initiatives and solutions for the UK’s path to net zero, with machine usage identified as a contributor to carbon-based emissions. The long-term aim of the sector is to replace all carbon-emitting equipment with zero or low-emission-powered versions. However, in the short term, the aim is to reduce engine-derived emissions as much as possible through minimising engine run time and using the equipment efficiently.

Addressing this challenge requires a comprehensive education program for equipment owners, operators, and users, and eco-operation courses are at the forefront of this educational initiative.

To ensure uniformity and standardisation in eco-operations across the industry, the PSRO and the School’s Plant Group have worked collaboratively to develop and launch the new training delivery framework.

The framework defines the parameters for consistent delivery, identifying and providing guidance on areas including core and optional learning outcomes, content, teaching methods, assessment strategies, and course durations. It also tailors the course content and delivery specifics for various roles, including Plant Operators, Supervisors, Plant and Site Managers, Planners, Plant Procurers, Maintenance Personnel, and more.

The aim is that upon completing a course based on this framework, delegates will attain a required level of understanding of how to reduce machine-based carbon emissions. This will enable them to recognise and apply learned reduction techniques, operational processes and emerging machine technologies. The goal is for each delegate to take personal ownership for emissions reduction.

The framework is structured into three parts: Part 1 outlines its aims and principles, Part 2 details delivery aspects for different occupations, and Part 3 specifies learning outcomes and training specifications.

Peter Brown from the PSRO said: “With education being a key part in terms of plant-emission reductions and from a programme jointly developed by CPA members Flannery Plant Hire and L Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage, we’re pleased to have built upon and created the framework in partnership with the School. This will help ensure that future training courses on this topic both cover the relevant industry-derived content and provide a platform for the consistency of the training of plant and site-based occupations through this open-source framework.”

Imogen Player, Senior Sustainability Consultant and Plant Category Group Lead at the Supply Chain Sustainability School, said: “For the built environment to seriously tackle climate change and reduce emissions, then the impact that good operator behaviour has must be properly realised. The publication of the Eco-operations National Training Delivery Framework is great, and I’m excited for it to lead the way forward for best-practice training.”

The new training delivery framework is now available to download from here.

Learn more about the School’s Plant Group here.

NatWest partners with the Supply Chain Sustainability School to provide a free retrofit learning platform for the construction industry. The aim is to build capability and capacity to accelerate retrofitting of UK buildings to make them more energy efficient.

Today marks a significant milestone as NatWest Group becomes the Supply Chain Sustainability School’s first Partner within the finance sector, with a shared objective of addressing climate change through building the skills of the construction industry, to retrofit the UK’s housing and non-residential buildings.

Retrofit plays a critical role in achieving Net Zero. Buildings contribute 40% of the UK’s carbon emissions and as 80% of the buildings that will be standing in 2050 already exist, the UK simply cannot deliver against its Net Zero ambitions without significant retrofitting of its buildings. As well as carbon reduction, retrofit offers the potential to elevate the quality of life for millions while generating employment opportunities.

With over 200 Partners within the built environment industry and their supply chains, we’re uniquely positioned to drive positive change. Our sustainability platform offers free training to 80,000 registered users, covering retrofit as well as 17 key sustainability topics including energy & carbon, waste & circular economy and more.

With NatWest Group’s strategic support, our retrofit initiatives will accelerate significantly, bringing Partners together to shape the programme, share knowledge and upskill the wider industry on retrofit.

Ian Heptonstall, Director of the Supply Chain Sustainability School, commented: “Our mission is to enable a sustainable built environment through knowledge and collaboration, however most of our work to date has focused on new builds. To truly fulfil our mission, we must pivot towards the existing building stock, crafting and delivering learning experiences that empower the UK to retrofit its structures with cutting-edge technologies and systems, positioning us to fulfil our Net Zero commitments. We look forward to tackling climate change through retrofit with NatWest Group.”

NatWest Group aims to support the decarbonisation of UK properties. By working closely with the built environment industry, NatWest aims to build a robust supply chain to develop efficiency upgrades at scale.

James Close, Head of Climate Change at NatWest Group commented: “As one of the largest lenders in the UK, we have a key role to play in supporting consumers and businesses in transitioning to more energy efficient homes and buildings that are warmer, cheaper to heat, and generate lower emissions. Decarbonising properties will require retrofitting existing buildings to increase their energy efficiency, constructing new energy efficient buildings and decarbonisation of electricity and heating supply. We want to work at scale to increase demand. But we need the skills and companies to carry out the work and we also want to make it as easy for our customers to retrofit as possible. Our collaboration with the Supply Chain Sustainability School will help cultivate a more mature retrofit supply chain, share knowledge and build the skills needed to retrofit homes and buildings across the UK.”

Our retrofit programme, sponsored by NatWest, will be unveiled through a virtual conference taking place on November 7th, 2023. This will introduce CPD-accredited virtual training encompassing e-learning modules, online assessments, conferences, workshops and webinars running until Autumn 2024. These valuable resources will be freely accessible to professionals in the built environment, including NatWest Group’s clients and School members.

200 companies leading the way for a sustainable future through the Supply Chain Sustainability School, plus ‘Future Workforce’ initiative launched to develop sustainability knowledge and green skills of the next generation.

The built environment industry has today reached a major milestone with 200 companies leading the way for a sustainable future, including the launch of a ‘Future Workforce’ initiative aimed at developing the sustainability knowledge and green skills of the next generation of workers.

United by a shared mission to deliver more efficient and sustainable projects, 200 Partners are now collaborating through the Supply Chain Sustainability School to share best practice, knowledge and free resources with their supply chains and wider industry.

Launched in 2012, the School was funded by seven founding Partners and CITB, with training delivered by Action Sustainability consultancy. Since then, it has led pioneering work to set new standards in climate change, modern slavery, social value and much more.

Skanska UK was one of the School’s founding Partners. Dale Turner, Director of Procurement and Supply Chain for Skanska UK, commented: “Before the School was launched, the industry was really fragmented. What the School has done is create a great collaborative environment for companies and their supply chains to improve on sustainability going forward. As one of the founding Partners, to see it reach this 200 Partner milestone is incredible.”

The School has continued to grow and adapt in response to new challenges and opportunities, looking to impact the future of the built environment. In 2022, the School trained nearly 25,000 people from over 5,000 companies. It was also awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development in recognition of the significant environmental, social and economic benefits it has delivered to its Members and Partners.

Most recently, the School launched a ‘Future Workforce’ initiative. This welcomes education providers to join as Partners and engage in the sustainability agenda to prepare their staff and students in the same way as their peers in the industry. The initiative will also provide opportunities for the School’s existing Partners to collaborate to tackle the skills gap and workforce planning. Facilitating this collaboration is vital, as the School recognises the important part education providers play in the future of the industry and how, in turn, the industry has an impact on education.

The first education provider to join as a Future Workforce Partner was Wigan & Leigh College, at the same time becoming the School’s 200th Partner.

Anne-Marie Francis, Vice-Principal for Wigan & Leigh College, commented: “It is a real honour to be not only the School’s 200th Partner but also the first Partner supporting the Future Workforce initiative. Moving forward, the School will be instrumental in providing the necessary training to help our staff and students develop the sustainability knowledge and green skills needed for future careers within the industry.”

Having achieved its 200th Partner milestone, the School will continue to grow and work towards its vision of a built environment industry where everyone has the skills and knowledge to deliver a sustainable future.

Ian Heptonstall, Director of the Supply Chain Sustainability School, commented: “When we first floated the idea of an online sustainability learning platform for the built environment industry, we were told it was unlikely that competing companies would collaborate, nor would people use an online training platform. But most of all, that supply chains were simply not interested in sustainability.

I am delighted to see that our 200th Partner is Wigan & Leigh College. If we are to ensure that we attract the best talent into our industry, this collaboration with the further education sector is essential and true to our vision of a School that is for all those who work in or want to work in the industry.”

Join us to ignite change and create solutions to address the sustainability challenges we are facing as an industry. Learn more about becoming a School Partner here.

The Supply Chain Sustainability School has launched the first in a series of 35 new video resources for members.

The first 6 videos feature case studies from School Partners and members working across the built environment, focusing on how they have tackled a sustainability issue, the challenges and business benefits. They aim to inspire other organisations to explore what action they can take around cutting carbon, reducing packaging waste and delivering more sustainable projects. They are all free to access in our resource library; please share with your colleagues.

Take a look at the new videos below:

Thanks to all of our Partners and members who were involved in the filming to develop some fantastic new resources for the whole sector.

Watch this space for the next launch of new resources!

The Supply Chain Sustainability School partnered up with business improvement specialists BBI Services to present the ‘Delivering in Challenging Economic Times’ Business Byte, leading on from the ‘Procuring in Challenging Economic Times’ Business Byte.

Hosted by Mark Worrall, CEO of BBI Services, the 2-hour discussion was broken down into three panels of industry experts, who helped highlight the scale of the current challenges facing the sector and how to ‘make the boat go faster’. Mark mentioned how important it is to not get caught up in just ‘being busy’, and to instead step back and review everything the industry is doing, spotlighting every opportunity to improve and ultimately whether we are adding value.

The three panels were titled: ‘Onsite Delivery Performance Improvement’, ‘Offsite and Delivery Performance Improvement’ and ‘Preconstruction, Design and Setting Up for Success’. Speakers included experts from CECA, Etex, Laing O’Rourke, Octavius Infrastructure, WSP, NG Bailey, Expedition and Morgan Sindall.

The discussions by the three panels highlighted the importance of change to deliver more efficiently and effectively not only during challenging economic times but at any time.

Key takeaways from the discussions included:

the importance of engagement, communication and collaboration
the benefits of offsite construction in relieving labour shortages, cost saving and reducing health and safety risks
the need to focus more on value-adding activities

Ed McCann, Senior Director at Expedition, commented: “We need to embrace the complexity and make strategic choices within that.”

Mark Worrall added, “We need to improve performance and it’s within our grasp, so let’s get on with it!”

Did you miss the session? Check out the full webinar recording here.

For more information on the BBI Services team and how they can enhance a team’s personal growth and build team engagement and involvement, visit: https://www.bbiservices.com/what-we-do/training-services.

The Supply Chain Sustainability School have launched new maturity guidance to support you to sign up to the People Matter Charter.

This guidance will help you:

Evaluate your organisation’s maturity against the eight commitments in the People Matter Charter
Understand what best practice looks like for each of these eight commitments
Develop and progress your workforce strategy
Complete the confidential People assessment in the School as accurately as possible.

Completion of the People assessment is a required step for organisations who wish to become a signatory of the People Matter Charter.

Think of this guidance as a sense checking tool to help you understand which of the five levels of the People assessment best reflect your progress to date, against each of the eight commitments. This guidance includes examples of the types of evidence that would support your claim to be at, for example, ‘advanced working practice’ level for a specific commitment. This is to help you check that your response is accurate and realistic. This guidance is not designed to be used for audits.

Access the guidance >

The Fairness, Inclusion & Respect Steering Group recently recruited five new members from across the industry

Ella Anderson – Project Management Apprentice, Mace Group

“Ella is undertaking a degree apprenticeship with Mace in Project Management; alongside her work she is completing a construction management degree. Since joining the company, Ella quickly became involved with various Diversity and Inclusion events to enhance her existing knowledge and understanding, while helping guide and teach others. Upon witnessing the benefits of working in a diverse and inclusive workplace, Ella hopes to contribute to the important work of the FIR steering group by encouraging openness and breaking existing stigmas within the industry. Ella also wants to encourage a younger generation into joining the industry by aiding the creation of more inclusive workspaces.”

Charlotte Baker – Head of HR, Colas

“Charlotte Baker is Head of HR, having been promoted from HR Business Partner in 2021 and has worked for Colas Ltd since the 1^st August 2018. In her current role, Charlotte is responsible for designing and managing the implementation of HR, Learning & Development, and Resourcing strategies that support the delivery of the overall business strategy. Charlotte is responsible for translating people plans into companywide actions that are fully aligned with the business’ People Strategy and leads on the business EDI strategy – continuing the Company’s journey to becoming a truly diverse business. Charlotte has over 20 years’ experience in complex, multi-site, construction and manufacturing businesses and specialises in employee relations, employment law, equality, diversity, and inclusion strategies, change management and employee engagement. Charlotte is a passionate advocate and champion for change in the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda, with success in implementing strategies to increase active participation companywide.”

Peter Ball – Group Commercial & Compliance Director, Fortel Group.

“A legal, regulatory, compliance and commercial expert. Peter has a wealth of experience operating at a senior level within the Recruitment, Telecommunications and Construction Industries. Currently the Group Commercial & Compliance Director for the Fortel Group, Peter has first-hand experience from a Tier 1 Contractor perspective as well as being able to provide a view from a Labour Provider/Tier 2 Contractor on many aspects, including FIR and Labour Provider Governance/ best practice.”

Shelley Caton – Director Diversity & Inclusion, BAM UK&I

“I have been a proud employee of BAM for over 16 years, and have seen such a transition in terms of our understanding of inclusion through society, our business, our customers and our people. I have had a varied career in an number of people focused roles and have always been fascinated in the links between engagement and performance. BAM are going through a very exciting process of change, with inclusion at the heart so we are currently delivering a huge education programme and I am really keen that we maximise on the benefits that FIR programme has to offer our industry. I hope to bring to the team some creative insights and critical challenge so that we can continue to deliver exactly what our industry needs in order to ensure a sustainable future and be an attractive career proposition to a diverse population of talent.”

Christina Scant – Group Head of HR, Core Highways Group.

“We have taken lots of positive actions and are starting to collect data to measure our progress on EDI. We are a Disability Confident Leader accredited business and have an EDI action plan to ensure our activities are planned and have a positive impact. What I bring to the group is the voice of smaller organisations within the Tier 1 supply chain that are starting their EDI journey and might find tackling this issue overwhelming at times. My company and I have a commitment and genuine belief in EDI as the principles of FIR align to both my personal values and my organisations professional values.”

Other Steering Group members:
Aaron Reid (Morgan Sindall)
Belinda Blake (National Highways)
Briony Wickenden (CECA South)
Charlotte Baker (Colas)
Christina Scant (Core Highways)
Emer Murnaghan (Graham Construction)
Emma Shakespeare (Laing O’Rourke)
Osita Madu (HS2)
Paul Aldridge (WJ Group)
Ripesh Patel (Network Rail)
Shelley Caton (BAM)
Stephen Cole (CITB)
Stuart Coates (TfL)

Since the launch of the School’s Carbon Calculator under a year ago, over 1,400 suppliers have registered to report their emissions, with 40% now actively reporting their data. The standardised approach to the way our industry measures emissions is helping to simplify reporting requirements from clients and main contractors to their supply chains, and is giving Partners an accurate picture of their own scope 3 emissions, and that of the wider industry.

With 80-99% of the built environment’s total carbon footprint coming from their supply chain, the Carbon Calculator is playing an integral role in supporting businesses in their fight against climate change.

Due to the success of the Carbon Calculator, the School have significantly increased our investment in the technology and staff supporting the system, resulting in a change to the Partner fee structure from 2023 onwards. The Calculator will continue to be free to use and report for all suppliers, however, Partners will only be given access to supplier dashboards (scope 3 carbon reporting tool) as a Level 2 Partner or above.

You can view the new fee structure, communicated October 2021, and associated Partner benefits here.

Or to find out more about your options as a Partner, and how to make the most of the Carbon Calculator, please get in touch with the team.

11 October, London, UK — A new report, published by the Supply Chain Sustainability School, Akerlof and the University of Salford, has launched to support clients and supply chain organisations on how to enhance the benefits of the social value created through the use of offsite manufacture.

In the face of urgent challenges (including the need to rapidly decarbonise, combat growing poverty and inequality, and address the cost-of-living crisis) what and how we build is crucial! Offsite construction and the social value agenda are two responses, driven by both government and industry. This report brings these agendas together, addressing a gap in guidance for clients and the supply chain.

Contributors to the report described how proposals which involve factory pre-fabrication are sometimes disadvantaged during bids, due to clients restricting social value measurement to the municipal area of the development site. Such assessments miss the significant benefits offsite manufacturing facilities can bring to other geographical areas, for example through provision of stable, long-term employment.

The report illustrates the potential benefits that can be felt at both development and manufacturing sites across five themes: employment, skills, economy, social and environmental. Across these, was unearthed promising stories of offsite organisations contributing positively, along with significant scope for improved data gathering and communication to support assumptions.

Examples of ‘good work’ include:

Opening opportunities for employment to members of local communities, students and under-represented groups.
Measuring reductions in embodied carbon.
Inclusion of local stakeholders in the design process using digital tools.
Creation of training opportunities and routes to progression through direct employment.

Ultimately, the findings indicate there is potential for offsite to deliver the same, if not more, value to society than traditional construction, providing early communication takes place among stakeholders to understand the possibilities and agree clear boundaries and methodologies.

Pressing forward in this space, there is a great deal of work needed to build up the robust evidence base required to set baselines for improvement and effectively communicate the benefits, which the School and collaborating organisations are keen to support.

Ian Heptonstall, Director of the Supply Chain Sustainability School, said: “I’m delighted to share this guide providing practical recommendations with the offsite sector. I hope organisations will find it useful as a jumping off point to get to grips with their social value offering, measuring and communicating impact for the benefit of all in the sector.”

Ellie Jenkins, Partner at Akerlof and co-author of the report, said: “Offsite construction can create significant social value. We hope this guide will shape understanding and encourage the offsite sector to embed social value, growing a community of great practice.”

The report can be downloaded from the Supply Chain Sustainability School website here.

###

MEDIA CONTACTS

Gemma Laws

[email protected]

About Supply Chain Sustainability School:
The Supply Chain Sustainability School (the “School”) is a multi-award-winning initiative which represents a common approach to addressing sustainability within supply chains. Co-funded by over 180 collaborating companies (Partners), the School is delivered by an independent third-party consultancy, Action Sustainability. Leadership is provided by a School Board comprising elected representatives of Partners, responsible for fiscal governance and strategic direction. A Code of Ethics is signed by all Partners as part of the School Constitution and Partners lead the direction of the School content and activities through leadership groups. With more than 50,000 registered users, the School provides free practical learning and support in the form of sustainability training, events and networking, e-learning modules, tailored assessment and a library of over 3,000 online resources. https://www.supplychainschool.co.uk/

About Akerlof:
Akerlof is a specialist consultancy focussed upon delivering high value outcomes within the built environment through integration of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). Responding to contemporary challenges with creativity and clarity, Akerlof work with ambitious leaders in both public and private sectors to offer fresh and objective thinking on how to deliver economic, environmental and social value through Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). http://akerlof.co.uk

The full report can be found here.

27^th September, London, UK – The Supply Chain Sustainability School, a multi-award-winning initiative which represents a common approach to addressing sustainability within supply chains, has today released its Fairness, Inclusion & Respect (FIR) Annual Culture Report 2022.

The School surveyed over 1,000 of its members across the country, to get their feedback on the School’s Fairness, Inclusion & Respect Programme and how the FIR agenda is progressing within the built environment.

David O’Neil, Supply Chain Director, Commercial and Procurement at National Highways, said: “At National Highways we recognise that developing a diverse and inclusive supply chain (and workforce) is critical in meeting the needs and expectations of road users and communities. We see the FIR Programme, and our growing partnership with the Supply Chain Sustainability School, as an essential part of developing diverse capability across our sector.”

The report also offered insights on how the School has continued to positively impact organisations and supply chains, reinforcing the School’s mission to be the world-class collaboration enabling a sustainable and fair built environment.

With over fifty thousand registered users, the School provides free practical learning and support for the UK built environment, through training, networking, e-learning modules and online resources. Specifically, the FIR resources and the FIR Growth Assessment are becoming increasingly popular as FIR sits higher on the agenda for many organisations in the industry.

Members of the School anonymously stated that the FIR Programme offered “the confidence to tackle issues head on” , “increased efficiency and productivity” and created a “positive breeding ground for strong culture resulting in a much healthier and beneficial workplace for [our] colleagues.” One School member also highlighted the FIR Programme continues to “increase the level of diversity within the workplace and assist in recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce.”

Organisations are becoming more conscious of FIR and its benefits to people, profit and enabling a sustainable business model. The School has been identified as a powerful tool to help organisations embed sustainability into their business practices, with 83% of survey respondents confirming that their company leaders are now better equip to understand Fairness, Inclusion and Respect and can better articulate the benefits. Furthermore, 79% of respondents confirmed their behaviours and attitudes towards teammates have improved due to FIR training. The FIR programme has also been identified as key to supporting businesses with retaining talent (68%) and recruiting a more diverse team (72%).

Lucie Wright, Head of Strategy (Careers and Pipeline) at CITB, said: “CITB’s evaluation team have produced a thorough report and it is great to see the evidence that FIR training is having a positive impact across construction. Nearly 80% of companies have reported improved behaviours as a result of the knowledge gained from the training, and that, in turn creates a happier working environment which will mean improved staff retention and greater opportunity to attract new talent into the industry. This is particularly important at a time when construction faces a large skills gap. The survey also helps us understand where support is needed and helps CITB improve our offer to industry and to support FIR to become embedded throughout.”

The quality of training remains extremely high this year, with an average of 90% of respondents rated the workshops and materials as “excellent” or “good”. There was also a strong impact on individuals, as demonstrated by the 87% of respondents who felt they were empowered to deal with FIR issues more effectively due to engaging with the FIR Programme. 82% of members also felt they had the confidence to challenge poor behaviours in the workplace.

Paul Aldridge, Sustainability Director at WJ Group, said: “This report with greater participation than ever, brings hope, demonstrating that we are breaking down the barriers to an inclusive industry but yet, sets us challenges. Listening and measuring the thoughts, concerns, hopes and ambitions of our colleagues helps us understand better where we can and must improve to become truly inclusive. We know the benefits of fairness, inclusion and respect, increased: employee and customer satisfaction; creativity and innovation; attraction of the broadest talent; profitability and business development; community value. FIR helps us nurture our people and achieve great results.”

The School is part-funded by CITB and industry Partners, with the direction of the School being led by over 182 Partners – working in collaboration, they share knowledge and free resources to inspire the UK built environment to drive positive change.

The Value Toolkit is a new way of thinking for the construction industry. It represents a step change in the way that projects are conceived, developed and, most importantly, how value is delivered through the project lifecycle. The Value Toolkit has been developed by the Construction Innovation Hub, in collaboration with HM Government and key players in the UK construction sector.

The School is pleased to be able to host 6 pilot training courses to allow our Partners and Members to understand better this new procurement approach, click below to book and find out more:

Supply Chain – Tuesday 6^th September – 13.30 to 17.00 (face-to-face in Birmingham) – Understanding the government’s new approach to procurement – The Value Toolkit for the Supply Chain
Facilitator – Thursday & Friday 8/9^th September – 9:00 to 5:00 (face-to-face in London) – The Value Toolkit – How to facilitate your clients’ adoption of value decision making
Commercial Professionals – Friday 16^th September – 09:30 to 13:00 (face-to-face in London) – Understanding the government’s new approach to procurement – The Value Toolkit for Commercial Professionals
Supply Chain – Thursday 22^nd September – 9.00 to 12.30 (virtual) – Understanding the government’s new approach to procurement – The Value Toolkit for the Supply Chain
Facilitator – Thursday & Friday 22/23^rd September – 9:00 to 5:00 (face-to-face in Birmingham) – The Value Toolkit – How to facilitate your clients’ adoption of value decision making
Commercial Professionals – Friday 23^rd September – 09:30-13:00 (virtual) – Understanding the government’s new approach to procurement – The Value Toolkit for Commercial Professionals

Business improvement specialists, BBI Services strives to transform business performance across the built environment industry in partnership with the Supply Chain Sustainability School.

BBI has developed a series of unique training and coaching programmes through the Supply Chain Sustainability School, aiming to build the skillsets, mindsets and toolsets of individuals and teams to achieve high performance.

The School is a free online learning platform offering 50,000 registered users access to 3,000 learning resources, 400 virtual training sessions each year, and a range of diagnostic and benchmarking tools to support companies in focusing their sustainability strategies.

By partnering with the School, BBI can train the sector to tackle low productivity levels, enhance quality, and reduce cost, which then all have a positive impact on sustainability as the ultimate goal. Not only this, but the School enables BBI to support members with utilising their CITB levy pot to fund their Improvement Skillset Training, allowing Continued Professional Development (CPD) Points and positively impacting business performance.

Ian Heptonstall, Director of Supply Chain Sustainability School, said: “We started working with BBI Services in 2018 and, in the last two years, the team has been delivering their Improvement Foundation Skillset programme as well as a series of Lunch ‘n’ Learns and interactive workshops to School members on several topics.

“We receive positive feedback from the participants who attend the BBI Services training, and we have seen first-hand how they can help to make a real difference across all levels of an organisation within the built environment.

“The industry has faced unprecedented times in the last two years, but the BBI Services team have continued to deliver to a great standard. They offer members great advice, recommendations, and coaching to help organisations tackle their challenges, without sacrificing quality or safety.”

Mark Worrall, CEO of BBI Services, said: “Since becoming an official Partner of the Supply Chain Sustainability School two years ago, we’ve been delighted to deliver such valuable sessions to an engaged audience in the construction sector.

“This is a great partnership which has created lots of opportunities for us to support the different Leadership groups, including Offsite, Infrastructure and Digital. I also co-chair the Operational Efficiency & Lean leadership group with Ian Heptonstall and other representatives from clients, through to contractors, and manufacturers.

“Working closely with the School has provided the chance for us to access their incredible resource bank and excellent learning management system and fully utilise their sustainability tools and techniques.

“Following on from the School’s 10^th Anniversary this year, we have some exciting plans in the pipeline, including a high-profile Business Byte event which focuses on productivity in construction, in partnership with the UK Construction Productivity Taskforce “

In celebration of the School’s 10 Year Anniversary, throughout June, we will be publishing a series of Q&As conducted with Partners of the School. For this, we asked each Partner to reflect on the past decade of sustainability in the UK Built Environment industry.

For the fourth edition of our ‘Reflections From…’ series, we spoke with Stuart Key, Head of Procurement Support and Performance for EQUANS UK & Ireland.

How would you describe the sustainability state of the built environment industry before the School was launched in 2012?

“Before the School was launched in 2012, there was a need to improve the level of understanding in the industry of what sustainability meant for the sector and how to translate it into action. Several competing narratives were used, and organisations were trying to move the agenda along on a smaller scale.

Training materials and resources for the industry were difficult to obtain, and there was no significant learning platform for suppliers where they could develop their knowledge and skills for free.”

What impact has the School had on the built environment industry during this last decade?

“During the last decade, the School has been instrumental in promoting a culture of collaboration in a highly competitive industry. It has sought to provide clarity and unite views on various responsible business/sustainability agenda topics.

The School’s free resources enable even the smallest companies to access and develop their knowledge on various topics from social value, health and wellbeing to climate change and carbon.”

How has the School enabled the industry to drive positive sustainable change?

“The School brings together companies to share resources, knowledge and expertise, creating a multiplier effect for what any company could achieve alone.

The nature of the School’s leadership means that the agenda keeps moving forward as new topics emerge, and the focus remains on developing practical tools and guidance to create positive change.”

Become a Partner.

Connect with Stuart Key on LinkedIn.

Learn more about EQUANS on their website.

For the third edition of our ‘Reflections From…’ series, we spoke with Raj Neelakantan, the Procurement Operations Manager for Cadent Gas Ltd.

How would you describe the sustainability state of the built environment industry before the School was launched in 2012?

“Sustainability was previously seen as a chore and tick-box exercise by many with varying degrees of understanding, action and take-up across the industry. There were numerous examples of people ‘talking the talk’ but having little to show by way of tangible progress.

There was also a skewed perspective towards environmental sustainability, with economic and social angles often overlooked. Sustainability was also seen as an unwelcome cost of time and resource but had to be done to win business.”

What impact has the School had on the built environment industry during this last decade?

“The School and its vast array of carefully curated subject matter have vastly improved the industry’s awareness of sustainability. Companies – large and small – have been given the opportunity to take various initiatives to a higher level and this leaves little room for any organisation to use lack of resources as an excuse for lagging. The Partner & Member format has gone a long way towards promoting awareness, participation and interest in the field.”

How has the School enabled the industry to drive positive sustainable change?

“The School has given depth and breadth to the many facets of sustainability and enabled a complex and rapidly changing situation, especially on the environmental front, to be managed effectively by the School’s Partners and Members. The Bronze– Silver – Gold membership progression combined with tailored development plans and analytics have enabled what was previously a woolly subject to be underpinned by effective metrics, actions and results. This puts organisations on the path of a holistic approach towards people, planet and profits.

There is also true collaboration on display with the many benefitting from synergetic improvements between the companies actively working with the School to develop content.”

Become a Partner.

Connect with Raj Neelakantan on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Cadent Gas on their website.

For the second edition of our ‘Reflections From…’ series, we spoke with Craig Murphy, the Supply Chain Director for John Sisk & Son Ltd.

How would you describe the sustainability state of the built environment industry before the School was launched in 2012?

“Whilst responsible developers, designers, contractors and manufacturers have for some time considered sustainability as critical to their business agendas, collective industry efforts and improvement initiatives were sporadic in frequency and, in my experience, more often than not focused at a project level. This meant genuine industry level traction was difficult to achieve, best practice difficult to capture and the pace at which we could drive change or upskill ourselves as a sector was far slower than we’d have liked..”

What impact has the School had on the built environment industry during this last decade?

“The establishment of the Supply Chain Sustainability School provided a vehicle within the industry for like-minded, responsible organisations to share best practice and collectively leverage resources and expertise to effectively address critical sustainability-led issues facing our industry.

Whether it’s dealing with the ongoing risks and challenges of modern slavery in our industry, the transition towards MMC /DfMA and offsite construction, or the more recent efforts to inform and equip the industry to manage, measure and reduce carbon generation; the School is now consistently at the forefront of the industry’s efforts to create a step-change in sustainability performance by enhancing knowledge, skills and behaviours..”

How has the School enabled the industry to drive positive sustainable change?

“A real feature of the School’s success is the accessibility it provides to all tiers of the supply chain, including SMEs. The School has been able to touch & positively influence a widespread and diverse audience, with organisations of all sizes making use of the training materials and reference documents. The scale of the School’s reach and engagement is, in my experience, quite unique, and has provided a really strong platform for the School to effect genuine behavioural change at an industry level.”

Become a Partner.

Connect with Craig Murphy on LinkedIn.

Learn more about John Sisk & Son on their website

For the first edition of our ‘Reflections From…’ series, we spoke with Kris Karslake, the Sustainability Manager for BAM UK and Ireland.

How would you describe the sustainability state of the built environment industry before the School was launched in 2012?

“A decade ago, the built environment felt fragmented, and it was challenging to involve organisations in our supply chain with sustainability strategies. The working group for principle contractors was in a silo, and outputs weren’t necessarily shared across the value chain.”

What impact has the School had on the built environment industry during this last decade?

“The Supply Chain Sustainability School has connected organisations and been a driving force to raise the bar for critical topics like carbon reporting, offsite construction, modern slavery, and diversity and inclusion.”

How has the School enabled the industry to drive positive sustainable change?

“The School’s multiple engagement methods, from in-person hands-on workshops to webinars and e-learning modules, have upskilled our supply chain, leading to positive change. Furthermore, the recent additions of Learning Pathways have really helped us to highlight specific areas for focus.”

Become a Partner.

Connect with Kris Karslake on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Learn more about BAM on their website

EKFB become first construction joint venture to achieve a new sustainability status developed by the Supply Chain Sustainability School.

The status recognises construction firms taking steps to lower emissions and cut carbon on their sites.

HS2’s main works contractor, EKFB – a team made up of Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and BAM Nuttall, has become the first construction joint venture to achieve a new sustainability status awarded by the Supply Chain Sustainability School (SCSS).

The status is part of a new programme within the School’s Plant Charter which recognises the actions taken by construction organisations to lower emissions on construction sites, resulting in improved air quality and a cleaner working environment.

Each organisation that becomes a signatory to the Charter makes a public pledge to work towards five commitments that address these emissions. These include minimum standards in procurement, engagement with stakeholders, awareness raising and education, measurement and reporting, and innovation. EKFB has started their journey on the Bronze level and their plan is to progress towards Silver and then aim to achieve Gold in the next 18 months.

Actions taken by EKFB include using retrofit technology on non-road mobile machinery to cut emissions, conducting Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil trials, introducing electric machinery and hydrogen powered generators, as well providing environmental education and awareness programmes for staff. The organisation also uses the School’s online platform, the Sustainability Tool, to track its supplier environmental, sustainability and social data.

Andrea Davidson, HS2’s Air Quality Lead said:

“It’s great news that EKFB is the first construction joint venture to be recognised in this way. It’s one of many steps that HS2 and its supply chain is taking to meet our new environmental targets and commitments, including making all construction sites diesel-free by 2029 and achieving net zero carbon as a project from 2035.

Craig Downs, EKFB’s Plant Manager said:

“EKFB and its supply chain has worked hard to achieve this industry-first status and in doing so we are proud to be recognised for our ambitious sustainability strategies. This accreditation demonstrates our commitment to innovating and reducing our environmental impact through implementing cleaner construction technics and saving carbon emissions within our building methods as we construct the new high speed railway.”

James Cadman, Head of Carbon, Supply Chain Sustainability School, said:

“We are very pleased that EKFB have become the first joint venture Signatory to the Charter, plus are the first signatory on for the Minimum Standards (v2.0). This shows that taking concerted and measured action can make significant inroads into tackling air quality and GHG emissions. We hope others follow suit.”

The Supply Chain Sustainability School is a multi-award-winning initiative which represents a common approach to addressing sustainability within supply chains. With more than 50,000 registered users, the School provides free practical learning and support in the form of sustainability training, events and networking, e-learning modules, tailored assessments and a library of over 3,000 online resources.

March’s Featured Topic: Air Quality

The quality of the air we all breathe often gets overlooked, until it becomes so bad that it affects our health. More and more cities are setting up clean air zones to reduce the impact on citizens’ health from poor air quality.

Start your learning on the topic of Air Quality with the handpicked resources below:

Clean Air Zones Map

Use the map to find locations and relevant information for clean air zones and low emission zones around the UK.

Access the Map>>

Air Quality in the Built Environment

A weblink provided by the World Green Building Council containing information specific to the built environment around air pollution causes and solutions.

Learn more>>

Case Study: Zero Emission Welfare Cabin

A case study from GAP and AJC EasyCabin who have together created a welfare cabin that uses hydrogen and solar panels as power sources to move towards zero carbon emissions, zero air quality emissions and less noise on site

Find out more>>

VIRTUAL SESSIONS COMING UP….

Scotland Construction 2022: Webinar
10 March (14:00 – 15:00)

Hear directly from major contractors about their upcoming ‘shovel ready’ projects and the supply chain opportunities that these present. The webinar will give details of sustainability features, innovations & outcomes such as low/zero carbon solutions, investment in future skills, and positive impact on local environment and communities.

Contractors presenting as part of this webinar include:

Balfour Beatty
Morgan Sindall
Kier
BAM

Book your place below. Further information please contact [email protected]

REGISTER NOW>>

Hydrogen and the Clean Energy Transition: Webinar
6 April (10:00 – 11:30)

This webinar will present existing hydrogen technologies and the innovation which is accelerating the transition from natural gas to hydrogen. It is aimed at Home Builders, Commercial Contractors, Facilities Management companies and their supply chain suppliers/sub-contractors, interested in the drivers and timescales for hydrogen to become a viable, scalable alternative to natural gas.

REGISTER NOW>>

Is Offsite a barrier or an opportunity for Offsite construction?

We’re looking for organisations with experience understanding and/or measuring Social Value outcomes for Offsite projects to help form a briefing paper on the this question. The project will be a main focus for FY22/23 and is being led by the School, Akerlof, the University of Salford and other partners.

We will be hosting a scoping workshop during the Offsite Leadership Group meeting, on 9^th March, 10-12 to kick the project off. We’re opening this out to all Partners and interested organisations, so f you’re not a member of the Offsite Group but have experience to contribute, please get in touch and we will send you more info.

This project will produce a 10-page practical guide to…

Discuss challenges and opportunities for key Social Value (SV) themes that arise through Offsite construction
Help organisations understand the SV implications of their operations and supply chain
Provide case studies to illustrate how to integrate SV and overcome challenges
Introduce some of the measurement tools available
Include multiple sectors beyond housing and into infrastructure, hospitals and schools, and so on

We’ll be using the scoping workshop to cement the aims and key questions to answer in the report, as well as identify key projects in this space to follow up for case studies.

For some inspiration check out this article on a recent modular project in Wales providing energy efficient and affordable homes.

Upcoming training sessions

Offsite for Site Managers – Workshop, Wednesday, 16 March, 1 – 4PM. Register now
DfMA in Practice: Thinking Beyond Categories 1 & 2, Wednesday, 30th March, 1 – 2 PM. Register now
Offsite Fundamentals – Workshop, Tuesday, 5 April, 9-12 AM. Register now

New and recommended resources this month

If you don’t measure, you can’t manage

Complete our free self assessment to get your bespoke action plan today. The list of resources will advise you where you should focus your learning with direct links to top-quality materials.

You can also benchmark your company’s offsite maturity here.

March’s Featured Topic: Air Quality

Start your learning on the topic of Air Quality with the handpicked resources below:

Clean Air Zones Map

Use the map to find locations and relevant information for clean air zones and low emission zones around the UK.

Access the Map>>

Air Quality in the Built Environment

A weblink provided by the World Green Building Council containing information specific to the built environment around air pollution causes and solutions.

Learn more>>

Case Study: Zero Emission Welfare Cabin

Find out more>>

A wage based on the cost of living Business Bytes

Join the Living Wage Foundation and Willmott Dixon at our ‘A wage based on the cost of living Business Bytes ‘ taking place on the 10th March from 10:00am – 12:00pm.

At this session you will:

Learn about wages trends and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on workers’ wages
Understand the business case and challenges often associated with paying the real Living Wage
Hear how the Living Wage Foundation accreditation works and who should receive the Living Wage
Hear from Willmott Dixon, about their approach to wages and the implications both up and down the value chain
Gain an SME insight into the drivers / impact of paying the Living Wage
Have an opportunity to ask questions to the panel of experts from The Poverty Alliance UK, Living Wage Foundation and the Supply Chain Sustainability School

REGISTER NOW>>

March’s Featured Topic: Air Quality

Start your learning on the topic of Air Quality with the handpicked resources below:

Clean Air Zones Map

Use the map to find locations and relevant information for clean air zones and low emission zones around the UK.

Access the Map>>

Air Quality in the Built Environment

A weblink provided by the World Green Building Council containing information specific to the built environment around air pollution causes and solutions.

Learn more>>

Case Study: Zero Emission Welfare Cabin

Find out more>>

A wage based on the cost of living Business Bytes

Join the Living Wage Foundation and Willmott Dixon at our ‘A wage based on the cost of living Business Bytes ‘ taking place on the 10th March from 10:00am – 12:00pm.

At this session you will:

Learn about wages trends and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on workers’ wages
Understand the business case and challenges often associated with paying the real Living Wage
Hear how the Living Wage Foundation accreditation works and who should receive the Living Wage
Hear from Willmott Dixon, about their approach to wages and the implications both up and down the value chain
Gain an SME insight into the drivers / impact of paying the Living Wage
Have an opportunity to ask questions to the panel of experts from The Poverty Alliance UK, Living Wage Foundation and the Supply Chain Sustainability School

REGISTER NOW>>

March’s Featured Topic: Air Quality

Start your learning on the topic of Air Quality with the handpicked resources below:

Clean Air Zones Map

Use the map to find locations and relevant information for clean air zones and low emission zones around the UK.

Access the Map>>

Air Quality in the Built Environment

A weblink provided by the World Green Building Council containing information specific to the built environment around air pollution causes and solutions.

Learn more>>

Case Study: Zero Emission Welfare Cabin

Find out more>>

A wage based on the cost of living Business Bytes

Join the Living Wage Foundation and Willmott Dixon at our ‘A wage based on the cost of living Business Bytes ‘ taking place on the 10th March from 10:00am – 12:00pm.

At this session you will:

Learn about wages trends and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on workers’ wages
Understand the business case and challenges often associated with paying the real Living Wage
Hear how the Living Wage Foundation accreditation works and who should receive the Living Wage
Hear from Willmott Dixon, about their approach to wages and the implications both up and down the value chain
Gain an SME insight into the drivers / impact of paying the Living Wage
Have an opportunity to ask questions to the panel of experts from The Poverty Alliance UK, Living Wage Foundation and the Supply Chain Sustainability School

REGISTER NOW>>

We are pleased to announce that Ibstock Brick has become the latest Partner of the Supply Chain Sustainability School

Ibstock Brick has taken the next step in their sustainability journey and has joined the School as a Partner and to collaborate with their colleagues and drive sustainability across the built environment supply chain.

The School is delighted to welcome Ibstock Brick on board and look forward to working with them.

Our Partner organisations are committed to building sustainability skills and knowledge across the industry. This will help us to safeguard the future of the UK’s built environment and ensure that it is fairer, greener, and more robust.

The School is committed to working alongside our Partners to support us all in our objective to “build back better”.

Find out more:

We are pleased to announce that Careys has become the latest Partner of the Supply Chain Sustainability School

Members since 2012, Careys has taken the next step in their sustainability journey and has joined the School as a Partner and to collaborate with their colleagues and drive sustainability across the built environment supply chain.

The School is delighted to welcome Careys on board and look forward to working with them.

The School is committed to working alongside our Partners to support us all in our objective to “build back better”.

Find out more:

February’s Featured Topic: Fairness, Inclusion and Respect

The Fairness, Inclusion and Respect (FIR) programme is an industry-wide initiative that aims to make workplaces better for everyone.

As a sector, we need to embrace FIR in order to attract, recruit, train and retain the skills to address the industry-wide skills shortage. Homebuilder clients and developers are increasingly expecting their supply chain partners to work with them to achieve this. Take a look at some of the key resources available to support you on this:

Equality, Diversity And Inclusion Policy Template

Simple document for small businesses to use to get started writing their EDI policy.

Get started >>

CIPD Good Work Index

The CIPD Good Work Index provides an annual snapshot of job quality in the UK, giving insight to drive improvement to working lives. Measures of GDP and employment rates are important, but we also need to understand whether the jobs we have are good or poor and how they can be improved.

Take a look >>

Developing A Diversity Communication Strategy

Communication is absolutely vital. It’s not about communicating in singular ways or even one-way communication. It is about ensuring that it is inclusive, it’s diverse, that you’re thinking about people.

Find out more >>

Upcoming virtual events:

Hear from major contractors in Scotland about upcoming ‘shovel ready’ projects @ Scotland Construction 2022 on 10 March.

Join us at ‘Construction Scotland 2022’ to find out about key supply chain opportunities. At this webinar, you will hear directly from Major Contractors in Scotland about upcoming projects. This webinar will give details of sustainability features, innovations & outcomes such as low/zero carbon solutions, investment in future skills, and positive impact on local environment and communities.

Contractors presenting as part of this webinar include:

Balfour Beatty
Morgan Sindall
Kier
BAM

This webinar will run from 2pm – 3.30pm on 10 March.

Book you place now.

Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks Lunch and Learn sessions continue…

As a principal partner of COP26, one of SSEN’s key goals is to build a legacy through their involvement with this crucial summit to create a cleaner, greener future for all of us.

Following the successful and very popular first Climate Academy session ‘Introduction to Climate’ held last week, the next “Lunch and Learn” hour long sessions will take place 12:00pm -13:00pm on the following dates:

Register using the links above to secure your place!

We are pleased to announce that Nationwide Platforms has become the latest Partner of the Supply Chain Sustainability School

Nationwide Platforms has taken the next step in their sustainability journey and has joined the School as a Partner and to collaborate with their colleagues and drive sustainability across the built environment supply chain.

The School is delighted to welcome Nationwide Platforms on board and look forward to working with them.

The School is committed to working alongside our Partners to support us all in our objective to “build back better”.

Find out more:

February’s featured topic: Fairness, Inclusion and Respect

The Fairness, Inclusion and Respect (FIR) programme is an industry-wide initiative that aims to make workplaces better for everyone.

Equality, Diversity And Inclusion Policy Template

Simple document for small businesses to use to get started writing their EDI policy.

Get started >>

CIPD Good Work Index

Take a look >>

Developing A Diversity Communication Strategy

Find out more >>

Upcoming Virtual Training:

Eliminating Waste & Delivering Social Value – Case Study Lunch ‘n’ Learn

A 1 hour case study Lunch ‘n’ Learn with PPE and workwear supplier Mathias and Sons on how they have implemented various sustainability initiatives to reduce waste and deliver social value.

Register now >>

Supply Chain Risk, Resilience & Capacity – Lunch ‘n’ Learn

This 1 hour session will provide you with an overview of supplier resilience and capacity issues, and help you understand how to mitigate it.

Register now >>

Offsite and Net-Zero

This past month has seen progress in linking Offsite construction and decarbonisation, with new standards for social housing in Wales favouring MMC and use of local timber being announced, and a new net-zero housing development at Granton Waterfront in Edinburgh given the green light. Led by the City Council, the Edinburgh Home Demonstrator project will see the construction of 75 net zero homes and three retail units, constructed offsite using a fabric-first approach including CCG ‘s ‘iQ’ Timber System.

Carbon will be a key focus for the Offsite group this year along with Social Value. Earlier this week, we were joined by John Hanscombe for a webinar discussing Akerlof’s project investigating methods to reduce the carbon impact of precast concrete. He explained how carbon was mapped along the whole lifecycle, and how 40% carbon reduction gains were achieved using techniques that could be implemented immediately by manufacturers. If you missed it, you can rewatch at the link below.

The sustainability benefits of offsite vs traditional construction are often placed centrally in arguments for the approach, but there is currently a lack of solid, up-to-date information to back this up. We’ll be hosting more webinars on the subject and reaching out to key organisations this year in order to build an evidence base. If you would like to be part of these conversations, please get in touch to discuss joining the Offsite Leadership Group.

Upcoming training sessions

What does Offsite mean for Site Managers? – Lunch ‘n’ Learn, Tuesday, 15 February, 1:30-2:30 PM. Register now
Offsite for Site Managers – Workshop, Wednesday, 16 March, 1 – 4PM. Register now
Exploiting Digital in Sustainable FM – Business Byte, see below

Resources recommended for you this month

Decarbonising Precast Concrete: Webinar Recording. Watch now
Logistics for Offsite Construction. Watch now
Case Stuy: Construction Logistics. Find out more

If you don’t measure, you can’t manage

Complete our free self assessment to get your bespoke action plan today. The list of resources will advise you where you should focus your learning with direct links to top-quality materials.

You can also benchmark your company’s offsite maturity here.

Exploiting Digital for sustainable FM

Join us on the 22nd February from 10:00am -12:00pm on Zoom Webinars at our Exploiting Digital in FM Conference. This session will examine how digital data and technologies are helping Real Estate to become more safe, productive and sustainable.

Speakers Include: Active Plan, Hexagon, Sunbelt Rentals and University of West Scotland & Conexa

By attending this session you will:

Hear from experts about the importance of good quality data in the aftermath of Grenfell
Understand how to simulate maintenance and safety procedures in the buildings you manage or supply to
Recognise what tools and innovations are ‘just around the corner’
Learn how to quantify the benefits and risks of digital innovations

REGISTER NOW>

JUST LAUNCHED! Sustainability for Groundworks Learning Pathway

The transition to net zero, delivering biodiversity net gain, working towards a more circular economy, delivering social value and combatting modern slavery are just some of the challenges faced by our industry, and groundworkers have a pivotal role to play.

In collaboration with the School’s Construction Leadership Group, we’ve developed a new beginner level learning pathway, which is designed to help groundworks companies address those high priority issues.

FIND OUT MORE >

February’s featured topic: Fairness, Inclusion and Respect

The Fairness, Inclusion and Respect (FIR) programme is an industry-wide initiative that aims to make workplaces better for everyone.

As a sector, we need to embrace FIR in order to attract, recruit, train and retain the skills to address the industry-wide skills shortage. Construction clients and large contractors are increasingly expecting their supply chain partners to work with them to achieve this. Take a look at some of the key resources available to support you on this:

Equality, Diversity And Inclusion Policy Template

Simple document for small businesses to use to get started writing their EDI policy.

Get started >>

CIPD Good Work Index

Take a look >>

Developing A Diversity Communication Strategy

Find out more >>

FIR: Our new home

You may have noticed that the Fairness, Inclusion and Respect (FIR) programme has a new home on our website!

As a standalone ‘topic’ this means you can navigate between FIR pages more easily. You can now also choose to receive bespoke marketing communications on FIR.

To check if your company has selected to receive FIR communications (and gain access to the new FIR assessment):

Visit your company dashboard and click “view company profile”
Select “edit profile”
Tick FIR under “please select 1 or more topics your organisation is interested in”

FIR Assessment

The FIR Assessment offers your organisation a structured way to develop and embed Fairness, Inclusion and Respect (FIR) in the workplace.

This approach, which is available to School “Admin” users, allows employers to support their workers and grow their business whilst incorporating FIR principles. Benchmark your knowledge to understand your best practice and areas for improvement.

Complete the assessment here >>

How to get started? Admin users should follow these simple steps:

Login to your school account
Ensure you are an admin on your corporate account by selecting “view all colleagues” and reviewing your assigned role, which should say “admin”. Only admins will be able to complete the assessment. If you need admin rights, please contact an admin/owner on your account or contact the school.
Check your company has selected FIR as a topic of interest – To do this, go to the dashboard, click “view company profile” > “edit profile” > tick FIR under “Please select 1 or more topics your organisation is interested in”
Take the FIR Assessment and click “submit your answers”
Work through the assigned action plan

Don’t forget that once you’ve completed all the relevant learning, you can reassess and watch your score improve!

February’s Featured Topic: Fairness, Inclusion and Respect

The Fairness, Inclusion and Respect (FIR) programme is an industry-wide initiative that aims to make workplaces better for everyone. Promoting a culture of Fairness, Inclusion and Respect brings many business benefits to the companies that work to achieve it.

Start your learning on the topic of Fairness, Inclusion and Respect (FIR) with the handpicked resources below:

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy Template

A document to assist small businesses in writing their EDI policy.

Access the document >>

CIPD Good Work Index

Learn more >>

Developing A Diversity Communication Strategy

Communication is Vital. This weblink looks at communication, ensuring that it is inclusive, it’s diverse and that you’re thinking about people.

Find out more >>

Annual FIR Survey

We’ve launched our seventh annual survey! The findings will allow us to track the impact of the Fairness, Inclusion & Respect (FIR) programme, and help to identify future activities and resources.

The survey will take no more than 10-15 minutes to complete. This is an opportunity for your views to be heard. In doing so, you will contribute to our objective of making our workplaces better for everyone. Complete the the survey here >>

The Fairness, Inclusion & Respect Steering Group recently recruited five new members from across the industry

The full report can be found here.

Top stories

March’s Featured Topic: Air Quality

VIRTUAL SESSIONS COMING UP….

Is Offsite a barrier or an opportunity for Offsite construction?

Upcoming training sessions

New and recommended resources this month

If you don’t measure, you can’t manage

Top stories

March’s Featured Topic: Air Quality

A wage based on the cost of living Business Bytes

Top stories

March’s Featured Topic: Air Quality

A wage based on the cost of living Business Bytes

Top stories

March’s Featured Topic: Air Quality

A wage based on the cost of living Business Bytes

Top stories

Multiplex’s strategy to tackle deep rooted inequities in construction.

Buchanan Galleries revamp moves forward.

Scottish trial begins for decarbonising heat

BAM starts prep for £118m Tay link

February’s Featured Topic: Fairness, Inclusion and Respect

Upcoming virtual events:

Hear from major contractors in Scotland about upcoming ‘shovel ready’ projects @ Scotland Construction 2022 on 10 March.

Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks Lunch and Learn sessions continue…

Register using the links above to secure your place!

Top stories

February’s featured topic: Fairness, Inclusion and Respect

Upcoming Virtual Training:

Offsite and Net-Zero

Upcoming training sessions

Resources recommended for you this month

If you don’t measure, you can’t manage

Exploiting Digital for sustainable FM

Top stories

JUST LAUNCHED! Sustainability for Groundworks Learning Pathway

February’s featured topic: Fairness, Inclusion and Respect

FIR: Our new home

FIR Assessment

February’s Featured Topic: Fairness, Inclusion and Respect

Annual FIR Survey

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Meta