Welcome to Site-Eco!
8 June 2021
The need to protect the planet from global warming has been described as the defining issue of our generation. What will this mean for the hire industry?
The UK will set ambitious climate change targets to achieve a 78% reduction in emissions by 2035 compared against 1990 levels. And construction directly accounts for 10% of the country’s carbon output.
What’s becoming clear is the vital role hirers will play. As the essential links in the supply chain between manufacturers and end users, they provide – and increasingly advise on – appropriate solutions.
Site-Eco has been launched to report on and monitor developments for enhancing sustainability and reducing carbon footprints, as they relate to hire professionals.
It’s a multi-faceted subject, covering technologies as diverse as electric, battery, solar, wind, clean diesel, alternative fuels and hydrogen power sources. As well as talking to manufacturers and suppliers about them, Site-Eco will discuss the ways in which national and independent hirers are responding to the challenges.
The reduction in fossil fuel use as the country locked down during the pandemic showed the health and environmental benefits that reducing carbon emissions can bring. This has raised awareness and accelerated the demand for change in ways that no-one could have anticipated.
The Site-Eco name reflects the fact that everything starts by considering the work site and its location. Selecting appropriate equipment must take account of the terrain, available power options, access and many other factors, as well as the nature of the task itself. Issues like training and maintenance will also need to be assessed, as well as corporate ESG (environmental, social and governance) responsibilities to local communities.
In short, rather than playing one against another, all these new technologies have a potential role to play. Hirers and end users will select the most appropriate - but what’s crucial is that they must be practical, reliable and cost-effective.
Additionally, all organisations face internal operational challenges, from reducing the carbon footprints of their supply chains and decreasing waste, to adapting their premises and vehicle fleets for greater sustainability.
So hirers have much to keep tabs on. And while that’s challenging, it’s also exciting. We are at the forefront of cutting-edge technology and new ways of working.
I’ve been talking with industry professionals about the implications. One national hirer called this “a renaissance of hire”, while an independent described it as “a new industrial revolution”. Both views are typical of those expressed by businesses that are embracing the challenges.
The route towards net zero unites all ages, generations, nationalities, industries and locations, and decisions taken now will shape the future.
So explore Site-Eco. Tell others about it and subscribe to keep updated, shape future content and to give your feedback.
Alan Guthrie
Picture: Noah Haggerty/Pixabay
