Partnering towards greater sustainability
17 October 2022
One of the seminars held during the recent Speedy Expo event in Liverpool last week discussed how hirers and the wider supply chain can work together to provide more sustainable ways of working on site.
Entitled the Future of Procurement, the session showed the pivotal role that hirers play. Sean Scarah, director of plant, logistics and assets with Balfour Beatty, said that one third of all the contractor’s CO2 emissions are produced by the equipment it uses on site, representing an area ripe for reductions.
He explained that Balfour Beatty is working with hirers like Speedy and with manufacturers to achieve this, from adopting solutions like equipment with cleaner Stage V diesel engines, to using telematics data to monitor machine performance and see where emission reductions might be made.
This included developing remote site management systems and more efficient products like site cabins with better thermal insulation.
Lucy Jeynes, managing director of the Larch business consultancy, described work undertaken with Speedy to implement the ISO 20400 international standard for sustainable improvement throughout the hirer’s operations.
This includes working with suppliers to assess the carbon footprint of their products across their whole life cycle so that their environmental performance can be determined and, if necessary, lowered.
Another important consideration is the role that organisations can play in their communities, such as by offering apprenticeships, addressing the gender pay gap and tackling issues like diversity and inclusion. These are considerations that suppliers will increasingly have to be aware of and respond to as their customers will expect it.
Matt Seaman, business development director at Speedy, added that the company increasingly plays a consultative role in working with clients to achieve the optimum solutions for individual sites. This meant having to be familiar with many new technologies such as hydrogen, gas, solar and wind power.
Also important is ensuring that site personnel understand the correct operation of equipment and how emissions can be reduced. This includes providing training and again using telematics data to understand how machines are being used in the field.
And above all, embracing sustainability in this way leads to stronger business relationships and partnerships.
Photo: Alan Guthrie
