A further five BMF members were amongst the ten companies announced today as net zero carbon Business Champions supporting the Construction Leadership Council’s CO2nstruct Zero initiative.
Velux, Forktruck Solutions, The Pallet LOOP, Genuit Group and Marshalls plc achieved Business Champion status in the fourth wave of monthly applications. This brings the total number of BMF net zero Business Champions to eighteen.
Velux launched its 2030 Sustainability Strategy in September 2020. The 15 point plan targets Velux becoming a net zero business by 2030, and reducing the embodied carbon in its products and thus its supply chain by 50%. By 2041 it has committed to become Lifetime Carbon Neutral and also to repay its historic carbon footprint.
Diesel emissions are said to be a key area of concern for Forktruck Solutions, and it has committed to scrap fossil fuels completely from its field sales vehicle fleet, opting for full EV. It has also “has a mission to convert every relevant business in the UK to use Lithium powered material handling equipment and forklift trucks”.
Net zero is central to The Pallet LOOP’s business. Due to launch in Q4 2021, and for operational roll-out in 2022, this brand new, circular economy deposit-based pallet reuse scheme is founded on the premise of ‘recover, repair, reuse’. Less than 10% of the 18 million pallets distributed throughout the UK construction industry every year are currently reused, and The Pallet LOOP is on a mission to change this, repositioning pallets as a valuable resource that can be used again and again, actively eliminating avoidable waste from the supply chain.
Genuit Group manufactures low energy ventilation systems including a wide range of mechanical ventilation and heat recovery solutions. The group is actively engaged in developing new products and solutions which will allow the UK to scale up the transition to low carbon heat sources. This includes scaling the use of heat pumps, developing solutions to enable local heat networks and infrastructure solutions for hydrogen transmission.
Marshalls plc has been working to drive carbon out of its operations since 2008. By 2020, it had reduced its carbon footprint by 50%, during a period of significant growth, and has committed to reducing emissions by a further 40% by 2030. They company says it is constantly looking for ways to reduce the embodied carbon of its products and has replaced at least 45% of cement in its concrete blocks, and as much as 60% at some sites.
The five BMF members were amongst 10 organisations confirmed in the fourth wave of CO2nstruct Zero Business Champions, the others being Arup, Baxall Construction, Ferrovial Construction, GKR Scaffolding Ltd and Bam Nuttall.
The CLC is running an ongoing monthly recruitment drive for more companies to commit to CO2nstruct Zero as Business Champions. If any BMF member – merchants as well as suppliers – would like to be considered, please email june.upton@bmf.org.uk in the first instance.
