Sustainability

Our vision to be the most trusted and socially responsible construction company, that people are proud to work with, means our sustainability approach acts as the golden thread to achieving this.

We focus on the key aspects where we believe we can provide the most significant impact for our people, clients and the communities we work with.

Our approach is summarised in our 3 C’s of sustainability.

The SBTi assessed our submission against the Call to Action’s eligibility criteria and, after careful review, has approved the targets.

The SBTi’s Target Validation team has classified our scope 1 and 2 target ambition and has determined that it is in line with a 1.5°C trajectory and commends our ambitious target, currently the most ambitious designation available through the SBTi process.

What does this mean in terms of carbon reduction?

The latest scientific research has made it clear that more needs to be done - and faster - in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change and secure a thriving, sustainable economy. The next few years are critical, and companies, like ours, have a vital role to play in helping achieve transformation at the pace and scale that is needed.

Our validated targets

We commit to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 from a 2019 base year.

We also committed to reduce absolute scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions from purchased goods and services by 50% within the same timeframe.

The Carey Group further commits that 84% of our suppliers by emissions covering purchased goods and services, will have science-based targets by 2026.

How was the validation achieved?

Over the last twelve months, the Carey Group have undertaken a ‘whole value chain review’ of our emissions which included measuring all our scope 1,2 and 3 emissions (direct and indirect), preparing science-based targets for validation and undertaking feasibility studies to identify where we focus our efforts to yield the greatest carbon reductions.

Validation of our science-based targets would not have been possible without the expertise and support of Alpha Energy Group, we thank them for all their hard work.

Our full value chain data set will be shared soon, so watch this space....

Compliance+ starts with working in accordance with the requirements of our ISO14001 Environmental Management System as a minimum and ensuring best practice across all areas of our operations.

We are working through the Compliance+ component of our sustainability approach to ensure that we develop verbal and visual standards which identify the our minimum standards, much in the same way as our health and safety approach. This will set the bar for our exemplary performance and ensure we go far beyond mere legal compliance.

Creating value for our communities is something we are passionate about, whether that’s through open employment, apprenticeships, trainee and work experience opportunities. We also look to provide opportunities for local organisations including small to medium enterprises, charities and social enterprises as well as training and support where applicable.

BDL are beginning to also define and quantify the added social value on projects. Giving back to the community is something that BDL has been committed too, long before the concept of social value. Through the Careys Foundation, we have for a number of years, taken pride in our approach to helping others. Find out more here

Examples of the typical initiatives we implement include:

At our Lots Road site, we spent six weeks of volunteer labour and used leftover plywood, cable drums, and paint to revamp a primary school playground. We created a range of fun and bright play equipment including a mud kitchen, a mushroom table, and bedding boxes for the children to grow plants.

We worked with Community Wood Recycling, a social enterprise which aims to save resources and create work and training for local disadvantaged people. The impact of the scheme included 190 paid jobs for local people.

We are working hard to ensure we select and use materials in an ethical and responsible manner. This applies to materials we procure directly and through our supply chain partners and subcontractors.

This means that all products and services supplied are produced under a set of internationally acceptable environmental, social and ethical guidelines and standards. We use tools like Sedex to communicate minimum standards as well as validate those of our supply chain.

Construction products and materials:

All timber products supplied for either temporary or permanent inclusion in BDL’s work are certified as legally and sustainably sourced through the Forest Stewardship Council ® (Licence number FSC- C125855) (FSC®).

Our chain of custody certification for the Group covers wood for construction, indoor furniture, outdoor furniture and gardening operations.

For all other construction materials and products, BDL supports the procurement of these components from supply chain partners who can demonstrate a recognised responsible sourcing scheme.

The two recognised schemes currently are:

BES6001 – Framework standard for responsible sourcing of Construction Products, including compliant schemes like Eco-Reinforcement.

BS8902 – Membership of a sector specific scheme that complies to BS8902, verified by a third party. E.g. Cares.

Minimum standards of ethical performance can be identified through:

• Membership of and active participation in schemes like the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI).
• Sectoral schemes such as TFT Responsible Stone Programme or the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI).
• SA8000 certification.

Furthermore, BDL works closely with the supply chain to tackle and combat the threat of human trafficking and modern -day slavery in the construction industry.

Our modern slavery statement can be seen here