The Envirobuild 2021 Environmental Impact Report is setting new standards when it comes to sustainability and accountability within the carbon-hungry construction sector. The report not only highlights the changes that have been made within the company to meet their own ambitious sustainability goals but also their vision of a carbon-neutral construction sector.
James Brueton, co-founder of EnviroBuild says that after the dramatic changes of 2020, the company entered 2021 with a renewed purpose about its sustainability mission;
“Our measure of impact and success are the same, and this report should go some way toward showing you behind the company curtains at how we’ve approached this.”
The EnviroBuild Impact Report 2021 provides a realistic road map outlining the steps they want to take over the coming years to help hit the UK government target of cutting emissions by 78% by 2035, compared to 1990 levels. The report has been released to increase transparency and accountability across the company and to make their activities more sustainable, and a new report will be issued annually.
The report outlines the radical changes the company initiated in 2021:
- EnviroBuild became the first company in the UK to publish a complete environmental impact of its composite products with an Environmental Product Declaration(EPD).
- EnviroBuild changed production so that their Composite Ranges and Sisu LVT are all produced using energy from renewable sources.
- EnviroBuild joined the World Land Trust’s Carbon Balanced programme, allowing them to offset any residual greenhouse gas emissions through the restoration of wildlife habits that sequester carbon.
- The company continued to donate 10% of its profits to Rainforest Trust UK, which has now saved 300,000 acres, or an area equivalent to the size of the Isle of Wight.
The built environment accounts for up to 40% of all CO2 emissions. While this figure is startling, it also represents an opportunity to make a real difference with practical changes to how we work and source materials. Through their annual Impact Report, EnviroBuild not only hopes to document their progress but also want to lead the way within the sector illustrating the practical measures that companies can take. The Impact Report is not the end of the story, as well as cataloguing the progress the company has made over recent years, it also sets out a direction of travel for the future. In practical terms this will mean:
- EnviroBuild will continue to carry out life cycle assessments for all major products. This will identify how they can reduce their carbon footprint.
- The company already offset the workforce carbon footprint whether they’re working from the office or remotely. This will be taken further, as they aim to do the same for every emission for which they are directly responsible, and which cannot be reduced by another sustainable means.
- EnviroBuild’s ultimate goal is to become a completely carbon neutral company. Through this, they hope to provide inspiration, and a viable roadmap for other companies in the construction sector and beyond to do the same.
You can find out more about EnviroBuild’s industry-leading approach to sustainability and download the Environmental Impact Report 2021 here: https://www.envirobuild.com/blogs/articles/impact-report