SUSTAINABILITY
“ WE HAVE LONG-TERM CONTRACTS WITH MANY SUPPLIERS , WHICH MEANS WE CAN PUT LONGER-TERM SUSTAINABILITY GOALS IN PLACE ”
KATHERINE RUSACK SENIOR SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT MANAGER AT BALFOUR BEATTY
help its workforce understand the carbon costs of their behaviour , both for them as individuals and Balfour Beatty as an employer . Yet she also sounds a note of caution , warning that businesses need to be careful not to go over the top : “ Not everyone needs to be a sustainability expert . The challenge is to provide training which is relevant and proportionate to an individual ’ s role .”
There ’ s no doubt that some of the netzero training that ’ s required in the building supply chain is onerous . Adlen offers the example of the switch from gas boilers to heat-exchange systems : “ Adapting to new technologies such as heat-pumps means tradespeople skilled in traditional boilers will either need to upskill , or an entirely new trade will be needed to support the installation of these new solutions . What will probably happen is that it ’ ll be a blend of the two .”
Adlen adds that the pace of change across the built environment means upskilling is absolutely vital . She says the construction sector has already approached the government for help on this front , but anticipates that much of the upskilling provision is likely to fall to the supply chain itself .
“ We have enough capacity within the trade to be able to deliver that . Certainly in Travis Perkins we ’ re looking at how we can support the upskilling of the trade in some of these areas .”
She says the company is exploring options on this front .
“ Whichever route Travis Perkins ends up taking , there will be plenty of training to provide . “ I gave the example of upskilling around heat pumps but that ’ s just one example among many , many others .”
Asked what the most important steps Balfour Beatty has taken to green its own chain , Rusack says that providing its procurement team with training on sustainable procurement is right up there . She said : “ We ’ ve reviewed all the products and services we regularly use and have conducted a heat-mapping exercise against 13 key sustainability areas , including social , environmental and economic impacts .”
On the back of this , the company developed question-sets that it has included in its e-procurement system , so that its procurement team can easily ask suppliers pertinent questions around sustainability .
It seems that knowledge really is power , especially when it comes to sustainability .
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