We all know that sustainability is high on everyone’s agenda. From carbon reduction targets to ethical sourcing, businesses, local authorities and those who work in construction are eager to act responsibly and change the way they operate to accommodate best practice. It’s the right thing to do, and it’s having a positive impact.
As suppliers and businesses clamber forward to show you what they’ve done to demonstrate their Corporate Social Responsibility or sustainability credentials, it can often be overwhelming to know who is the ‘best’ to deal with. Some are treating sustainability as a trend and coming forward with claims that aren’t substantiated, so how do you know what to look for?
At Marshalls, we believe it’s best to work with businesses that not only share your values but seek external validation of their sustainability credentials from reputable sources – that way you can recognise the facts.
We work by considering the long-term impact of every decision we make and recognise that we can create better spaces by putting people, communities and the environment first. We always make public commitments, we take action, we report honestly and we seek third party validation from recognised standards.
We know that those sourcing hard landscaping and construction materials also have goals and targets to reach, and that you want the materials you’re using to have been sourced, manufactured and delivered as sustainably as possible. Below we share six of Marshalls’ sustainability initiatives that are helping customers to reach their sustainability targets.
1. All Marshalls products have reduced embodied carbon
We are committed to reducing our carbon emissions and since 2008, we have reduced our carbon footprint by 50%. This means that the products you buy from us carry less embodied carbon than before. We’re committed to reducing our impact even further and have had our carbon emissions reductions targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative.
2. Products have accurate carbon footprint data so you can understand the impact of your project
All our products carry a “cradle to grave” carbon footprint, which is inclusive of everything in the full product lifecycle (including transportation and end of life recycling). We’ve been providing this information since 2008 and this data allows you to report accurately on the carbon footprint of the products you source from us for your project. In some of sectors we operate in, our product carbon footprints are up to 50% lower than both our direct and indirect competitors. What’s more, all our natural stone and concrete products are 100% recyclable.
3. Your products arrive to site on vehicles with better fuel economy
When it comes to pollutants and carbon reduction, we are upgrading our fleet to Euro 6 standards. This means we’re limiting our exhaust of harmful pollutants and improving fuel economy, which impacts our overall carbon footprint as well as the carbon footprints of our products. All our production plants also use 100% renewable energy too.
4. We’ve spent years developing innovative ranges that are helping to reduce flood risk
Our water management range provides everything you need to manage surface water. Our Priora permeable SuDS system mitigates flood risk, removes surface water and improves water quality without the need for additional linear drainage systems. You can also collect and convey water with our unobtrusive range of channels or attenuate huge volumes with our range of high-capacity pipes and tanks.
5. We’re creating opportunities for you to increase biodiversity in your developments
You can introduce practical green infrastructure to your projects with our Grassguard planted paving system or our Redi-Rock™ planter units. Both of these systems add biodiversity to the hard-landscaped elements of your project, providing multiple benefits including habitat provision, improved air quality and better aesthetics.
6. We take care of our people, as well as the planet
If Social Value is important to you, you’ll be glad to know that we use the Living Wage Foundation rates and have been accredited since 2014, we also pay our fair share of tax and have had the Fair Tax Mark since 2015. We promote and develop apprenticeships and invested 54.9% more on different apprenticeships in 2020 than in 2019. When it comes to our sourced products, we’ve eradicated child labour from Tier 1 of our Indian Sandstone supply chain. We were also one of the first companies to achieve BES 6001 accreditation for responsible sourcing of construction products and BES 6002 for ethical labour sourcing. You can read more about our labour and human rights priorities here.
At Marshalls, our sustainability strategy is to Create Better Futures for Everyone: Socially Environmentally and Economically. You can find out more about our approach to sustainability on our website.