Sustainability Policy

Oliver Connell & Son Ltd is committed to promoting sustainability. Concern for the environment and promoting a broader sustainability agenda are integral to Oliver Connell’s professional activities and the management of the organization. We aim to follow and to promote good sustainability practice, to reduce the environmental impacts of all our activities and to help our clients to do the same.

Our Sustainability Policy is based upon the following principles:

• To Comply with, and exceed where practicable, all applicable legislation, regulations, and codes of practise.
• To intergrate sustainability considerations into all our business decisions.
• To ensure that all staff are fully aware of our Sustainability Policy and are committed to implementing and improving it.
• To minimise the impact on sustainability of all our office and site activities.
• To make clients and suppliers aware of our Sustainability Policy and encourage them to adopt sound sustainable management practices.
• To review, annually report, and to continually strive to imporve our sustainability performance.

To put these principles into practice we will:

• Avoid physically travelling to meetings where alternatives are available and practical, such as using teleconferencing, video conferencing and efficient timing of meetings to avoid multiple trips.
• Reduce the need for our staff to travel by supporting alternative working arrangements, including home working etc.
• Minimise our use of paper and other office consumables, for example by double-siding all paper used, and identifying opportunities to reduce waste.
• Reduce the energy consumption of office equipment by purchasing energy efficient equipment and good housekeeping.

• Purchase electricity from a supplier committed to renewable energy. Seek to maximise the proportion from renewable energy sources, whilst also supporting investment in new renewable energy schemes.
• Ensure that timber furniture, and any other timber products, are recycled or from well-managed, sustainable sources and are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.
• Undertake voluntary work with the local community and / or environmental organisations and make donations to seek to offset carbon emissions from our activities.
• Strive to achieve a more paperless office. To this end several document management systems have been developed that allow documents to be stored and shared electronically, this includes biometric timekeeping and paperless ticket to invoice matching.
• Our plant is tracked and monitored to ensure that trips are minimised and multiple deliveries are combined.

Sustainable Aggregates Procurement:

• In line with the commitment to promote sustainability and minimise the environmental impact of our activities, Oliver Connell will endeavour to procure aggregates that have been responsibly sourced.
• When sourcing aggregates, preference will be given to recycled or secondary aggregates, wherever permissible by contract specification.
• Where suitable recycled or secondary aggregates are not available and whenever reasonably practical, aggregates will be procured from sources accredited to the BRE environmental and Sustainability Standard BES6001:2008 Framework Standard for the Responsible Sourcing of Construction Products.
• Where aggregates are not available from BES 6001:2008 accredited sources, we will require the supplier to provide evidence to demonstrate the aggregate was responsibly sourced.