UPOWA become Supply Chain Sustainability School Gold Members
We are delighted to announce that as part of our continued drive to minimise our environmental impact and reach carbon net zero in our own operations by 2030, we have achieved a Gold level membership status within the Supply Chain Sustainability School. Gold is the highest level of membership and was a goal set out across Brickability Group PLC as part of its environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy ‘Together for the Future’.
The School is an award-winning, industry-wide collaboration to support everyone in the supply chain to work together for a sustainable future for the built environment. As part of their vision to be “an industry where everyone will have the skills and knowledge to deliver a sustainable future”, they offer free learning resources to members in areas such as sustainability, procurement, inclusion, respect, management and people.
Gold level membership is awarded to members who continually engage with learning and events and can evidence business change and collaboration with others in the supply chain. As a provider of sustainable technology solutions within the construction industry, an industry that is estimated to contribute up to 11% of global carbon emissions, we understand the importance of working together with our customers and supply chain partners to drive for a greener, more sustainable future.
One sustainability initiative we committed to in 2021 is the ‘Plastic Pledge’ from valued client and leading net-zero housing developer Thakeham Group. This pledge addresses research undertaken in the lead-up to Plastic Free July at their flagship development, Woodgate in West Sussex where we are installing the solar PV requirements.
Thakeham’s research found that 77% of the plastic waste disposed of during the construction phase was from packaging. It also identified more than 80 different types of plastic products being used and revealed that Thakeham produced over 82 cubic metres of plastic waste over the three-month research period; enough waste to fill the average family car boot over 800 times.
As one of the signatories of the pledge, we committed to taking action in six areas of more responsible plastic use. Including, agreeing to minimising plastic waste caused by errors or damage and offering or taking part in take-back schemes for plastic materials, packaging, containers or protection wherever possible.
Partnering with the Supply Chain Sustainability School has provided UPOWA with access to a wide range of sustainability learning and development resources. These tools are now helping to increase our team's knowledge of sustainability issues and their confidence in working with key suppliers and customer base to make a greater positive impact.
“Sustainability has been at the heart of UPOWA since it began, with the company’s mission to shape a sustainable future and accelerate the journey to net-zero with innovative sustainable technology products and specialist services.
We recognise the importance of challenging our team, processes and supply chain partners to operate more responsibly and sustainably. Achieving gold status in the Supply Chain Sustainability School reaffirms this and demonstrates our commitment to further developing and strengthening our sustainable approach.”
About the Supply Chain Sustainability School
Launched in 2012, the Supply Chain Sustainability School is an industry-wide collaboration of major companies to enable a sustainable built environment through knowledge and collaboration.
The School is unique – it enables collaboration between competitor companies who share a common supply chain, and a realisation that the industry cannot develop the sustainable buildings and infrastructure society it needs without more sustainable suppliers.
Its free online learning platform gives 50,000 registered users access to 3,000 learning resources, 400 virtual training sessions each year, and a range of diagnostic and benchmarking tools to support companies on focusing their sustainability strategies.
To find out more, visit www.supplychainschool.co.uk.