Sustainability
Good sustainability practice is good
business practice
As one of the largest manufacturers in the UK,
we must always be aware of the impact we have on the wider
community. The success of our business is dependent on how we
address our social, environmental and economic responsibilities.
This report details some of our achievements over the past year,
alongside our targets and aspirations for the future.
British Gypsum is the UK’s leading
manufacturer of internal drylining systems. Our products help to
create the living habitat; the spaces where people live, work,
learn and play. In every kind of building – from home to work, from
the local supermarket to the local hospital – we help to build
partitions, provide comfort, protect against fire and insulate
against sound. We work hard to achieve product leadership and this
means we need to listen to our customers and use their needs and
vision to drive innovation.
The built environment plays a huge part in all
our lives. It also has a significant impact on the environment and
the earth’s natural resources (around 45% of the UK’s carbon
dioxide emissions come from creating or using buildings). Working
alongside organisations such as the UK-GBC(1), CPA(2), WRAP(3), Defra(4), and the GPDA(5), British Gypsum has committed to help
improve the sustainability and reduce the environmental impact of
the UK’s built environment.
In 2006 we played a major role in the
development of the Ashdown Agreement, a voluntary agreement between
the GPDA, WRAP and Defra which aims to eliminate sending
plasterboard waste to landfill. In 2009 we also signed up to the
WRAP programme which aims to reduce the total amount of waste sent
to landfill by 50%, including all types of construction
waste. The programme aims to halve the amount of construction waste
sent to landfill by 2012. As part of the project, we are using more
recycled materials in products, processes and packaging, reducing
our packaging waste and working directly with the construction
industry to eliminate waste before it reaches building sites.
Already a signatory of the 2016 commitment for
carbon reduction and zero carbon homes, we have also signed up to
the 2012 commitment originating from the Egan Report first
published over a decade ago. The 2012 Construction Commitment
supports the Green Olympics Bid and forms a part of the Sustainable
Construction Strategy which supports the Government’s initiative to
cut carbon emissions and combat climate change.
This is an exciting time to be a manufacturer
of products for the construction industry. The industry’s focus on
sustainable development has enabled British Gypsum to champion
products which improve efficiency and reduce environmental
impact.
Our approach to sustainability has always been
inclusive and we continue to work in partnership with our
customers, our employees and industry regulators.
As part of this process we have developed a
list of commitments that reflect our approach in ten areas of
sustainable development. The ten commitments are aligned with
leading examples of sustainability management (such as the Global
Reporting Index) and demonstrate our holistic approach to
sustainable business practice.
1 UK Green
Building Council
2 Construction Products
Association
3 Waste Resources and Action
Programme
4 Department for Food and Rural
Affairs
5 Gypsum Products Development
Agency