“We are continuing to use the WRAP Net Waste Tool to design out waste on our projects, and are implementing the quick wins that it identifies. For example, on some projects we are using flooring tiles, plasterboard and concrete that have 95%, 87% and 30% recycled content respectively.”

Stuart Mee, Head of Sustainability, Carillion Building

At Heathrow Terminal 5, Carillion Building is using a suspended ceiling design with gaps between the ceiling panels, requiring 40% less material than a solid ceiling.

Resource use

Managing resource use requires us to consume less but also to make responsible, sustainable procurement choices.

It is a complex area: choosing between comparable products requires us to understand their life cycle and environmental impacts, and to consider those alongside issues such as safety and cost. We aim to:

• > minimise consumption of all resources through careful project design and increased employee awareness
• > select materials that are not hazardous either to people or to the environment
• > choose products with high recycled content
• > buy from suppliers who source, package and deliver their products in sustainable ways.

With thousands of different materials procured by Carillion each year, thoroughly reviewing every one could take years, so we are prioritising the materials where there are urgent sustainability issues to be addressed. Timber and paper products are a good example: illegal and unsustainable logging practices pose a major threat to the world’s most valuable forest habitats, and these goods easily make their way to market. Carillion joined the WWF-UK’s Forest and Trade Network (FTN) in 1997. We committed to identify the sources of all timber and paper products we procure, and progressively to increase our purchases from credibly certified sources.

Wherever possible, we buy timber that has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). If this is unavailable, we buy from alternative sources where legality and origin can be verified.

Julia Young, Manager of WWF’s FTN in the UK, comments. “As a deliverer of major construction projects, Carillion has the potential to demonstrate that major groups can eliminate poor products from the supply chain. By progressively appraising and addressing the profile of their forest goods, and requiring FSC materials with full chain of custody, Carillion can improve their sustainability performance as well as help build broader industry capacity for best practice in this area. WWF expects Carillion to pursue implementation of timber tracking on projects across its business, and in the past year we have seen significant investment in this as Carillion extends its tracking programme into more business divisions and engages with suppliers. Over time, we look forward to Carillion pursuing FSC certification for projects and demonstrating that best practice is embedded not only in its business, but in its communications to all stakeholders in the sector. This is something WWF is committed to help them with, via the Global Forest and Trade Network.”

As an example of this work, in 2009, we switched our stationery supplier to one that, although more expensive, could provide us with credibly certified paper.

Our work with WRAP, highlighted in the Waste section, not only minimises our waste but also reduces our resource use and prioritises the selection of materials with recycled content. The methodology used by WRAP has now been rolled out to all Carillion Building projects.

With water such a valuable resource in the region, our MENA business audited all its camps where workers live within Oman and UAE during 2009, to identify potential water reduction options. The audits were then extended to project sites, with four being completed during 2009 and the remainder due in 2010. The audits have been very effective, with potential savings of AED 1 million (£170,000) per year being identified on one site. Water monitoring procedures have been put in place, along with training in four languages to raise awareness of this important issue among employees and contractors.