A collaborative initiative to protect and enhance the environment.
Climate change is an issue Scape Group and our partners are passionate about and one which we are now making a collective commitment to address, with the creation of a long-term sustainability strategy to protect and enhance the environment through our operations.
Collectively, the public sector recognises we face a dire Climate Emergency, with over half of the local authorities in the UK declaring a Climate Emergency. The scientific consensus on man-made climate change is clear. Now, decisive action is needed to make a positive change – Something that our people, our partners and the industry are all in agreement with.
The challenge
Recent figures from the National Federation of Builders’ War on Carbon report reveal that the construction industry is directly responsible for 10% of UK carbon emissions, and influences a further 47% – Meaning that either directly or indirectly, more than half of the our country’s emissions are linked to construction and the buildings and infrastructure assets we create and maintain.
Even on just one construction project, on one day, multiple skips of waste can be generated, numerous vehicle journeys made, and large quantities of energy and water consumed. By their very nature, construction projects will have a negative effect on the environment – Unless we make conscious decisions to do things differently.
Sustainability is a huge topic, and there are countless opportunities for improvement. From designing out waste, collaboration to improve material specification and sourcing or closer scrutiny of the lifecycle of materials, to targeting fleet emissions and consistently using renewable energy suppliers on our construction sites.
We know this is a big challenge, but we are ready. Our partners are ready. The industry is ready and keen to implement change. We are uniting as one voice to share innovations and ambitions, working together to make ideas bigger, better and more successful, for the benefit of our planet.
It is time for the construction industry, as many others have done, to accept its role in the climate emergency. We must be bold, ambitious and strong in our commitments.
Our response
“In an industry first, we’re bringing together our delivery partners and their technical supply chains across the UK to harness our collective power and influence, making construction a force for positive change.”
Mark Robinson Scape Group chief executive
We hope to involve all our partners in this collaborative initiative, who will bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table, as well as a collective passion and drive for improvement.
Scape has been a social value-led organisation for many years, embedding community improvement and sustainable outputs into all our projects.
As a National Social Value Taskforce member, we have actively contributed to improving the National Themes, Outcomes and Measures (TOMs) to capture and value the environmental measures delivered on every project.
But this reinforced commitment to sustainability represents an even bigger ambition. We are building on our strong social value foundations and exploring the opportunities to extend social value performance management to cover wider environmental considerations.
This will form an integral part of our long-term vision, both as a socially responsible organisation, and as a leading voice for the industry. Our sustainability strategy for the next 3, 6 and 9 years is structured around the following commitment: Working together to create environmental sustainability and enhancement.
Our partners and public sector colleagues are already taking great strides in achieving this, and we will be showcasing some of the very best sustainability innovations in the coming months. Harnessing the advances already in use and implementing them more widely is the first step on our collective journey towards carbon-neutrality and environmental health.
Team Scape are currently delivering more than 1,800 projects across the UK, worth around £6.3bn, and we have a collective buying power of £12bn. It’s our responsibility to make sure these projects leave a positive legacy for future generations and demonstrate what a good, environmentally conscious construction project looks like.
Whilst many clients are reducing the impact of their projects on the local environment, we’re proposing a much more holistic approach.
“For us, this is about raising the bar of what we can achieve together, not just locally, but on a more national and global scale.”
Mark Robinson Scape Group chief executive
We don’t know all the answers – far from it. But we want to learn more, to bring the industry together and to innovate, with everyone playing their part.
We need input and buy in from all angles of the construction industry – from SMEs to multi-national tier 1 contractors, public and private sector clients across the UK to industry bodies. If we are to succeed, we must come together.
Next steps
We will be looking at Team Scape’s current sustainability activities, ambitions and innovations, sharing lessons learned and best practice adoption. We will also be putting our own operations under the microscope to make sure we are doing our bit.
Our strategy and approach will be shared with our public sector shareholders and clients to ensure we are shaping our solutions aligned to their ambitions and priorities.
The Team Scape research and development working group will meet regularly, identifying key areas for improvement and defining specific, measurable objectives to achieve our goals.
Our door is open for industry dialogue and I truly believe that together, we can make a real difference.
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Alan White
How did you get into construction? My Journalism degree got me my first job at Wates in 2010, when I joined the North West’s work-winning team. I soon moved into a business development role, moving around the business to gain experience in Construction, Smartspace and now the Scape team.
What do you enjoy most about your current role? I love speaking to customers. This gives me the chance to learn how the public sector is developing and regenerating our towns and cities, and it’s hugely rewarding to offer solutions to help them achieve this. Meeting new people and developing existing relationships is the best part of my job.
What are you most proud of? Professionally, identifying customer problems and collectively solving them is very fulfilling, for example reducing the proposed cost of a new leisure centre by 25% in six weeks. Personally, I’m not ashamed to say that I’m immensely proud of some of my achievements as a competitive runner in recent years.
Dom Somerville
How did you get into construction? I went to an Architecture fair when I was 14 and was really interested in how buildings were designed. It inspired me to want to become an Architect!
What do you enjoy most about your current role? The variety of work we do across multiple construction sectors from schools, to offices, to leisure centres, to working with the MoD – no 2 weeks are ever the same.
What are you most proud of? Schemes where clients have come to Wates with a specific requirement and need and where we have put together teams to respond and deliver often beyond what that customer ever expected.
Alistair McCallum
How did you get into construction? Simply I answered an advert from a PQS company in Solihull. I wanted a varied career that was neither a desk job nor working outside all the time. I also wanted a career that saw me working with a variety of people. I also like ‘building things’ and seeing something that I’ve had a part in creating.
What do you enjoy most about your current role? I most enjoy the diversity in my role, how every day is different. I can be in an interview one day selling the benefits of Wates and Scape to a customer, to chatting with existing customers to find solutions to complex problems to organising and presenting at careers events in schools and colleges. Also, being part of a team that strives to be a force for good and a catalyst for positive change. Moving forward within a team in the pursuit of excellence is incredibly rewarding, where new, fresh ideas are encouraged and embraced and can make it to strategy or policy within the business.
What are you most proud of? I’m lucky enough to be part of the team that won a place on a Scape regional framework, not once but twice. And in doing so being the enabler to expand the Wates business into the East Midlands. I’m also incredibly proud of being one of the team members who won the interview securing the Aquatics Centre for the commonwealth games. Finally, the work we do in supporting reshaping tomorrow including raising the profile of Social Enterprises to customers, careers events with pupils and tree planting in Markfield as part of planting 15,000 trees by 2021.
Helen Drennan
How did you get into construction? By default! I met a Director from a construction business whilst studying for my CIM Diploma and he convinced me to apply for a vacancy at the company he was working for. That was almost 25 years ago, and I’ve been working in the industry ever since.
What do you enjoy most about your current role? The diversity – every day is different. I also love being customer facing and continually meeting new people.
What are you most proud of? My family. My kids are both pursuing their own career goals now. I hope I’ve managed to inspire them to aim high and give it their all.
Alex Jefferson
How did you get into construction? I wanted a job with variety after finishing school and felt that a career in construction could offer me that. After completing a degree in Civil Engineering, I started on sites in London as a Site Engineer. I have since moved through Project Management, Bid and Pre-construction roles and have certainly found the variety that I was after.
What do you enjoy most about your current role? I enjoy meeting new Clients, being able to offer solutions to their challenges and ultimately seeing a construction project through its whole cycle from inception to completion and occupation by its users.
What are you most proud of? I really enjoy being able to pass by buildings that I was involved with from years ago, see how they have integrated into their surroundings and how they are used now by their users. Some of the buildings are getting older, but I am pleased that I am not quite old enough to have had one of my projects demolished yet!