Sustainability

The framework builds on excellent foundations and unlocks our desire to take bold action to balance the needs of the environment and society alongside our growth as a business.

It makes the commitment that 2020-2030 will be our ‘Decade of Action’ and sets a flexible, agile and empowering structure for our organisation. It also enables us to convey to our stakeholders our collective ambitions and achievements.

Each of the People-Planet-Purpose pillars has three ‘themes’ and a total of 23 high level metrics, which allow us to measure and monitor performance.

Our pillars and themes

People - putting people at the heart of our approach

This pillar respects the fact that our workforce is fundamental to the delivery of our framework, and the need to empower our people to be the drivers of sustainable and responsible change. Our people are the foundation of our business, so their safety and wellbeing will remain our priority, as will our desire to ensure our workplace is an inclusive and inspiring place to be.

• Safety and wellbeing - The provision of a safe working environment which prevents incidents or injury to our workforce and anyone else affected by our work. Our workforce will be guided to maintaining good mental and physical wellbeing, free from ill-health.
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion - We will ensure that VolkerWessels UK is thoroughly inclusive of people from all lifestyles and is enriched by a diversity of perspectives, cultures and backgrounds, characterised by fairness and equality of opportunity.
• Empowering sustainable leaders - Our people will be supported in their ambitions to enhance their own skills, knowledge and experience in order to embrace and instigate sustainable and responsible change and inspire others to follow.

Planet – protecting and enhancing our natural environment

Each of our projects is unique and, as such, the environmental risks and opportunities that they present are unique. Our ability to address these risks professionally, combined with creatively assessing the opportunities available to us to deliver no net loss or, better still, net positive solutions, will ensure we act responsibly and proactively.

• Climate, energy and emissions - Translating and taking positive action to reduce or, wherever possible, eliminate our adverse impacts on climate change.
• Responsible management of the environment - Environmental risks and opportunities will be managed professionally, responsibly and innovatively.
• Circular economy - A fully embedded approach to a circular economy which aims to design for sustainability, minimises waste and make the most of resources.

Purpose – being a trusted, forward thinking and respected business of choice by delivering long-term social value

Making responsible and forward-thinking choices about the way our projects are executed, and how they will deliver social value, will support our overall vision to be the contractor of choice and encourage us to be a good neighbour in the communities in which we work.

• Education and Employability - Raising awareness of the opportunities that exist within VolkerWessels UK and the wider construction industry.
• Charity, volunteering and community engagement - Establishing meaningful relationships with charitable bodies and local communities which provide mutually beneficial opportunities.
• Sustainable supply chain and ethical procurement - To operate in a fair and ethical manner and publicise our desire to work alongside a network of likeminded supply chain partners.

For more information about the strategy, please email sustainability@volkerwessels.co.uk