Balfour Beatty : achieves world first in sustainable procurement

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15 May 2017

Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group, has achieved a world first by being the first company to complete the ISO 20 400 assessment, the 2017 international standard for sustainable procurement.

The new standard, which has been in development since 2013 involving a committee of over 40 nations, provides the fundamental guidance, drivers and principles to ensuring sustainable procurement for organisations. Successful completion of the assessment and implementation of the standard ensures that key issues are considered in developing a sustainable procurement policy and strategy; guidance in creating organisational conditions necessary to procure sustainably; guidance in setting priorities in sustainable procurement and suggestions on how to improve the procurement process as a whole.

Aaron Reid, Head of Sustainable Procurement, Balfour Beatty, said, 'We are extremely proud to be the first company in the world assessed against ISO 20 400. The standard gives us a clear framework to determine 'what good looks like' in terms of sustainable procurement and how we compare against it.

'The assessment itself was robust, practical and coherent. It held a mirror up to us as a business, enabling us to uncover areas of existing good practice to be shared and areas for improvement to focus upon'.

Director of Action Sustainability and Chair of the Supply Chain School, Shaun McCarthy OBE, said, 'Societal expectations for supply chains to minimise impact on the environment and respect human rights are at a tipping point. In response, ISO 20 400 sets out a strategic framework for achieving sustainability and value for organisations competing in a global market.

'Procurement professionals and their stakeholders need to step up to this sustainability challenge and the standard provides a global framework for doing so. We at the School are delighted Balfour Beatty, one of our UK Partners, is leading the way, worldwide'.

An official partner of the Supply Chain School, Balfour Beatty will be sharing lessons learned in accomplishing the standard at the Construction Suppler Day on 17 May.

Image: The Haymarket Building, part of the major commercial and retail scheme forming part of the £320m St James' Market development in Central London, and awarded to Balfour Beatty in 2013, was constructed using sustainable procurement methods resulting in 26% reduction in on and offsite waste generation from prefab and a 10% reduction in carbon footprint

ENDS

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Antonia WaltonBalfour Beatty

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Notes to editors:

• In 2016, Balfour Beatty was awarded the 'Inclusive Procurement Award' in recognition of its inclusive approach towards its supply chain and its engagement with minority owned and small businesses.
• In support of its commitment to improve sustainable outcomes for its business and customers, Balfour Beatty has partnered with the Supply Chain Sustainability School since 2013 to deliver free practical support, training and networking opportunities for its supply chain. We recently recruited our 2000th supplier to the Supply Chain Sustainability School. For further details visit: https://www.supplychainschool.co.uk/
• Balfour Beatty (www.balfourbeatty.com) is a leading international infrastructure group. With 30,000 employees, we provide innovative and efficient infrastructure that underpins our daily lives, supports communities and enables economic growth. We finance, develop, build and maintain complex infrastructure such as transportation, power and utility systems, social and commercial buildings.
• Our main geographies are the UK, US and South East Asia. Over the last 100 years we have created iconic buildings and infrastructure all over the world including the London Olympics' Aquatic Centre, Hong Kong's first Zero Carbon building, the world's biggest shopping mall in Dubai, the National Museum of the Marine Corps in the US and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.