Simple changes, huge impact

With increasing pressure on the construction industry to reuse and recycle, Jennifer Decker outlines how Land Securities have adopted new methods to help them achieve this aim

The Construction Products Association predicts that 2011 will be the year that the construction industry finally begins to recover from the recession. This forecast begs the question, what does the industry do right now to remain stable?  More and more developers and their supply chain partners are finding that sustainable construction practices bring real benefits, commercial and environmental, in the here and now. There are, then, ways and means with which to address the present financial squeeze without causing huge upheaval to working practices, and so ease the transition back to black.

Developers can secure these benefits through some simple procedural changes, a fact that Land Securities has been quick to recognise. As an early signatory to the Waste & Resources Action Programme’s (WRAP) Construction Commitments: Halving Waste to Landfill voluntary agreement, the business is at the forefront of the industry drive to reduce waste in line with government legislation.

For Land Securities, using materials efficiently is integral to wider sustainability goals. Dave Farebrother, environmental director for the organisation, believes that business has “an opportunity, and a responsibility, to lead the industry through its own performance.”

“Reducing the amount of construction waste we send to landfill and using recycled materials plays an important role as we work to lower our environmental impact,” he explains. “We have found that introducing some simple changes can have a clear and prompt effect.”

Land Securities found that it has been crucial to secure buy-in to resource efficiency from the entire organisation. This should stretch from the boardroom through to project managers and all supply chain partners. The reason for this is simple – an effective waste reduction and recovery strategy contributes to a business’ corporate responsibility commitments. It relieves pressure on diminishing landfill capacity and reduces demand on raw materials. It also helps organisations to meet legislative requirements such as a Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) which has been mandatory in England for all projects worth over £300,000 since 2008, and for which the client is jointly responsible.

As industry struggles towards recovery, the cost savings to be made make the most compelling driver for cutting waste. Reducing waste, re-using materials on site and reducing disposal to landfill will help businesses to make real cost savings, equating up to 1.5 percent of construction value. To make savings, developers must ensure that waste is on the agenda from the initial design stage and that they drive the reduction of waste through contractual requirements. To support developers in delivering this, there are a range of targeted tools and guides that have been created including model procurement wording.

Practical delivery
A key factor for a business to recognise in its attempts to cut waste is that a collaborative approach throughout the company is crucial. Land Securities has tailored its corporate policies as well as implementing behavioral change at a project level. Corporately, the business has targeted re-using or recycling 90 percent of demolition and construction waste by 2010, putting it on track to meet its commitment to halving waste to landfill two years ahead of the wider industry goal. This exemplary target has been embedded within corporate policy and processes and is at the heart of Land Securities’ new Sustainable Development Brief which consolidates all environmental targets and policies.
In line with WRAP guidance, Land Securities reports annually on waste performance using the Waste to Landfill Reporting Portal, an online tool for recording waste data. This focus on measuring and reporting is maintained throughout projects, and is a key corporate requirement included in all project briefs, appointments and contract documentation.

Individual monthly reports are generated by each project. These include waste data and information on levels of recycled content. Contractors are required to optimise the reduction, re-use and recycling of waste, achieved through the creation and implementation of a SWMP. From here evidence must be shown that they are achieving 90 percent reuse and recovery of waste and ensuring at least 20 percent of total material value derives from reused and recycled content.

20 Fenchurch Street
Land Securities worked with WRAP to set tailored requirements for material resource efficiency on one of their tall building projects in the City of London. 20 Fenchurch Street will be an iconic 155m tower. Designed by Rafael Vinoly, the development incorporates approximately 600,000 square feet of office accommodation, retail space, a café and a publicly accessible Sky Garden.

Land Securities’ sustainable development strategy is being applied to the development, with resource efficiency playing a central role. In line with this, the developer requires that the project team develop and implement a SWMP from the design stage. Specific requirements for trade contractors were included in tender documentation to ensure that the SWMP is adhered to throughout the project.

In addition, the project team used the online WRAP Recycled Content Toolkit to identify and assess the best opportunities to incorporate more reused and recycled content into the project. As a result, the project team has adopted a number of alternative products and materials with no cost or quality implications, including specifying concrete and plasterboard with greater recycled content.

A blueprint for industry
By developing and implementing a robust resource efficiency strategy, Land Securities has not only lowered their environmental impact and benefited from cost savings; it has created a blueprint for developers looking to make efficiencies in a similar way.
 
The goal of halving waste to landfill by 2012 is a collaborative, pan-industry one – more than 370 organisations from across the supply chain have signed up to WRAP’s voluntary commitment. It is important that businesses work together and share knowledge in order for the ultimate target to be reached. The examples of best practice being set currently by industry leaders such as Land Securities are integral in demonstrating just what can be achieved.

It is clear from Land Securities’ resource efficiency strategy that simple changes can have a dramatic impact on environmental targets and the bottom line. In the current economic climate, reducing waste to landfill should find its place at the top of the business agenda.