Leading the way to a Green Recovery

In July 2020, Boris Johnson announced his green recovery plan, with £350 million being made available to cut emissions in heavy industry and drive economic recovery. The multimillion-pound investment is designed to drive forward the UK’s target to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

So how does this affect the construction industry?

It is thought that about 10% of the country’s carbon emissions are directly associated with construction activities, and as such £26 million has been allocated to support advanced new building techniques in the construction sector and a further £10 million has been set aside for state of the art construction tech. In addition to this, a number of the UK’s leading construction companies are taking a lead in addressing the challenge and have pledged to drive their businesses and production towards net-zero carbon.

What are RVT Group doing to support a green recovery?

We started our journey in Sept 2011 by achieving ISO 14001, which was a great step in the right direction, but we knew there was more to be done. Since then, we have made some considerable leaps forward, but ultimately we aim to achieve a carbon neutral footprint.

We are putting our best foot forward and so far have achieved;

• 100% of used filters are recycled and re-purposed as a fuel in kilns or recyclate derived fuel.

• 100% of old Soundex curtains are recycled and re-purposed as recyclate derived fuel.

• 90% of our office and warehouse have been refitted with energy efficient LED lighting.

• 80% of invoices and confirmation of orders are now sent electronically (instead of printed).

• 60% of office and warehouse waste is now recycled.

• Between 2018 and 2019 we reduced our electricity consumption per head by 11.7%

• We have introduced an App for our drivers to use, which will reduce delivery paperwork.

• 3% of our fleet vehicles are now hybrid electric, and we aim for this to be 7% by 2025.

• We have also achieved FORS silver.

• Unnecessary travel has been eliminated and replaced with video conferencing.

• RVT have introduced HVO fuel as a greener alternative for running oil-fired heaters, which can reduce CO2e by 90%, NOx by 30% and Particulate Matter by 86%.

• All RVT indirect oil-fired heaters are between 90-92% efficient (less fuel, more heat).

• We have our own workshop team who service equipment between every hire to maintain product efficiency.

• We conduct a Thorough Examination and Test (TExT) on all LEV equipment to ensure product efficiency and effectiveness is maintained.

In addition to this, our purchasing team aim to have 20% of suppliers on our new sustainable supplier agreement by 2021 and our R&D team are continuously working to bring you new hazard control solutions with improved efficiency. Furthermore, we will be working with a consultant to conduct our carbon footprint assessment, with a view to creating a plan to further reduce our scope 1, scope 2 and scope 3 emissions.

Giving you peace of mind

Ultimately, we want you to rest assured that when you are working with RVT Group, you are working with a sustainable supply chain partner who is doing everything possible to reduce carbon emissions to net zero.

If any of our construction customers would like to work closer with RVT Group in order to reduce carbon emissions further, we would be glad to hear from you. Please call us on 0808 178 3286.

For more information about our green changes, or to view our policies and certifications, please click here.