BAM updates its sustainability strategy – © Royal BAM Group
Royal BAM Group has published a revised sustainability strategy focusing on six main themes in accordance with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
One of Europe’s largest construction businesses, BAM’s UK division has around 7,000 employees within its civil engineering, construction, facilities management and associated sectors.
In one undertaking within the strategy, BAM has committed to a target of reducing absolute Scope 3 emissions by 50% in 2030 (compared with 2019), accelerating its previous target of 20%, set four years ago. BAM’s UK & Ireland businesses last year announced an ambitious carbon target to become net zero in its direct operations by 2026.
The strategy consists of six themes:
- Decarbonisation
- Circularity
- Climate adaptation
- Biodiversity
- Health, Safety and Inclusion, and
- Social value.
Targets decided last year for CO2 emissions have been included in the plan and objectives have been set for the other themes. The group aims to have reduced construction and office waste by 75% by 2030, compared with 2015. Climate adaptation measures have been taken on all projects, and by 2030, women should make up 30% of BAM’s senior management.
The group said Implementation of this sustainability strategy should enable it to further cut its carbon, raw materials and waste footprint and offer clients scalable sustainability solutions.
Impact on the planet
John Wilkinson, CEO of BAM’s UK and Ireland division, said: “BAM has raised the bar for sustainability in our sector. “This new strategy not only significantly increases our direct targets – for example, on Scope 3 carbon emissions – but it looks holistically at what our sector can do working upstream and downstream with others to provide our clients with options so that we become instigators of greater sustainability.
“It is not enough to work on your own and focus on your own impact anymore. BAM has recognised that we must export our learning, cooperate with others, learn from them, and collectively enhance measurement and understanding of the whole chain of factors that affect our impact on the planet and people’s lives.
“We are committed to reporting these issues transparently. That’s the only way we can secure true progress and make a genuine difference.”
Wilkinson added: “In the UK, examples of how we can achieve greater sustainability include using low-carbon concrete and asphalt, recycled steel and modular solutions. Our partnerships include working with the Department for Education on its low-carbon schools programme. Initiatives like these are making a real difference.”
