Wates Group: Reshaping Tomorrow

Wates Group’s Target Zero campaign is calling for wide collaboration on waste reduction. The Group is working with customers and suppliers to provide a joint approach to driving down tonnes of waste to landfill. To date the Group has run over 100 workshops with customers and sub-contractors on waste management.

One example of a successful partnership is the work Wates is doing with one of its suppliers, to reduce plasterboard waste. A technical expert has been seconded to Wates’ design team to look at ways to improving the delivery and usage of the plasterboard. To date 11% reductions have been made through fuel savings as a result of delivery efficiencies and savings on material wastage. Other suppliers have been carefully selected and a significant number are also signatories of the WRAP Halving Waste to Landfill commitment.

Wates have also created wider sustainability impacts, both socially and environmentally through bringing suppliers and social enterprises together. One community recycling project collects waste timber from Wates and sells it for reuse or recycling into woodchip – since October 2010 180million cubic tonnes of timber have been recycled.

Another successful partnership with a retail customer has lead to 90% of those projects exceeding the 90% waste recycled target. Wates is now the only carpet recycler for the retailer as a result of great success in recycling polymer flooring for them. In 2008 the programme led to 8.15 tonnes of vinyl being recycled.