In practice the Sustainable Business Strategy covers its approach
to Environmental Management, placing environmental considerations at the heart of how it does business.
The company is currently constructing the £114m Royal Victoria Hospital Critical
Care Building project which is NI’s only Exemplar Project for Sustainability. This
unique project has set new standards in the recording and reporting of
sustainability. Monthly reports are produced covering all aspects of
sustainability from carbon emissions to recycled content of materials to local
labour
McL&H measures
energy use both at its headquarters and on its construction sites which enables
it to accurately calculate its carbon footprint, identify areas for efficiency
improvements, and mitigate the environmental impacts of its business
operations. For construction projects it has set a KPI of less than 0.2 tonnes
of carbon dioxide per £100k of project turnover.
McL&H also recognises
that sourcing materials responsibly is a crucial first step to ensuring the
construction process is sustainable. In September 2008 McL&H obtained
Forest Stewardship Council Chain of Custody Certification. Complementing this, the
company is committed to biodiversity and has involved local schools in a major
conservation project in Scotland designed to increase the population and
distribution of Red Squirrels in Western Scotland. This project involves
setting up a wildlife corridor running on company owned land between Stranraer
and Cairnryan.
Diversion of waste
from landfill is also important to the company and it has signed the WRAP Half
Waste to Landfill Commitment. It has established Site Waste Management Plans
that measure all waste and seek to maximise reuse and recycling. This approach
has worked well, one example being from a refurbishment project where a 94%
recycling rate was achieved.
The company has
established links with Queen’s University, Belfast and is sponsoring a series
of linked MSc research projects based on sustainability in construction. 
