The business issue

How participation in the NI Environmental Benchmarking Survey has helped to drive environmental improvements within the company.

What Henry Bros did

Henry Brothers has participated in the Northern Ireland Environmental Benchmarking Survey since its inception in 1998. Over the last twenty years, the company has invariably experienced change, notably to the company structure to include a dedicated team of Environmentalists including a board level CSR director to manage all aspects of the business processes to ensure it is performing at the very highest standards across the business.

With the adoption of a Sustainable Business Strategy in 2014, the company has made notable improvements across the business with investment into Photovoltaic panels fitted to the head offices, equating to a saving of circa 540 tonnes of C02 over the next 20 years, as well as a fleet of eco vans and a range of hybrid vehicles to drive down fuel use.

Over the last four years, Henry Brothers has collaborated with Queen’s University to develop a company Research and Development Programme. Queen’s students are employed to conduct research projects relevant to the industry with a focus on Sustainability within the construction sector to push the Sustainability agenda and continually improve.

This year, research was conducted into the use of plastics within the construction supply chain, the results of which will be shared as best practice with industry.

“There has been a paradigm shift in behaviour with regards to sustainability and environmental management, with businesses recognising sustainability goes hand in hand with resilience. Businesses have not only a legal responsibility, but an ethical obligation to protect, restore and promote the environmental agenda whilst maintaining economic prosperity. The NI Environmental Benchmarking Survey has enabled us to focus our efforts and continue to push the boundaries of Sustainable Development”.

Charlene Jones, Group Environmental & Quality Manager, Henry Bros