Industry-first BES 6001 Responsible Sourcing 'Excellent' rating achieved!
Industry-first BES 6001 Responsible Sourcing 'Excellent' rating achieved!
By Becky Strong
We are very proud to announce that that Thomas Armstrong (Concrete Blocks) Limited have become the first concrete block manufacturer to achieve the highest possible rating of ‘Excellent’ to BES 6001 Responsible Sourcing of Construction Products for our Airtec aerated concrete block products.
We have also achieved the second highest possible rating of ‘Very Good’ for our Stocks Bros Ltd subsidiary lightweight and dense concrete block manufacturing company in Leeds. We were in fact within one single point of also achieving a rating of ‘Excellent’ on this occasion!
What is BES 6001?
BRE’s BREEAM scheme (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method for buildings) awards credits for responsibly sourced materials. The aim of these credits is to encourage the specification and procurement of responsibly sourced materials in construction. To achieve credits under Mat 03: Responsible Sourcing of Materials, applicable materials must be covered by BREEAM recognised environmental management or Responsible Sourcing Certification Schemes. BES 6001 is one such management scheme.
The BES 6001 responsible sourcing scheme Issue 3.0 means that using our ‘Excellent’ and ‘Very Good’ certified products will help gain maximum credits under MAT 03 in BREEAM 2011 and 2014. It also means that all certified products are Tier One under MAT 2 for Code for Sustainable Homes, making it easier for customers to achieve a higher number of points towards credits at no additional cost.
The Certification Process
The Standard has been structured so that compliance can be demonstrated through a combination of meeting the requirements of other recognised certification schemes, establishing written policies, setting objectives and targets and engaging with relevant stakeholders.
To comply with the standard a product must meet a number of mandatory criteria. Where a product demonstrates compliance beyond the mandatory levels, higher levels of performance can be achieved. The standard's performance ratings range from Pass to Good, Very Good and Excellent.
The strict requirements of BES 6001 require companies to demonstrate, from origin to use:
Effective Quality, environmental and health and safety management systems
Efficient use of energy and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
Sustainable and efficient use of material resources and water
Ethical business practices and compliance with applicable laws and regulations
Responsible site stewardship in relation to avoiding pollution and protecting the environment
Minimising the impact of transport associated with the delivery of the constituent materials used in manufacture, waste disposal and the delivery of products to our customers
Liaising with the local community of matters of mutual interest
Technical Manager John Mason, comments: “This is a significant milestone for the Thomas Armstrong group. We are delighted to have achieved a BES 6001 certification for these two key manufacturing operations and in fact become the first block manufacturer to achieve the very highest possible rating of ‘Excellent’. This achievement reflects our ongoing commitment to improving our environmental and social performance, as well as adding third party accreditation to our responsible sourcing claims. BES 6001 is an important and difficult to achieve standard and will be extremely valuable to customers looking to procure building blocks with sound and verified environmental credentials and traceability. There are many benefits to this certification for us as a company and for our customers, who can be confident that our dedication to responsible manufacturing stretches way beyond our own manufacturing plants.”
Certificates can be downloaded from our website and from the BRE Green Book Live website www.greenbooklive.com. BIM Objects and NBS Clauses are now available for all of our concrete block products!