Concrete sector guidance to support BES 6001
UK concrete industry manufacturers and trade associations have come together as ‘The Concrete Industry Sustainable Construction Forum’ (CISCF) to produce a sector-wide guidance document to support the BRE Environmental & Sustainability Standard BES 6001 – Framework Standard for the Responsible Sourcing of Construction Products.
The concrete sector and its upstream supply chain is the first construction products sector to accept the new BRE standard and offer guidance to member companies. Ready-mixed and precast concrete product manufacturers can now arrange for their products to be certified against BES 6001.
Speaking at the launch of the guidance document in London last month, Andy Spencer, UK sustainability director of CEMEX and chairman of the CISCF, said the document would firmly place the UK concrete sector as a world leader in pioneering sustainability programmes.
Welcoming the positive lead taken by the concrete sector, Dr Peter Bonfield, chief executive of BRE, commented: ‘The new responsible sourcing standard BES6001 has been created for the construction industry so it can better manage the social, environmental and economic impacts of its products from cradle to grave.
‘I applaud the concrete sector for providing its members with this great framework, which will enable them to achieve compliance with the new standard.’
Responsible sourcing of materials provides a holistic approach to managing the social, environmental and economic impacts of a product from the sources of its raw materials, through its manufacture and delivery, and, ideally, through its use, reuse and recycling, until its final disposal as waste with no further value.
This is demonstrated through an ethos of supply chain management and product stewardship and, importantly, includes a commitment to engage with stakeholders that may be affected by the impacts of a product.
The Concrete Industry Guidance Document provides an interpretation of how an organization can meet the requirements of BES 6001 as well as providing background and guidance for use by assessors in the process of confirming third-party certification against BES 6001.
