The milestone has been reached as the Supply Chain Sustainability School, founded by Skanska, celebrates its second birthday.
The Supply Chain Sustainability School is a free, virtual learning environment that aims to help construction suppliers and sub-contractors develop their organisations’ sustainability knowledge and competence. The award-winning initiative represents a common and collaborative approach to addressing sustainability within the industry supply chain.
More than 5,400 suppliers have signed up to the school since it was launched in June 2012 – that’s around 250 new recruits every month. More than 1,800 bespoke action plans have been created by suppliers eager to improve their sustainability credentials and 2,500 people have attended a supplier engagement day, held by the school all around the country. A number of supply chain members are also now promoting the school to their own suppliers.
Director of Procurement and Supply Chain Dale Turner said: “The school has gone from strength to strength in its first two years and is now one of the UK’s leading supplier engagement sustainability tools. It promotes sustainable business through long-term thinking, environmental consciousness, social and ethical responsibility.
“Our supplier days are now packed with positive experiences and presentations from our supply chain on what the school means to them and how they are progressing on their sustainability journey. The next steps are to push the message further down the tiers of the supply chain and transferring knowledge by introducing the school into other countries.”
When they join, members complete a confidential self-assessment questionnaire that is tailored to their specific trade(s). This assesses any gaps in the member organisation's sustainability competence, and then signposts them to the most appropriate resources in the school as part of a 10-point action plan. Hundreds of resources, including videos, e-modules, training sessions and case studies are all available to members – all at no cost.
The school is run by collaborative group of major contractors – Kier, Balfour Beatty, BAM, Carillion, ISG, Taylor Woodrow, Wates, Morgan-Sindall, Willmott-Dixon, Sir Robert McAlpine, Laing O’Rourke, Lend Lease, and Aggregate Industries, alongside the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), Action Sustainability, Building Research Establishment (BRE) and Responsible Solutions.
The initiative picked up a host of awards in 2013, including the Guardian Sustainable Business award for collaboration, the Green Organisation Green Apple Award and named overall winner and winner of the Corporate Social Responsibility Award by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply.