TCi’s journey as an environmentally aware and sustainability-driven company began several years ago.
In a recent article, published by Business Insider, Marketing & Sustainability Manager Ben Gibbs discussed how TCi’s sustainable strategy has developed and the repeated steps that ensure continuous improvement.
Setting out with a sustainable purpose was initially very daunting. TCi operates within the construction industry, both as a commercial building contractor and a supplier of products. This presented many opportunities, but we had to work out where to start. This is an outline of the main actions we have continually revisited over the past 5 years or so:
1.Measuring everything
Realising that it would be impossible to track improvement without collecting information, we set about improving our data integrity and established formal responsibilities. The good news is that there is much more support available now for carbon-footprinting and resource-tracking than there was a few years ago!
2.Address culture, companywide
Most importantly, the whole company needed to be on-board with sustainability culture at every level. Champions and advocates were signed up, along with an incentivised suggestion scheme. Education opportunities in recycling, conservation and journey planning were provided alongside policies to introduce hybrid and electric company vehicles.
The strategies adopted resulted in the establishment of a Sustainability Charter to govern core objectives, enshrined in the company’s KPIs, driven by senior management.
3.Influence clients and supply chain
The success of every micro initiative has been dependent on engagement with supply chain and clients, communication and collaboration. Preferred suppliers know that to maintain business, they need to offer viable sustainable products and services. Clients return repeatedly to achieve genuine sustainability solutions.
4.Reaching milestones and setting new targets
As a direct result of these activities, We have been able to record improvements and then set the bar higher and follow the process again. TCi has committed to becoming net carbon zero for scope 1&2 emissions. It feels like it has been a long journey to this point, bit there is still so much to do as we strive to align further with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and continue to set standards within our industry.
We now have dedicated products and services, a range of built-in operational processes governed by objectives and KPIs and take an active role in promoting and engaging with our local UNESCO biosphere reserve.
If you would like to find out more about the TCi sustainability story and latest developments, or you would like to share a sustainable product or service that could benefit our clients, please get in touch!
