The Green Block progress from Gold Award to Gold with Diamond Banner
Since 2020, The Green Block (TGB) have been a member of the Sustainable Leaders in Business (SLiB) previously known as the Green Achiever Scheme. They went straight in as Gold members, as they were already able to demonstrate:
- Legal compliance;
- They already had numerous good environmental practices in place;
- They had data to demonstrate they had made improvements in their environmental performance in the previous 12 months; and
- They had ambitions and a plan to make more improvements going forward.
We have conducted an audit with The Green Block every year since 2020 and while the initial bar was set high. They have continued to demonstrate ambition and improvements in their performance year-on-year. Many organisations can make improvements for a year or two possibly three or four, but to make them constantly for 5 years on the bounce is worthy of recognition.
For this reason, The Green Block has achieved the Gold Award with Diamond Banner. Our congratulations go to all at The Green Block
Some examples of the good practices shown by TGB include:
- Having no printers in the office;
- Using public transport where feasible (the management team almost all use the train to get to the office “Walking the Talk”)
- Using a sustainable procurement policy which ensures they actively review their supply chain. This review has resulted in their changing their weighbridges from a manufacturer in Spain to one based in Birmingham. The impact on reduction in the Scope 3 carbon footprint is huge! TGB have also changed their waste carriers to a company who use CNG rather than diesel collection vehicles.
- Alongside this internal management of TGB, the drive to improve environmental performance extends to their clients. So, the use of the Mobile Segregation Units (MSUs) at numerous railway stations and airports for example, are set up to provide clients with data. They can review their operations with the aim of moving waste up the hierarchy – even though many are already achieving 90+% recycling rates with the MSUs.
The company has worked alongside the Environment Agency to achieve the publication of the EA Regulatory Position Statement (RPS) 240 in February 2024 on the Storage of non-hazardous waste collected at transport hubs. This demonstrates their commitment to the wider environmental concerns than simply those of TGB.
Going Forward
TGB have committed to achieve Net Zero and are involved in the development of some innovative solutions that enable waste to become a product and part of the circular economy. Further, they’re looking at how they can use their MSUs as possible biodiversity hubs as their already retrofitting them with rainwater harvesting equipment.
So, watch this space for great sustainability practices going forwards based on solid management data and the management drive to simply do things better.
Josh Katz, Commercial Director at The Green Block, said “TGB have thoroughly enjoyed working with Deb and the team at E4environment and are proud member of the Sustainable Leaders in Business. We are continuously striving to enhance resource management propositions for our clients through innovative and sustainable solutions, whilst ensuring we are “practicing what we preach” internally. We’re delighted to have been awarded the Gold Award with Diamond Banner this year.”
