Throughout our years of operation we have strived to engage in a positive way with local communities and ensure our employees are fully informed and involved in our ongoing CSR activities.
Protecting the environment
Climate change is a global problem which all organisations must address in order to reduce the rate of global warming. At Brett Martin we have a number of key objectives which we are working towards in order to minimise the impact that our production
process and finished products have on the environment.
Our key objectives in relation to climate change include:
- To reduce consumption of energy and materials
- Use electricity from renewable energy sources
- Ensure all recyclable waste materials are recycled
- Promote sound environmental practices to our employees, suppliers, partners and customers
We have carried out a number of environmental impact assessments on our business and have invested in energy efficient machinery resulting in reduced carbon emissions. We are also installing wind energy technology at our headquarters in Mallusk.
Currently we recycle over 75 per cent of waste polycarbonate and all our products contain an element of recycled material, greatly increasing our green credentials.
We have developed products which help reduce carbon emissions from the built environment. Our various roofing products meet and exceed all building regulations with regard to energy efficiency and we provide advice and support with regard to energy efficiency and complying with building regulations to all clients.
Working within the community
At Brett Martin the communities in which we operate are central to our CSR policy. Many of our employees are recruited from these communities and we want to develop strong relationships by communicating and interacting with them.
Our business processes are regularly reviewed to ensure they are responsible and do not impact negatively on the local community but help maintain positive relationships with suppliers, employees, partners and customers.
For many years, we have been involved with a range of charitable organisations and have donated products for a number of projects including affordable housing.
We also recognise the importance of education and therefore host regular class visits for local school children and work experience opportunities for students and graduates, to gain valuable experience of the manufacturing industry.
Our people
With over 1000 employees throughout our operations we have a wide programme of employee engagement. Staff are encouraged to get involved in our charity initiatives and all employees take part in a structured training programme to advance their professional development.
- Employee engagement at Brett Martin also includes:
- Communicating openly and honestly with employees
- Excellent working conditions
- Fair and respectful treatment of employees at all times
We strive to ensure employees have a safe and comfortable working environment that meets all health and safety legislation and our equal opportunities policy seeks to ensure a fair work environment for all staff.
Through our employee newsletter, company notice boards and regular staff meetings, employees are kept updated on company news. Our dedication to employee engagement means we have a workforce that is highly committed to producing quality products and delivering first class customer service to all clients.
Stakeholders
At Brett Martin we take pride in our ability to build and maintain excellent relationships with all stakeholders. With outstanding customer service and products, we have developed a reputation for quality, which has enabled us to retain many loyal customers.
We also ensure all our suppliers, contractors and partners are ethical businesses, which carry out their processes in a responsible way by continually challenging them to meet our exacting business standards.
As a socially responsible organization, we have in place practices which ensure all our suppliers, contractors, customers and partners are dealt within a fair and respectful way.
Brett Martin and sustainability
The following targets are central to Brett Martin’s environmental strategy to minimise the impact of the Company’s operations on the environment:
- Achieve 50% renewable energy by 2023
- Recycle 100% of all post production waste
- Ensure 100% recycling of all recyclable waste materials
With combined wind and solar energy initiatives already in place, the company currently receives 25% of its energy requirements from renewable sources. In March 2018 Brett Martin entered into a power purchase agreement with Lightsource BP, providing a direct connection to 6.4MWp solar farm which provides 14% of the company’s energy needs. This initiative provides enough clean solar energy to power the equivalent of over 1,600 homes and an estimated saving of 3,700 tonnes of carbon emissions each year, equal to taking nearly 1,800 cars off the road. In 2011 Brett Martin was one of the first UK manufacturers to install a wind turbine in 2011 delivering 11% of our energy costs. The partnership with Lightsource now more than doubles the Company's renewable footprint and also highlights its commitment to environmentally sensitive manufacturing practice.
In the last 3 years the Company has recycled 94% of its post-production waste with the remainder being sent to other recyclers. Waste minimisation targets are in place which are reviewed continually through management system scorecards, communicated at a factory level and senior board level to ensure good performance is sustained.
The company recycles all inbound packaging materials including wood, paper, plastic and metal.