B&A Group’s Pledge To Sustainable Development

B&A Group are a leading figure in the industry, particularly in the South West of England and with that comes great responsibility. We have dedicated a huge focus not only to our customers but to the planet as well to ensure that as we grow and expand, we do so in an efficient and sustainable manner.

Over our 30 years of existence, we have acquired a range of highly-recognised accreditations to ensure that we are holding ourselves accountable to provide safe working environments and practices as well as operating sustainably regardless of the type or size of the project.

One of the key ways that B&A Group maintains sustainability is through our effective recovery and waste process which enables us to use suitable waste material from an existing source and reuse it for valid purposes on other projects. This prevents the ‘waste’ material from ending up in landfill as well as reduces the need to harvest new materials from untouched resources. Overall, the environmental impact is far less and this method enables us to collaborate between projects so that both parties receive the service that they need in a much greener way for the planet.

“B&A are proud to work with our customers to prevent soils from going to landfill. In a recent industry report, it was stated that 29.5 million tonnes of soil from construction sites were sent to landfill in 2018 – this is clearly an unsustainable situation for this non-renewable resource. In 2022, we diverted close to 1,000,000 tonnes of this vital resource from landfill, by recovering and re-using soils on development sites.” - Dr. Rob Lewis, B&A Group Project Manager.

The CL:AIRE DoW CoP is one of the prestigious memberships that B&A Group are extremely proud to hold. The purpose of this is to provide a clear and consistent process in which the movement of excavated materials between project sites and their reuse locations. By using the Definition of Waste: Code of Practice (DoW CoP), we are able to carry out land development in a sustainable and cost-effective way.

We are very lucky to have two, independently qualified members of staff who are responsible for reviewing all supporting information as well as the Materials Management Plan (MMP) from the very initial review all the way through to the placement of the materials. Thanks to both Helen Griffin and Dr. Rob Lewis, we are able to provide this level of expertise to our wonderful customers to help them and their projects be as sustainable as possible.

We have been working closely with Wanderlands UK since October 2022 to develop a tailored carbon mitigation strategy that will help us to become even more sustainable in the future as we work towards this new goal.

Our Group Environmental Director, Helen Griffin has said: “As a land-oriented business, we have a responsibility to take all the necessary steps to work with the least amount of environmental impact possible. We’ve taken the first step to understanding the size of our emissions with a carbon audit by Wanderlands. Looking ahead, Wanderlands will be supporting us to identify and target key-emitting areas with operational changes to drive down our emissions. Our partnership is only in its infancy, but Tim and the team at Wanderlands have been incredible at making our seemingly daunting first steps, easy to understand and navigate.”

We are extremely proud and excited to be working with Wanderlands UK and are dedicated to this tailored carbon workshop so that we can develop carbon mitigation strategies for the operational side of the business and reduce our carbon emissions.

Over the past year, we added two new Scania R500-XT 3-axle tractor units coupled with two new sliding tipper trailers to our fleet. This has enabled us to significantly reduce the number of trips needed to collect and deliver material which can cut fuel consumption by up to 19%. The addition of these trucks has already had a huge impact on our offering for both clients and our sustainability pledge.

Our sliding tipper trailers have up to 50% more payload than the equivalent eight-wheeler, taking up to 29 tonnes per load! This is 10 tonnes more per load and enables us to greatly reduce the number of trips needed to collect and deliver material which can cut fuel consumption by up to 19%. This also allows us to extend our geographical reach more efficiently, reducing costs overall.

This year, we were pleased to open two new sites in Bristol and Devon, accepting inert and non-hazardous materials, which will provide a sought-after solution for companies looking to divert soils from landfill plus supplying Recycled and Quarried Aggregates in these areas.

We offer a complete contaminated material removal solution for clients across Bristol & the South West. Covering a wide range of both non-hazardous and hazardous materials, including:

• Soil & Hardcore

• Tarmac (coal tar)

• Asbestos contaminated soils

• Invasive Species (eg. Japanese Knotweed)

Many sites come with a commercial or industrial history and require thorough assessment and treatment before they are ready to be developed. It is therefore essential that any contaminated material is safely removed and treated, leaving the site ready for development. We own and operate a bespoke soil and aggregate processing facility, which accepts a range of inert and non-hazardous materials for treatment and recovery or safe disposal.

Finally, another key improvement to mention is our installation of 12 charging points on site: which staff can use to fully charge their vehicles when needed. Last year we updated our company car policy, whereby employees requiring a company vehicle have a choice of Electric or Hybrid vehicles only.

The current climate and environmental crisis isn’t going to get better on its own and we all have to take responsibility and ownership to do whatever we can to improve the sustainability of our day-to-day lives. We only have one planet and we need to look after it!

If you’d like to speak to us about any of our services or ways that we can help you and your project in a more sustainable way, please get in touch on 0117 982 9561.