by Brianna Crandall — March 25, 2013—Interserve, the international support services and construction group, revealed on March 21 its comprehensive, business-wide sustainability plan that lays the foundations for the company’s continued growth and sustained performance and raises the bar for other companies providing similar services. If attained, the company’s goals will also help the clients it serves reach their own sustainability goals.
The plan, called “SustainAbilities,” establishes clear and measurable targets for Interserve and its workforce of more than 50,000 people. It provides a detailed framework for Interserve to deliver its services in a way that has a beneficial impact on society and the environment, in turn delivering sustainable growth and profit to shareholders. The framework emphasizes the role of knowledge, alongside the more traditional measures of sustainability as central to its success.
The SustainAbilities plan is built around Interserve’s core vision “to redefine the future for people and places.” Sustainability performance will be measured not only in traditional financial terms but also using four “capitals” that capture the wider impact of the business’s growing range of activities, which increasingly include front-line services:
- Natural Capital – stewardship of energy and natural resources
- Social Capital – health and well-being of employees and the community
- Knowledge Capital – nurturing talent, enabling innovation and increasing the skill-base of society
- Financial Capital – effective management of risk, reducing cost and realising new opportunities for growth
The SustainAbilities plan sets out 48 ambitious targets phased between 2014 and 2020. Among the targets that relate to buildings and the environment are the following:
- By 2014 Interserve plans to use only sustainable forest products, and to increase reuse of construction waste by 15%.
- By 2016 Interserve plans to use 50% certified sustainable forest products, cut water use by 20%, reduce emissions from business travel by 30%, reduce emissions from energy use at construction sites by 30%, reduce construction waste by 25%, reduce office waste by 50%, and reduce indirect energy impacts by 15%.
- By 2018 Interserve plans to achieve 75% traceability of construction materials, and to increase recycled content in materials by 50%.
- By 2020 Interserve plans to halve its absolute carbon emissions.
