Tough Stance Taken on Sustainable Landscapes and Landscaping

Renowned landscaping company, Marshalls Plc, has launched its brand new Sustainability Report, demonstrating the benefits of its tough stance on sustainable landscapes during 2007.

With a clutch of new environmental and community awards keeping pace with its rapid ascent through Britain’s Most Admired Companies league table, Marshalls’ year end trading statement indicated revenues last year were up 7% to £403 million.

Such success on all counts proves admirably the value of Marshalls’ commitment to judging all business decisions against the triple bottom line of environmental protection, social progress and economic growth.

During a year in which the surge of awareness about environmental issues in the industry was followed swiftly by a rush of green statements - many with more style than substance - Marshalls has continued to lead the way in actions rather than just words - by achieving quantifiable environmental results and conducting rigorous supply chain auditing.

Focusing on proven performance not PR posturing, Marshalls sustainable landscapes programme demonstrates the dynamic process of developing its operations in a sustainable manner. Achievements highlighted in the Sustainability Report 2007 include:

• Working with the Building Research Establishment on the environmental profile of its products and with the Carbon Trust regarding carbon labelling.
• Reduction of CO2 emissions by 5.8%; a reduction of 3,658 tonnes to 59,308 tonnes, as submitted to the “Carbon Disclosure Project”.
• Introduction of Marshalls’ Carbon Calculator, enabling users to measure the carbon impact of their hard landscaping choices at www.marshalls.co.uk/sustainability.
• Development of a new ‘eco-friendly’ concrete block paving (CBP), which has reduced the CO2e* embodiment of the company’s overall CBP portfolio by up to 39%, according to independently approved data.
• Expansion of Priora sustainable urban drainage products, which mimic natural drainage, reducing pollution and flooding in the sewer system and replenishing natural underground water courses.
• Winning the Process Award In the “Business Commitment to the Environment” Awards, for work in recycling and harvesting water at Marshalls Brookfoot and Ramsbottom manufacturing units thereby becoming nearly self sufficient in process water.
• Accreditation with the Wildlife Trust’s Biodiversity Benchmark for Land Management at the Marshalls’ Maltby site, the first ever active manufacturing site in the UK to achieve this benchmark.
• Hosting a series of Sustainability summits, bringing together all members of the hard landscaping supply chain in order to discuss sustainability issues that affect the sector.
• Increased funding for the voluntary organisation, Hadoti Hast Shilp Sansthan, which aims to transform the lives of desperately poor migrant quarry workers in the Rajasthan region of India.
• Continued membership of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), a unique organisation that develops practical solutions to ethical trade that deliver concrete benefits for workers.
• Employment of independent organisations to audit Marshalls’ main Chinese Granite supplier and sole Indian Sandstone supplier for compliance with the ETI Base Code.
• Silver medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2007 fo. ‘The Marshalls Sustainability Garden’, designed to appeal to “conscience consumers” who increasingly put sustainability, climate, ethical and social values at the forefront of purchasing decisions.
• More than 80% of Group production covered by Integrated Management Systems (IMS), incorporating ISO 9000 for quality management, ISO 14001 for Environmental Management and OHSAS 18001 for Safety Management.

Marshalls Sustainability Report 2007 can be downloaded at www.marshalls.co.uk/sustainability.