Bovis to use timber as sustainability model

Bovis Lend Lease plans to use its timber procurement policy as a model for achieving sustainability standards with other construction materials, including stone and cement.

The construction company has announced a series of targets for its business operations that it says “will make a positive impact on the environment”.

This includes sustainable purchasing, reducing waste, enhancing carbon management, ensuring design standards and providing employment opportunities.

Only using Forest Stewardship Council-certified timber has already moved Bovis towards sustainable purchasing, according to the company, which has been supplemented by specialist guidance, training and monitoring systems.

“[We] see this as a model for how it can tackle other key materials such as stone and cement,” said the company.

Dr Paul Toyne, head of sustainability at Bovis, added that sustainability “is now one of the guiding principles of the business” and that it would help shape its future.

“We must all improve our performance and help restore the state of the planet. The announcement of these targets is the start of that journey for us,” he said.