Sarah Butcher, Commercial Manager at Welfare Hire, emphasises the significance of taking gradual steps to improve your ESG score and how obtaining official accreditation solidifies Welfare Hire’s position as the most environmentally conscious provider of mobile lighting and welfare unit hire
In recent years, the construction industry has taken significant steps to reduce carbon emissions and prioritise environmental responsibility. Major collaborative initiatives, such as the ‘Zero Diesel Sites Route Map,’ have outlined ambitious plans to eliminate diesel from worksites by 2035. Moreover, an increasing number of sites are opting for eco-friendly welfare units and tower lighting, all contributing to a vital reduction in overall emissions.
The Cost of Inaction
While the impending goal is to protect the environment, businesses must also be mindful of the potential commercial and reputational damage that can arise from delayed action.
There is a growing risk of missing out on government and investment contracts, as net-zero-compliant firms are given preferential treatment. Moreover, taxes on carbon-emitting aspects of the supply chain are on the rise, such as The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) which entered its transitional phase on 1 October 2023. Affecting businesses exporting to the EU, they’ll now need to provide emissions data to those customers and prepare for carbon-related costs starting from 1 January 2026. The CBAM may expand to cover more sectors by 2030, and the UK government is also considering a similar mechanism.
The question no longer revolves around whether business leaders will respond to climate change acceleration, but rather how quickly they can outpace their competitors.
Setting the Standard
ESG, standing for Environmental, Social, and Governance, constitutes a set of standards used to assess a business’s societal and environmental impact, as well as its transparency and accountability. Enhancing your ESG score is a multifaceted endeavour, and even small adjustments can yield significant long-term results.
If you have started your journey to improving your ESG performance, you’ll be familiar with the term, Tier 3 suppliers. Tier 3 suppliers are the source necessary for the tier 2 supplier to deliver the desired product to the tier 1 supplier.
For instance, Welfare Hire supplies Eco-Tower Lighting (Tier 3) to contractors (Tier 2) for the construction of rail infrastructure for Network Rail (Tier 1). Each business has its role in this hierarchical structure, and the contributions of Tier 3 suppliers must be accurately recorded and measured for enhanced environmental consciousness and progress toward net-zero goals.
Welfare Hire’s Sustainable Advantage
Sustainable Advantage, a renowned name in ESG due diligence within the infrastructure, energy, and waste sectors, specialises in carbon handprint reporting and data validation. Their expertise is instrumental in assessing industry vendors’ claims about the carbon emissions of their products.
This has led to their selection as the perfect candidate for independently verifying Welfare Hire’s empirical data and providing an impartial judgment for our partners to rely on.
Michael Warwick, Head of Net Zero at Welfare Hire, shared:
“Sustainable Advantage are pleased to be able to verify Welfare Hire’s carbon handprint. The calculations demonstrate to customers that by choosing Welfare Hire products, significant emissions are saved, resulting in a reduced environmental impact.”
This accreditation is a significant achievement for Welfare Hire, as it lends credibility and value to their data. Welfare Hire stands out as a provider of the most robust and qualified volumetric data in the sector, acquired from real-world information recorded across countless project days.
Sarah Butcher, Commercial Manager at Welfare Hire Nationwide, emphasises the positive impact of this accreditation:
“We believe this accreditation will be a positive moment for the core infrastructure sectors we operate in. The ability to source strategic equipment like mobile welfare units and tower lights with full confidence that they will improve your ESG score should inspire more decisive action towards net zero – which is a core part of our offering.”
The Numbers Speak for Themselves
Welfare Hire offers three distinct types of mobile lighting towers, each delivering substantial improvements in CO2 reduction, fuel efficiency and silent running time compared to their counterparts. The X-EcoHybrid Lithium mobile lighting tower is at the forefront of this technological advancement, featuring the latest in Lithium hybrid technology and ecological sustainability. With six 100W LED lamps, this tower enough illumination for half a football pitch yet is efficient enough to run for 455 hours before needing to be refuelled.
Compared to a standard lighting tower using metal halide lamps, a week’s rental of the X-EcoHybrid Lithium lighting tower leads to fuel savings of 97.3 liters and CO2 savings of 161.98 kg* – a substantial reduction that significantly contributes to an enhanced ESG score for businesses.
Saving Tonnes, Litres, and Pounds
Welfare Hire takes pride in its partnership with National Highways in the ongoing A629 Improvement Scheme. In this £27 million infrastructure project, Welfare Hire played a
pivotal role in addressing unique challenges while aligning with environmental and sustainability objectives. This collaboration resulted in remarkable achievements, with significant reductions in fuel consumption, noise pollution, and carbon emissions.
The data speaks volumes, as National Highways attests, “Using sustainable products that go further with reductions in fuel and emissions is a winner with our local government client. With Welfare Hire, the data on power use is kept so we can fully demonstrate those savings.”
Furthermore, the quality of the lighting has been commended, with teams benefitting from the brightness and the modern welfare facilities provided by Welfare Hire. The Project Manager at National Highways adds:
“The brightness of the lights is impressive, and our teams appreciate the size and quality of Welfare Hire’s modern welfare facilities, so that they can work and rest properly.”
“I’m astonished by the savings we’ve achieved to date. Using the site data to calculate this proves how well the sustainable technology is working, making us more efficient every day.”
Welfare Hire Nationwide, as part of the Kelling Group, upholds five key principles: Quality, Service, Environment, Wellbeing, and Value. The dedication to market-leading equipment, unrivalled support, and eco-conscious solutions positions them as leaders in the field.
Get in Touch Today
If you want more information about our comprehensive range of products, need assistance with a quote, or wish to speak to a member of our team, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
0345 600 6670
Visit our website: https://www.kellinggroup.com/welfare-hire/
*Statistics calculated using Welfare Hire’s Eco Calculator based on 1 weeks hire of X-EcoHybrid Lithium compared to metal halide.
Photo credit: Welfare Hire
