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VP plc is leading the way in the construction industry when it comes to decarbonisation and setting the standards for a more sustainable future.
The specialist equipment rental supplier comprises a number of businesses including Groundforce Shorco, UK Forks, TPA, Brandon Hire Station, Torrent Trackside, ESS, MEP Hire, Airpac Rentals and TR Group.
Vp recently announced that its efforts and strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a global organisation which aims to drive ambitious climate action across the private sector.
Vp has committed to both short and long-term environmental targets and invested £25 million in greener products in the first half of the 2023-24 financial year alone.
The group has pledged to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions and reduce scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by at least 90% by 2050. More immediately, Vp aims to have all its employees ‘carbon literate’ and have reduced energy consumption intensity by 20% and waste production intensity by 30% by 2025. In the same timeframe, the target is to recycle more than 85% waste, and divert more than 95% waste from landfill.
Vp carries out all calculations in-house, while Groundforce Shorco and TPA have developed carbon calculators for products, which are available for customers to use freely.
Mathew Wood, group risk and sustainability director, is responsible for ensuring the business has a fully-costed transition plan to achieve net zero. He said, “We submitted our science-based targets for emissions reduction in December 2022 and had those validated by the SBTi in November last year. It is our aspiration to have all of our employees and colleagues carbon literate by the end of 2024. That will be a major undertaking. We have around 3,000 employees worldwide.
“(Sustainability) is becoming part of our natural day-to-day language. The SBTi validation is hugely important. It’s like a seal of approval that we have calculated our emissions correctly under the requirements of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. In the next ten years we are obligated under our agreement with the SBTi to reduce emissions by 50%. That is a call to action for our business and also our executive team.”
Mathew added that he has been encouraged by the attitude from the wider construction industry to embrace more sustainable methods. While the sector is a major contributor of emissions, businesses are increasingly focused on improving their sustainability propositions.
Mathew believes there are commercial advantages for firms which embrace greener equipment, though he admits it is difficult to fully realise the cost differential between cleaner hire products.
“Customers sometimes want the cleaner products that we offer but they’re not always willing to pay the premium,” he explained. “We are working on a value proposition and how we can speak to our customers about products which have the best impact on the environment. A lot of our hire fleet is what we call zero emissions at the point of use.”
Recent examples of sustainable product innovation at Vp include solar lighting, solar charging of batteries for cordless tools and equipment, electric forklifts, electric air compressors, and a zero-emissions battery rail disc cutter.
Fred Pilkington, Vp’s sustainability programme manager, believes the business is already reaping the rewards from its measures to reduce its carbon footprint. He explained how Vp receives plenty of guidance from clients including Balfour Beatty, Network Rail and Scottish Water, which they use to improve the company’s sustainability offering.
One area Fred highlighted was the Group’s involvement in conservation and restoration projects around the country.
“We’ve sponsored many projects around the UK where we really try to highlight many of our unique ecosystems such as sand dunes, peat bogs, wildflower meadows, our farmland, and our rivers,” he explained.
“We’ve sponsored a number of reintroduction projects. The first one was beavers in Nottinghamshire (Vp supported Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust’s campaign to enable the introduction of beavers back into the region after a 400-year absence). Then there was the white-tailed eagles in Wales (a programme with the mission to restore the white-tailed eagle back to Wales).
“Most recently we sponsored the re-introduction of bison back into Kent and just before Christmas they welcomed a calf. The last project we’re currently sponsoring is looking at the reintroduction of the lynx into the UK. This may have a profound impact on our deer population, which is a leading cause of stunting woodland regeneration.”
