Report finds Supply Chain Sustainability School Continues to Positively Impact a Sustainable UK Built Environment

Action Sustainability is the expert delivery team behind the Supply Chain Sustainability School – a multi-award-winning initiative which represents a common approach to addressing sustainability within built environment supply chains.

Today, we released our 2023 Impact Report, which surveyed over one thousand of our members across the country to get their thoughts on what is important to their organisation and supply chain, plus find out how the School has continued to positively impact their organisation and supply chain, through the School’s free practical learning and support.

The past few years have been challenging for the built environment industry; the pandemic made for a very unsure time, closely followed by the global economic downturn putting pressures on the industry with material shortages and steep rises in costs. However, sustainability remains firmly at the top of the agenda worldwide, meaning more opportunities for the School to continue to grow and widen its impact.

Reflecting this, the Supply Chain Sustainability School’s engagement figures are up significantly, with 24,160 (+44%) individuals from 5,503 companies (+30%) actively learning through the School. This has driven a 35% increase in resource views compared to the previous year. At the same time, quality ratings for the training received by the members remain very high, with 95% rating the training by Action Sustainability consultants as good or excellent.

Shaun McCarthy OBE, Chair of the Supply Chain Sustainability School, commented: “It’s been another brilliant year for the School and we are thrilled to have over 24,000 individuals training through our learning platform. However, we recognise that there is still a way to go to achieve our vision of an industry where everyone will have the skills and knowledge to deliver a sustainable future. To achieve mass impact, technology will be a key focus moving forward. It is our hope that this additional technological investment and expertise will not only support the School’s growth, but ensure it is armed for arising opportunities so we can continue to provide membership with accessible and credible learning.”

Organisations are becoming increasingly interested in understanding sustainability and embedding more sustainable practices. Many members have identified the School as a powerful tool to help them do this. Almost three-quarters of members (73%) reported that the School has helped them to better understand their organisation’s sustainability impacts. The School has also helped 65% of members improve their understanding of modern slavery, and 54% to increase their understanding of Fairness, Inclusion and Respect.

Members also shared how the School has helped them to improve their sustainability impacts. This includes reductions in carbon emissions (52% of members) and total waste (50%), as well as increased community engagement (57%) and apprentice numbers (50%). Read the full report here.

Julia Barrett, Chief Sustainability Officer at Willmott Dixon, commented: “The School continues to drive massive change for the industry by providing free virtual learning across a huge range of subjects. This year once again, it’s proven that through collaboration the industry can thrive. To increase our sustainability impacts further, we would love more members to register and learn through School, and more Partners to work with us to identify key issues and share new ideas.”

The School is delivered by Action Sustainability and part-funded by CITB and industry Partners, with over 190 Partners leading the direction of the School. Working in collaboration, Partners share knowledge and free resources to inspire the UK built environment to drive positive change.

Last year, the School and our team at Action Sustainability were awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development in recognition of the significant environmental, social and economic benefits we have delivered.

If you are working or aspire to work within the built environment industry, sign up for the Supply Chain Sustainability School for FREE this spring. You will benefit from over 400 free training sessions, tailored assessments with action plans and a library of over 3,300 online resources.

Sign up here: https://www.supplychainschool.co.uk/about/membership/