CPA Bulletin

16 CPA Bulletin > November 2022 www.cpa.uk.net CPA CONFERENCE: 5 The final panel session, ‘ESG in Action’ , highlighted practical steps that plant-hirers and suppliers are already taking to meet their obligations and to develop them for the future. The four participants included: Merrill Lynch , Director of L Lynch Plant & Haulage; Peter Beach , Sales & Marketing Director with welfare cabin manufacturer Genquip Groundhog; Rachel Preen , Commercial Director of sustainable lighting manufacturer Prolectric Services; and Huw Longton , Commercial Manager with the European Rental Association (ERA). Merrill Lynch said that his company has pledged to achieve net-zero carbon status by 2040 and will do this by focusing on three areas: the firm’s plant hire fleet, its depots and its supply chain. By 2025, 80 per cent of Lynch’s HGVs will run on HVO or similar diesel alternatives and all its dozers will be able to operate with automated machine control systems. All drivers will be trained in environmentally aware driving practices. In addition, Lynch has an ongoing programme for installing solar panels, rainwater harvesting and recycling facilities at its depots. Interestingly, the company’s suppliers will be expected to embrace similar plans to achieve net-zero status by 2040. Again, working together is key. Merrill cited one example of promoting better on-site working practices through reducing machine idling on a particular highway project. It was found that operators often kept engines running so they could stay warm in cold weather. After talking to the client, it was agreed that more welfare cabins should be installed along the carriageway so that personnel could take breaks, and this saved the annual equivalent of £300,000 in diesel fuel costs. Peter Beach of Genquip Groundhog explained how the company has commissioned the University of Sheffield to create a carbon reduction plan for the business, the first phase of which assessed the embedded carbon in the company’s processes at its factory in Neath. Everyone involved was asked for their input, from the managing director to paint buyers. The carbon footprints of customers, and in turn their own customers, were also explored to determine how they actually use the welfare cabins on sites.