Sustainability at MKM
At MKM we firmly believe that a business can do good, and also do well. As an employer of over 2,500 people at over 100 sites, and supplying thousands of businesses we have a responsibility to those people and communities. Responsibility to provide meaningful employment, a safe and sustainable environment, and to help local people, trades, towns and cities to develop and thrive.
At MKM we call this ‘Doing the Right Thing’, and we concentrate on four areas: our communities, our team, our customers and our planet. These are underpinned by robust compliance, governance and stewardship. By working in this way, we meet our legal and moral obligations as a business and can be proud to say we are MKM.
Our communities
We really are embedded in our communities, and we support charities, clubs, and community groups in areas where we are based. Many of our branches have developed long term partnerships with organisations in their local area. This has led to the teams there raising money for causes that mean a lot to them, volunteering their time to support projects, donating material to create valuable community resources, and more.
In addition we work with schools and colleges to support pupils to learn about careers opportunities at MKM and in the construction sector. Through careers Q&As in schools, experience days with our partner The Children’s University, work experience opportunities and apprenticeships we’re helping support the employees – and employers - of the future.
Find out more about out what we’re doing on our blog, instagram and facebook.
Our team
Our people are our business and our responsibilities are threefold; we all go home safe, everyone is welcome, and that people have a rewarding and satisfying career.
It is of paramount importance that all employees, customers, visitors and contractors go home safe at the end of the day. To help us do this, we carry out risk assessments to identify any significant hazards and then implement suitable control measures to minimise the risks. We provide the relevant information, instruction, and training to enable our employees to work safely. We also provide adequate resources to help keep people safe and fulfil our legal obligations. We regularly monitor and review our safety management systems through audits, inspections, and meetings, and it is our aim to continually improve our safety performance.
Everyone is welcome at MKM – customers, employees, visitors and contractors - and we aim to give all of our the skills and support to drive the business forward and ensure they are trusted experts in their areas. By doing this we can retain and attract the best teams locally, and deliver the best service to our customers. We aim to inspire and motivate our team to strive for improvement, through empowerment, trust and the freedom to make well informed and measured decisions.
Our customers
We aim to make it easy for our customers to access products and materials that bring reduced environmental impact, and they can run their business sustainably. We will provide relevant training and product information to allow customers to make informed decisions.
Our planet
We are committed to making a difference to our planet, by reducing our impact on the environment through our energy use, carbon emissions and waste, and will cut our carbon emissions by 2035 in line with 1.5 degree targets.
WHAT WE WILL DO:
• We will cut our carbon emissions by 2035 in line with 1.5 degree targets
• We will change our fleet to reduce our Scope I & II emissions, which are mainly from our diesel use
• We will work with suppliers and customers to reduce the emissions from manufacture and use of the products we supply
HOW WE WILL DO THIS:
• Transition our company car fleet from Diesel & Petrol to Electric & Hybrid, with EV charging points in our branches
• Move to Electric Fork Lift Trucks and away from diesel
• Our HGV vehicles will be replaced by alternatives running on renewable fuels, starting with Compressed Natural Gas and adopting new technologies as they become available
• Install Solar PV, Air Source Heat Pumps and LED lighting in all our new branches from 2023
• Retrofit our existing branches with Solar PV, Air source heat pumps and energy saving options like LED lighting
• Ensure our contracted energy supplier uses only green energy
• Offset any remaining scope I & II emissions delivering net zero by 2035
• Reduce our waste, using landfill as a last resort; reducing overall consumption and improving what we reuse and recycle.
• Support our branches to provide the information, training and facilities needed to improve environmental performance
• Identify, communicate and promote products that have lower environmental impact, supporting our customers to make positive choices
• Work with our suppliers to improve environmental impacts in our supply chain, through timber sourcing and chain of custody, reducing single use packaging, and improving water and energy use
• Utilise relevant systems and procedures to ensure we comply with all appropriate legislation
• Raise the levels of environmental awareness and programme participation across the whole business
We are proud to have been accepted as one of the Construction Leadership Council’s Co2nstructzero business champions, and we’re passionate about working with the whole construction sector to tackle climate change.
Strong governance
These areas are all underpinned by strong governance and industry collaboration:
- Adhere to Chain of Custody procedures on timber materials, to meet the Government and Central Point of Expertise in Timber policy and guidelines.
- Continued membership and adherence to the Timber Trade Federation code of conduct for timber procurement.
- Continue our membership of the Builders' Merchants Federation, and to subscribe to their Codes of Practice.
- We commit to all marketing, advertising and customer communications being legally compliant, informative and straightforward.
- Risk management & mitigation, Health & Safety