Marley Eternit Sustainability Showcase

Marley Eternit has been at the forefront of environmentally responsible manufacturing and working processes from the early 1990s. The company has taken practical steps that help it and others in the industry to be as environmentally responsible as possible. Marley Eternit has a number of management systems and processes in place to help it achieve this.

Sustainability policy
The Board of Marley Eternit is fully committed to meeting customer requirements with regards to product and service quality, whilst recognising the impact the company’s activities can have upon the environment. The company manages all activities to minimise the impact by adopting good sustainable practice. Marley Eternit is the first UK roofing manufacturer to commit to signing the Sustainability Charter, launched by the British Precast Concrete Federation (BPCF).

A leading player within the BPCF for over decade now, Marley Eternit was instrumental in setting up and chairing the BPCF Environmental Committee in the mid-1990s. Marley Eternit’s commitment to the Sustainability Charter further demonstrates commitment to ensuring that the company’s processes and products continue to lead the way with regards to Environmental Best Practice.

Marley Eternit is constantly striving to reduce energy usage within its own organisation and throughout its manufacturing processes. To help successfully reduce its carbon footprint, Marley Eternit is actively working with the Carbon Trust to develop a Carbon Strategy. The use of energy is vital in the manufacture of Marley Eternit’s products and represents the company’s most significant source of carbon emissions. Marley Eternit will reduce these by first eliminating energy waste, then investing in equipment and processes to drive down further specific carbon emissions and using
renewable energy, when appropriate.

Environmental assessment
A number of standards have now been accepted as measures of environmental performance. Marley Eternit is committed to manufacturing sustainable building products and was the first in the industry to have its Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data independently verified by the BRE.

Partnerships
Marley Eternit actively engages in partnerships with key organisations to promote environmental awareness, share best practice and to support its local communities in terms of environmental initiatives. These organisations include Building Research Establishment (BRE), Staffordshire Business Environment Network, Carbon Trust, British Precast Concrete Federation, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and Midlands Environmental Business Company.

Reducing waste
Wherever possible, all Marley Eternit’s sites reduce, re-use or recycle waste, rather than send it to landfill. Marley Eternit has even installed waste-to-energy power plants at two of its factories, converting all sorts of waste, from cement bags to irreparably damaged timber pallets, to heat. Additionally, at the end of their life, Marley Eternit tiles and slates can be recycled and used as aggregate in other concrete products.

Saving energy
As well as producing heat from waste, Marley Eternit is always aiming to reduce the overall amount of energy its factories consume. Electricity, gas, oil and water consumption is measured and compared across its factories. The monthly data helps Marley Eternit to identify where improvements can be made. On one site, the company even uses methane produced by a local landfill to generate heat that cures tiles and warms the workplace.

Cutting pollution
Marley Eternit’s products provide no direct risk of pollution to either the air or water. Stable and inert waste products can either be reused, recycled or where that is not possible, used as bulk material for landscaping etc.

On the roads
Marley Eternit’s transport division uses eco-friendly, low-emission and fuel-efficient trucks that are regularly serviced. The company also makes sure that there is a return load for every trip where possible, to optimize vehicle usage.

Carrying out supplies appraisals
Marley Eternit makes sure that its supply chain is as environmentally responsible as possible.

QA
Marley Eternit operates Quality, Health and Safety and Environmental management systems including ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 18001

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