Oakwood Builders & Joinery Ltd Environmental Policy 2008

As a construction and joinery company with 45 years' experience, Oakwood Builders & Joinery Ltd are known for our wide range of specialist skills that incorporate the experienced handling of all aspects of the trade from bespoke joinery to large building refurbishment and renovation projects. In addition to this, it has been our aim, to enhance this service with an emphasis on developing and promoting eco-friendly & energy-saving products and practices and renewable forms of energy.

We recognise that our operations have an effect on the local, regional and global environment. As a consequence of this, we are committed to continuous improvements in minimising any negative impact on the environment.

Environmental regulations, laws and codes of practice will be regarded as setting our minimum standards.

Employee involvement in environmental matters is encouraged at all levels and is promoted through training, communications and a constant reappraisal of working methods and techniques.

In particular we will:

Recycle and re-use construction materials and waste

Where possible, all materials taken from a construction site are either stored and re-used or taken to the Grundons site for recycling. For example, paints that can be used by Oxford Women’s Training Scheme are donated for the Painting and Decorating students’ practice. Bricks, slates, fixtures and fittings are saved where possible and stored for later use or sold.

Recycle waste products for fuel

Oakwood have established our own bio-diesel manufacturing operation to provide fuel for the company’s vehicle fleet.

At our yard, we have now installed a wood pellet boiler to provide heating and hot water for our offices and joinery workshop. The wood pellets are processed from waste sawdust from the joinery, serving the double purpose of eliminating the need to dispose of a waste product, while providing a renewable source of energy. We are also in the process of installing equipment to process other waste timber from the joinery and from our various sites into sawdust which can again be pelletised or made into sawdust briquettes for resale. This equipment is fully portable and can be set up at the yard or on site, greatly reducing our transport requirements for waste timber. We plan to extend this process in order to offer this service to other contractors who wish to reduce their carbon footprint and make savings on both the cost of waste disposal and energy supply.

Research and promote ecologically friendly construction techniques

We are submitting plans to build a number of business and residential buildings on neighbouring land using ecologically friendly techniques such as timber framed construction. We have already completed several projects in lightweight airtight (Canadian Super E) timber frame construction.

Research and promote new ecologically friendly construction materials

We are committed to searching for and promoting products derived from waste products and/or to reuse materials where we can. For example, we have begun to promote roofing slates made from old car tyres. They make a very good substitute for real slates, both in look and durability, use up difficult-to-dispose waste materials, and take away the need to dig for more slate.

We have also conducted trials to test the qualities and performance of a range of eco-paints, so that we can reliably recommend these to our clients.

In addition, we are carrying out trials of different types of insulation materials and methods to monitor performance and embodied energy costs.

Source and utilise only certified timbers in construction work and FSC certified timbers in the Joinery.

In the Joinery we were one of the first construction companies to commit to using only credible independently certified ‘sustainable’ timber. We are laying plans to gain Chain of Custody Certification, which guarantees that timber supplied to our clients has been handled separately from other kinds of timber throughout the supply chain. This in turn will give us the right to stamp all our joinery products with the FSC logo. The FSC aim is to provide a single, credible label for timber and forest products of all kinds, to promote good forest management and help it to be rewarded in the marketplace.

For Oakwood Builders, the commitment to use all FSC timbers is still a bigger challenge than we are able to take on. The minimum standard that will be used is “Verified” timber where the logging companies are working towards FSC certification. This is particularly relevant for African species of hardwoods.

However, we will ensure that timber is FSC certified wherever possible and use other independently certified timbers to make up the difference. We will not use timbers that have no reasonable evidence of their source.

Promote, Research and Use wherever possible, Energy-Efficient products and sources of Energy.

We have sourced supplies of 2nd generation mercury-free low energy LED lighting, which we are introducing to our customers and implementing at our office and workshop.

We have set up trials of 3 wind turbines at our offices in Oakley Wood, where we can generate energy from wind speeds as low as 2 km per hour. This energy is stored in batteries and used to power office lighting and equipment.

Be an active member of environmentally concerned groups

In order to ensure that we are well informed of the latest developments in ecologically friendly methods of operating, Oakwood Builders and Joinery Ltd is a member of a number of environmentally concerned groups:

We are also active with other groups for sustainable development, including:


 
Old Icknield Way, Benson, Oxfordshire, OX10 6PW | Tel: 01491 836440 | Fax: 01491 826020