How to spot a sustainable manufacturing partner

As the deadline for the government’s 2050 net-zero target draws closer,

Lara Coutinho, sustainability programme manager at ERA, discusses how fabricators can identify manufacturers that are taking steps to create a sustainable supply chain.

Powering Up Britain’ – a government proposal plan released in March 2023, outlines the strategy for achieving its net-zero commitments by 2050. The proposal details plans to decarbonise all UK industries ready for this crucial date.

For the fenestration industry, achieving these ambitious plans requires a collaborative approach between manufacturers and fabricators.

It is vital that window and door manufacturers work with reputable companies that are already thinking ahead and taking a proactive approach when it comes to sustainability. Here are some of the factors to consider when entering partnerships with manufacturers across the industry:

Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)

The SBTi aligns with the requirements of the Paris Agreement 2015. This agreement has seen world governments commit to the reduction of the global temperature to below 2°C whilst working towards limiting warming to 1.5°C.

The SBTi validates companies with science-based targets centred around the latest climate science, to support the reduction of greenhouse emissions, in line with the goals set out by the agreement; in a bid to prevent the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.

Fabricators that work with manufacturers that have signed up to the SBTi can be confident that they are taking their commitments seriously. Looking out for manufacturers that are amending their operations in accordance with the scopes, set out by the Green House Gas Protocol 2001, is a great start.

The scopes, consisting of 1, 2, and 3 are the basis for mandatory greenhouse gas reporting; categorising the different carbon emissions a company and its wider supply chain creates.

• Scope 1 – greenhouse gas emissions that a company creates directly (from combustion of fossil fuels such as natural gas, diesel and petrol).
• Scope 2 – emissions that a business makes indirectly (such as purchased electricity).
• Scope 3 – all emissions that an organisation uses indirectly throughout its value chain (upstream in the supply chain and downstream in logistics, use and disposal).

Tyman, ERA’s parent company, has had its targets validated by SBTi to reduce absolute scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions 46.2% by 2030 from a 2019 base year and reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services by 27.5% within the same timeframe.

Sustainable development goals

Fabricators can also seek out manufacturers that are working towards sustainability strategies in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Implemented in 2015, the SDGs are 17 objectives outlined by the UN to provide a blueprint on how to achieve ‘peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future’ and are underpinned by 169 separate targets.

As referenced, businesses aligning their goals with these objectives are demonstrating a serious commitment to improving the planet’s prospects. Again, fabricators partnering with such companies can expect support in transforming their own operations and gain peace of mind that they are working with companies that are putting sustainability first.

In Tyman’s 2022 Annual Report, the Group sets out its growth strategy by confirming that its Sustainability Roadmap to 2030 prioritises three SDGs, including Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11), and Climate Action (SDG 13).

As consumers become more concerned with the state of the environment, they are looking to make purchases from companies that are doing their bit to support meaningful change. Therefore, they look favourably upon businesses that are making significant improvements in this space.

Not only this but with the science pointing towards detrimental, irreversible damage to the planet should industries fail to act, it certainly is the right thing to do by everyone.