At Hertfordshire Building Control, we are committed to reducing the impact of our activities on the environment, providing our clients with an understanding of how they too can do so in their building projects, and leading our organisation in a way that values our people and benefits the local community.
These are the principles that drive our sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy, and we are all deeply supportive of them – from the boardroom, to the back office, to the surveyors and controllers operating on site.
Here’s how we’re turning that strategy into action to deliver an accessible, knowledgeable, flexible service that also achieves sustainable, people-centred outcomes.
We’re leading by example
We’re determined to reduce waste, fossil fuel use, and carbon emissions within our own organisation and operations. Here are just a few of the initiatives we’ve put in place to ensure we practise what we preach.
Reuse, repurpose, revalue
Take hard hats, for example. Each hat has an expiry date, but rather than simply throwing the expired items away, we have them broken up into component parts and shredded into tiny 10mm flakes. The flakes are then separated according to their polymer type and washed, dried, melted, and filtered. The end result is pellets that are reused in manufacturing.
Achieve recognised environmental standards
Our ISO14001 environmental compliance certification covers critical elements including responsible procurement, more efficient use of resources, and reduction of waste. Additionally, our ISO9001 (quality) certification demonstrates that sustainability at Hertfordshire Building Control is championed by top management, with a focus on customers and on continual improvement.
Cut fossil fuel use and pollution
Our company car scheme is a salary sacrifice programme that enables our surveyors and all other employees to cost-effectively switch to electric vehicles, reducing fossil fuel consumption on both site visits and the daily commute, and contributing to cleaner air.
Recycle locally
Recycling waste is critical, but doing it many miles away swells its carbon footprint. At Hertfordshire Building Control, we recycle our waste through a local company that also handles our shredding.
Make buildings smarter
Our offices are fitted with energy-saving technologies including sensor lighting, fresh air ventilation, and insulation, to minimise energy use for both heating and cooling.
We’re giving back
Our people, our clients, and our communities give us our licence to operate – so they deserve our help, support, and expertise in return.
Annual Charity Partner
Each year, we select one charitable organisation to be our primary focus, ensuring the chosen organisation resonates with our team. In 2024, we are proudly supporting Herts Young Homeless, a charity dedicated to assisting homeless youth in our local Hertfordshire region.
Employee Volunteering
In addition to our annual charity partnership, we encourage our employees to make a difference through volunteering. Every staff member receives two paid volunteer days each year to spend supporting causes important to them. Popular initiatives include helping with child and youth organisations, and skilled pro-bono consulting for nonprofits.
Nurturing young people
We have committed to, and successfully put in place, apprenticeships and earn-and-learn schemes to support young people into an inspiring career with genuine prospects. We also invest continually in staff development across all our employees, and have achieved Gold accreditation from The 5% Club, which recognises employers’ outstanding contributions to a socially mobile, prosperous, and cohesive nation.
Educating the public
Through our marketing, social media, and online strategy, we use our experience to engage with local people and businesses, providing them with sustainability and safety learning for their building projects. We offer guidance on choosing and engaging a building control service. We are proud to be a modern, approachable organisation that is ready to help all those who are grappling with building regulations in a time of considerable change.
Empowering homeowners
We’re all about helping people make informed choices about their homes and building works, to make both more sustainable. From our Homeowners’ Guide and Green Home Guide, to funding options for sustainable projects and EV charging point maps in the local area, to Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Front Door resources around retrofitting, renovating, and improving homes for energy efficiency – we connect local people to advice that helps them do the right thing.
Want to learn more?
Sustainability and ESG are too important not to talk about, so if you’d like to learn more about what we’re doing to support compliant building practices please read our article on The Future Homes Standard