Introduction
Bellway is a large national housebuilder with divisional offices throughout Great Britain.
‘Better with Bellway’ is our sustainable approach to our business practices, it isn’t just an add-on, it is a key part of our strategy for putting people and the planet first. Through our eight priorities, we’ll deliver better homes, communities and help to protect the environment
In line with Better with Bellway we have developed our Sustainable Procurement Policy to further minimise the social, environmental and economic impact that our activities have on our surroundings. We strive to have a Sustainable Supply Chain and aim to source all products and services in an ethical, sustainable and socially conscious way.
This is in addition to our Group Environmental Policy.
Suppliers
All suppliers have to ensure compliance to all mandatory legislation for their own activities and those of their supply chain.
All suppliers must have a Health and Safety Policy and management system pertinent to the operations they are engaged in.
We would expect our suppliers to operate a suitable Environmental Policy for their activities.
All suppliers will be assessed on their suitability to supply the Bellway Group by means of a managed supplier assessment procedure.
We will not engage in any business practices that may be considered corrupt or unethical or to be considered as any form of bribery.
Procurement of Timber
Bellway will ensure that all wood products used by the company in the house building process and in our general activities originate from verified well managed forests.
We specify in purchase orders and contracts that suppliers must provide evidence that timber and timber products have been lawfully obtained from forests or plantations that are sustainably managed. Acceptable evidence can include Category A third party independent certification schemes such as Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).
The following considerations should guide purchasing:
General Materials
Suppliers must not supply any materials that have been obtained or manufactured from an unauthorised or illegal source – including but not limited to timber products (as detailed above) and materials such as aggregates extracted from the ground.
Where practicable we will look at minimising the travel distance of materials from source to site through the supply chain.
Where possible, suppliers should aim for BES 6001 (responsible sourcing) certification.
Hazardous or Toxic Materials
We will specify and use natural non-toxic materials where feasible.
All hazardous or toxic materials will be identified via our supply chain, and we will ensure they comply with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH).
All potentially hazardous or toxic materials will also be disposed of in compliance with current regulations by competent organisations.
Plastic, Recycled Materials and Reduction of Waste Produced
Through our supply chains we will look to minimise waste and minimise single use plastics and explore options to reduce the reliance on single use pallets.
Bellway will recycle and re-use materials wherever possible – including but not limited to brick and block inert rubble and aggregates to be retained and reused on site.
We will aim to minimise any ecological damage to our surroundings and minimise the use of water.
We ask that our supply chain assists in minimising waste and single use plastics by –
Modern Slavery, Discrimination, Working Hours, Age and Benefits
We expect all suppliers to either adopt our Modern Slavery Policy and/or provide a satisfactory policy of their own.
We expect our supply chain to carry out due diligence for Modern Slavery further down the supply chain, for example audits at Tier 2 suppliers.
We insist all of our suppliers comply with all relevant labour related legislations in the countries that they operate, including but not limited to age, working hours, rates of pay and benefits.
We operate an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy and expect our supply chain to do the same.
Compliance with the above are also included within our supplier assessment process.
Supply Chain Sustainability School
Bellway is a member of the Supply Chain Sustainability School (SCSS), and we require all suppliers to sign up to the scheme so they too can have access to the range of training and resources on offer, to help their businesses become more sustainable.
Bellway will be rolling out SCSS modules to our Procurement teams, as part of our commitment to lifelong learning and continual improvement.
Renewable Technologies
At Bellway, we recognise that climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time. We are committed to reducing our own emissions through the setting of science-based targets (SBTs) and we will play a full and active role within the industry to drive innovation around carbon reduction.
We would like to encourage our Supply Chain partners to reduce theirs and specifically target the following areas –
Summary of Supplier’s Targets and Actions
In summary actions for Bellway’s supply chain are detailed below –
