Environmental Policy

Environmental Commitment

Overall Accreditation

Alsford are a member of Planet Mark, a sustainability certification that verifies and measures carbon and social data to reduce emissions and achieve the UN SDGs. The Planet Mark Business Certification is a recognised symbol of sustainability progress and demonstrates a business’ commitment to measuring and reducing their carbon emissions, ultimately contributing to their environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria.

Alsford have been a member of Planet Mark since 2022, fulfilling our legal obligation to reduce emissions, and in addition to those obligations, proactively taking steps to improve our carbon footprint every year, through the monitoring and reduction of emission sources such as Electricity, Business Travel, Waste and Water.

View our Planet Mark certification.

Purchasing

At Alsford we have a fundamental commitment to ensuring that all timber-based products traded through our business are responsibly sourced.

Our membership of BM TRADA ensures adherence and compliance to a strict set of independently audited guidelines.

For over a decade we have maintained rigorous standards to achieve Chain of Custody certification for both the Forest Stewardship Council®, and Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification.

View our FSC certification FSC® (FSC-CO13153) and our PEFC certification PEFC (PEFC/16-37-020).

Packaging

We are registered with an accredited agent to support us with our obligations under the packaging & waste regulations.

Our ongoing commitment to reduce our impact in this area includes the elimination and reduction of packaging wherever necessary. If we cannot re-use our suppliers packaging in a safe and efficient manner only then will we purchase recycled packaging products for our own use.

Waste Management & Recycling

We monitor and measure our effectiveness across all areas of our branch network to minimise the volume of waste we produce.

Managed by our Head Office and activated throughout our estate, we also proactively move and reuse stock and office goods using our own fleet, to minimise waste.

Pollution

Our commercial fleet is amongst the youngest in the country with the average age of our trucks at 2 years old (as of 2024). All commercial drivers are assessed on a regular basis to check on and improve driving standards with league tables used to assist in improving performances.

Microlise, an industry-leading telematics service is used at Alsford to monitor driving styles i.e. harsh braking, harsh acceleration and vehicle idling. Alsford actively discourage vehicle idling and have introduced a zero-tolerance approach to vehicle idling at all Alsford branches. We have also recently invested in upgrading our telematics system in order to monitor our CO2 output.

Reports are published on a monthly basis informing drivers of their performance. Alsford’s own training assessors hold drivers’ Tool box talks’ which are designed to generate discussion and raise awareness between drivers on various environmental subjects.

From 2024, all new company vehicle purchases are Electric Vehicles, and we have installed an internal network of charging points to support this.

We also utilise a geographic order handover process within our branches, applying a ‘closest service route’ policy amongst our branch network, to ensure we monitor, improve and reduce fuel usage throughout our estate.