Weston Group has committed to achieving net zero carbon across the business for all three greenhouse gas emission scopes by 2040, including all of the energy that the group uses and the carbon it emits.
In its new Sustainability Statement and Report, the Group, which includes volume housebuilder Weston Homes, Weston Business Centres and offsite construction firm British Offsite, says that this 2040 commitment to net zero emissions is both within the business – at its Stansted headquarters, Essex build-offsite factories and on its development sites and other premises across London and the South East.
As part of this ongoing commitment to sustainability, Weston Group is investing in upgrading its head office and company car fleet so that it is more environmentally sustainable, expanding its offsite construction capabilities with a new MMC factory in Braintree and rolling out eco-friendly construction and specification features across the group's residential and mixed-use developments.
Bob Weston, chairman and managing director of Weston Group, said: "For over three decades we have continually striven to produce innovative, high-quality homes to appeal to purchasers from all walks of life. There is now a strong "green premium" from homebuyers, who are increasingly aware of the importance of environmental sustainability and also want energy efficient homes which are designed to help minimise their fuel bills and running costs. This is why Weston Group is committed to combining traditional building skills with the very latest technologies in an ongoing desire to support sustainable living."
Sustainability is a key focus for the Weston Group and all developments are designed with a range of eco-credentials and built under a 'Fabric First' policy and constructed using elements of British Offsite's UNIpanel system.
Other sustainable design features include biodiverse roofs and brown roofs, ground and podium landscaped areas to maximise green open space and planting, PV panels and electric vehicle charging points.
With the government ban on gas boiler installation due to start in 2025, Weston Group acted early and took the decision 18 months ago not to install individual gas boilers at all new schemes, to ensure that the business stays ahead of the curve on sustainability issues.
To support the energy needs of its headquarters in Stansted, Weston Group has installed 717 solar panels, which will make a substantial contribution (25%) to the electricity generation and usage of the complex.
Weston Group is shifting the group's company car fleet to become fully electric. Now 90% through this changeover, every member of the Group Board and most of the wider business employees are now driving electric vehicles. Once completed, there will be over 150 electric cars in the corporate fleet. To power the electric fleet, Weston Group has built an additional 127 new electric vehicle parking bays with electric charging points in the HQ parking facility, providing almost 200 in total.
