Bradfords Building Supplies held a training day for its sustainability champions at the National Self Build and Renovation Centre (NSBRC) in Swindon, on 29th March.
The team received an update on the implications of the forthcoming Building Regulations Part L uplift and the Government’s Future Homes Standard, courtesy of Xtratherm. This was followed by workshops looking at how to encourage more of the Bradfords team onto the environmental sustainability journey, and researching products at the NSBRC that solve environmental challenges.
Ehron Keast, Sustainability Champion and a recently graduated apprentice at Bradfords’ Seaton branch, said: “I really want to be able to help our customers when it comes to building more sustainably, so a day like this is invaluable.”
Lynda Moore, Head of Talent and Development at Bradfords, who helped to run the session, commented: “We know we’ve got to be ready for what’s coming down the line when it comes to environmental sustainability, so this is an important new aspect to the training and development we offer at Bradfords to ensure that we’re ready as a business, and to be able to provide the service we need to for our customers.”
Giles Bradford, Head of Sustainability, who has been the driver in setting up the Sustainability Champions initiative, concluded: “We know that we can’t expect all 900 of our team on jump on this journey at once, so this initiative serves the purpose of developing the advocates from within.
“They are aware of the role that we are priming them for – not just taking the messages to their colleagues, but also in becoming the go-to at their respective branches when enquiries are made by our customers.
“It’s a huge topic, and of course there are new solutions – both brand new products and improvements to existing building materials – all the time. Our Sustainability Champions programme is a key mechanism for highlighting these to the business.”
Bradfords’ Sustainability Champions initiative is part of a wider engagement programme the South West-based builders’ merchant is running to help people understand what building sustainably entails.
