How could we better accelerate sustainable built environments as a whole?

Christian Mabey, Managing Director

#BuildingTheTransition

This week is World Green Building Week (WGBW). WGBW 2024’s theme is #BuildingTheTransition. For many of us working in the built environment sector around the world, this is part of an ongoing conversation. And in the conversations we have, what is practical and what is quantifiable in terms of change is a core focus.

Specifically, the World Green Building Council (WGBC) has highlighted a regenerative and just approach for a better future, along with a focus on both energy reduction and decarbonisation. This year’s campaign has focused on three steps for Building the Transition: Reduce, Electrify, Adapt.

We support the transition to Net Zero as a core sustainability goal, and an understanding of the broader impacts we make, such as ensuring our interactions with the whole supply chain are fair and just, as also critical to a sustainable approach. 

Protecting Biodiversity

At Optima Systems we see it as our responsibility as an employer, manufacturer and supplier of product solutions to consider a sustainable approach in a holistic way and take practical steps ourselves in all our operations, as well as in the solutions we provide to our customers. 

With this in mind, we have been looking at the importance of our impact on biodiversity too, a topic which is also rising up the agenda in the sustainable built environment sector. 

To better understand this we have collaborated with Tunley Environmental to examine our Supply Chain Biodiversity Footprint (SCBF). Having completed initial biodiversity assessments for our manufacturing site in Radstock, UK, we are monitoring local wildlife in order to help protect the environment around our facility. 

The SCBF assessment helps us see how our activities affect biodiversity and shows how a company can have a measurable impact on nature. The assessment evaluates the implications of sourcing raw materials, production processes, transportation, and other supply chain activities on biodiversity.

Quantifying our supply chain impact on biodiversity helps us make informed decisions and take responsible action towards preserving and even enhancing the natural environment. We see this as another step in our sustainability journey, and to augmenting and accelerating a better and sustainable built environment.

Take a look at this video to see how we have been collaborating with consultants Tunley Environmental on this and our SCFB initiative.