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Voluntary Agreements

The opportunities for voluntary agreements are almost unlimited, with government agencies, NGOs, charities and local communities increasingly aware that there is much to be gained from working together.

In the UK Hanson, a leading member of the British Quarry Products Association, is committed to the principle that working in partnership with local communities and other key stakeholders is the most productive way of running a business and of delivering tangible benefits to society.

In the UK, Hanson has already forged close links with organizations such as The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Council for the National Parks, The Wildlife Trusts, the Royal Society for Nature Conservation, The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, and the British Trust for Ornithology.

WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

Groundbreaking agreements have already been entered into with two statutory conservation bodies: English Nature and The Countryside Council for Wales.

Hanson signed its first Memorandum of Understanding with English Nature in February 2000, committing both organizations to working together to bring real benefits to nature conservation. It has also improved working relationships considerably, reducing areas of potential conflict through better understanding of each other's interests.

The agreement is also bringing benefit to over 40 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in England in which the company has a controlling management interest. Hanson is working closely with English Nature to achieve the objective of maintaining the company's SSSIs to the highest level of conservation status.

As part of the company's on-going review of its environmental performance in 2002, Hanson have updated this agreement with English Nature and entered into a similar one with the Countryside Council for Wales. Under these new agreements, the company has also committed to publishing a company Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) by the end of 2003, and a Geodiversity Action Plan (GAP) by the end of 2004.

These action plans will provide a structured approach to developing and managing both the nature conservation resource and geological resource of its landholding. The action plans will be closely linked to the company's local community and education programs.

On signing the new agreement with the Countryside Council for Wales, Hanson PLC chairman, Chris Collins, said: “Although Hanson already has a good track record on community and environmental issues, we believe that partnership agreements are the way forward. This agreement will, I am convinced, improve working relationships, open up new opportunities for conservation, and reduce areas of potential conflict. Our teams of specialist staff - including landscape architects, geologists, forestry officers and an ecologist - will respond positively to this new challenge.”

The agreements cover all its UK divisions, including Hanson Aggregates Marine's offshore dredging operations.

WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NGOs

In another partnership success story, Hanson is working with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) to create the largest man-made reed bed in the UK. To be situated at the company's Needingworth Quarry in Cambridge, the project will deliver 40% of the UK Government's biodiversity target for this type of habitat.

The progressive restoration of some 700 hectares of land after sand and gravel extraction is expected to take at least 25 years. The new landscape will compliment the nearby Ouse Washes and provide valuable habitat for threatened birds such as the bitten, which have been reduced in number in the UK to around 13 booming males.

The original feasibility study for this project involved Cambridgeshire County Council, English Nature, the Wildlife Trust, the Countryside Commission, the Environment Agency and the RSPB. All organizations rose to the challenge of this project and worked closely together to realize this nationally important contribution to biodiversity.

Another successful relationship has been developed with the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Hanson having become the main sponsor for its 'Business Bird Challenge'. This annual competition seeks to encourage companies to increase the diversity of birds on their sites and to record these using members of the public with suitable knowledge.

The challenge attracted entries from more than 100 sites in 2002, with participation from a wide range of industries including aggregates, water and power.

Chris Collins said of the competition: “There is a natural link between the BTO challenge and the way we restore our sites. It is an exciting way to demonstrate that careful restoration can have a significant benefit to wildlife and is another excellent example of industry and conservationists working hand in hand.”

introduction | codes of conduct | social audits | socially responsible investment | health & safety | managing environmental impacts | community involvement | environmental auditing | voluntary agreements | reporting