Corporate social responsibility

Donated to charity

Donated to charity in 2023

Community Projects

Hours supporting community projects

Our responsibilities

We take our responsibilities towards our people, our customers, the communities in which we work and the environment seriously. The 3Ps – People, Planet, Prosperity – make up our sustainability framework and set out our vision for the future.

Follow this link to read more about the 3Ps.

Health and safety

The health and safety of those who work on our projects is our priority. Within the 3Ps, under People, one of our objectives is to ensure everyone returns home safe which is why we’re committed to providing a safe working environment, whether it’s on site on in the office. Our high standards of health and safety are recognised by Achilles Building Confidence and certification to ISO 45001:2018 Health & Safety Management Systems.

Environment

Our aim is to conduct business in an environmentally responsible way. We continually look at ways to minimise any negative impact our activities may have on the environment, managing our carbon footprint as well as embracing lifecycle thinking. In 2016 we became one of the first groundworks and civil engineering companies in the UK to transition to ISO 14001:2015, the newly revised international standard for Environmental Management Systems.

Quality

In 2016 we became one of the first groundworks and civil engineering companies in the UK to transition to ISO 9001:2015, the newly revised international standard for Quality Management Systems. We adopt continuous improvement principles for all aspects of our business including lean thinking, customer collaboration, waste elimination, and project management techniques.

Energy

We are committed to improving our energy performance and have ISO 50001:2011 Energy Management Systems certification. Our net zero target is 2030.

During 2016 our carbon footprint was mapped as part of the Carbon Trust Standard for Supply Chain in collaboration with Willmott Dixon. This exercise provided us with a baseline energy review which we are using to prioritise energy improvement objectives going forward.

Training and development

We value our people that’s why we invest in training and development to ensure they’re the best at what they do. As a Chartered Building Company, we have a Training Partnership with the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB.)

Our minimum training requirements are aligned with Build UK standards for all roles and are often higher than industry requirements. We also have a robust annual review process which provides staff an opportunity to discuss progress and future goals.

Sustainability

Our 3Ps sustainability framework is a natural progression from our management system implementation and ISO certifications. This framework highlights our commitment to each of these areas.

We work closely with our customers to support their environmental initiatives such as sourcing local labour and materials. This includes commitments to partnering with suppliers, innovation, and the purchase and use of environmentally friendly materials.

Community

We are committed to adding social value to our communities by supporting our customers’ projects or through projects of our own. In 2017 we transformed several gardens, volunteered with a local organisation, donated items to help the homeless, held a cake sale and supported a local food bank.

Equal opportunities

With our guiding principle of integrity, we endeavour to eliminate discrimination of any sort and actively promote diversity in the workplace in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. Our objective is to ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and otherwise treated soley on the basis of their relevant aptitudes, skills and abilities.

Modern slavery

We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships to ensure that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking taking place in our supply chains or in any part of our business. Click here to read our Modern Slavery Statement.

We worked with our customer Jaguar Land Rover to transform the garden at The Greenhouse Multi-Cultural Play and Arts Project in Liverpool.

Debbie from The Greenhouse Project said, “Our garden now provides a fantastic new play environment where over a 100 children each week experience new learning opportunities, create new friendships and most importantly of all, have fun. This amazing transformation was made possible by the hard work of McDermotts staff who really went above and beyond what we had hoped for.