Yorkon achieves environmental accreditation

Award-winning off-site construction specialist, Yorkon, has announced that as part of the Portakabin Group, it has achieved ISO 14001 accreditation – the internationally recognised standard for reducing impact on the environment.

Certification was achieved by the Portakabin Group, which includes Yorkon, following a rigorous independent assessment of the company’s environmental policy, compliance with legislation, control systems and procedures, and targets for further improving environmental performance.

David Johnson, Director and General Manager of Yorkon, said, “Environmental impact is an increasingly important global issue and it is essential that all organisations, particularly in the construction industry, are committed to minimising the effect of their activities on the environment.”

“This accreditation is a powerful tool that allows organisations to focus their environmental efforts on internationally-accepted criteria and promote best practice. It is a proactive solution to improving both environmental performance and enhancing business efficiency.”

“As a business, we are working on many levels to continually improve sustainability. Initiatives include reducing waste in the construction process through off-site manufacturing; increasing the recyclability of waste by employing intelligent design and production methods; the manufacture of buildings which are highly thermally efficient, and the use of new technologies and innovations for ‘greener’ modular buildings.”

Yorkon has also recently launched a series of new design options for ‘greener’ modular buildings, which offer significant environmental benefits, including the use of renewable sources of energy, reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions, and recyclability.

The optional features include solar thermal heating, solar photovoltaics, passive ventilation, combined heat and power systems, ground and air source heat pumps, wind power, green roofs, biomass boilers, and rainwater harvesting. Some of these options have already been used in buildings provided by Yorkon, such as a recent project at Bewdley High School in Worcestershire – believed to be the UK’s most sustainable modular school building.

As part of the Portakabin Group, Yorkon was the first off-site specialist to commit to working towards the Sustainability Charter introduced by the Major Contractors Group and, the Group has worked with the Carbon Trust to reduce the amount of energy used in the manufacturing process.

http://www.yorkon.info/

For further PRESS information, please contact:

Joanne Bridges, Bridges Communications
PRO – Yorkon
Tel: 01489 570898
Fax: 01489 570888
Email: jbridges@bridgescommunications.co.uk

Editor’s Notes

1.If you would be interested in an article about the sustainability benefits of off-site construction, please let us know. We would be happy to discuss your editorial requirements.

2.Modular construction offers a wide range of sustainability advantages, including:
-Less waste - off-site construction generates up to 90 per cent less waste compared to site-based building methods (source: WRAP)
-Reduced energy consumption - up to 67 per cent less energy is required to produce a modular building compared to an equivalent traditionally built project (source: Arup)
-Reduced congestion and carbon emissions - up to 90 per cent fewer vehicle movements to site (source: Mtech)
-Greater thermal efficiency and lower running costs - Yorkon buildings are highly thermally efficient and consistently perform up to 70 per cent better than Building Regulations requirements in full-scale tests for air permeability in line with Part L2A.

3.If you wish to publish a telephone number for further information, the number for Yorkon is 01904 610990. Please do not print the agency’s number.