A LOCAL building and construction firm has been recognised for being environmentally-friendly.

Arque, based at Upton Pyne, is one of the first small or medium sized businesses in its sector to gain the internationally recognised ISO14001 accreditation.

The firm has had to make wide-ranging changes to its operations to achieve the accreditation.

During the last 12 months the business has been looking at ways to reduce its environmental impact.

Arque was advised by the charity Global Action Plan during its environmental review, which ended with an audit by an inspector from the Centre for Assessment.

Bernard Keogh, managing director, said: "We have had to look at all our operations and write new systems for doing things in a more environmentally friendly way.

"We are one of the few contractors of our size to receive ISO14001 accreditation, so we are delighted with the news.

"It reflects a lot of hard work and helps to keep us ahead of our competitors. More importantly, it has raised the environmental awareness of all of our people and we have seen real savings in waste and energy use."

Around half the measures adopted have the added bonus of saving money, giving the company an added incentive to stick to its green rules.

As well as taking care to use products and equipment which cause the least environmental impact, Arque says it will also be encouraging its clients, subcontractors and suppliers to use sustainable materials and minimise waste.

Mr Keogh added: "The challenge for us now is to build on this and for it to cascade down our supply chain."

He said he hoped that the certification would help Arque win more contracts, particularly for public sector projects.

"For all our clients, especially from the public sector, the environment is really high on their agenda," said Mr Keogh.

"They want to ensure the contractors they are using are environmentally friendly so they will always ask about environmental credentials."

Arque has adopted 10 "green rules" as part of the accreditation which includes segregating waste to reduce the amount sent to landfill and planning journeys to avoid unnecessary trips.

Other measures include ensuring equipment is switched off when it is not being used and logging steps taken to tackle waste or pollution.

Some of the measures have the added bonus of saving money, giving the company an added incentive to stick to its "green" rules.

Staff have also been instructed to warn neighbours about potential dust and noise nuisance.

As well as taking care to use products and equipment which cause the least environmental impact, Arque says it will also be encouraging its clients, subcontractors and suppliers to use sustainable materials and minimise waste, something which Arque hopes to cascade down its supply chain.

Recently the company has been involved in refurbishing the Mint Methodist Church in Fore Street, Exeter.

Arque recently acquired on an unconditional basis Chapel Downs Farms Barns from private clients through Stag's development land and planning department.

Chapel Downs Farm Barns comprise an attractive range of red brick construction in a courtyard formation on the outskirts of Crediton.

Arque says it intends to redevelop the barns for future commercial purposes.

alan-quick@crediton

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