Leading Magherafelt-based contractor Henry Brothers has achieved Platinum Level in Business in the Community’s (BITC) 2024 Northern Ireland Environmental Benchmarking Survey for the fifth consecutive year.

Showcasing the company’s commitment to sustainability, the Northern Ireland Environmental Benchmarking Survey assesses the extent to which environmental business practices have been embedded within Henry Brothers’ corporate strategies and operations.

Commenting on the achievement, Ian Henry MBE, CR Director at Henry Brothers, said: “Sustainability has been at the heart of our operations for nearly three decades, with industry-leading environmental practices ingrained across our business long before it was a legal requirement.

“Our ambitious, yet achievable, plan to become carbon-free by 2050 is well underway, with significant steps taken to build on our reputation as a responsible business making a lasting, positive impact on the environment and our communities.”

placeholder image — Robbie Grant, sustainability and quality advisor, Henry Brothers; Kieran Harding, managing director, BITC; Deborah O’Hanlon, group sustainability and quality manager, Henry Brothers; Grainne Long, chair of BITC Environmental Leadership Team; Hannah Crawford, sustainability and quality advisor, Henry Brothers and Matthew Barton, sustainability and quality placement student, Henry Brothers

Earlier this year, Henry Brothers received the King’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development, further demonstrating its dedication to environmentally friendly business practices.

Kieran Harding, managing director, BITC said: “The survey is a self-disclosure exercise that offers organisations a way to be externally assessed and scored on their environmental efforts and performance.

“Participating organisations have access to a Gap Analysis Report to help them to identify areas that need action and highlights where they are performing well, so it’s a comparison tool and real driver for improvement.”

On some of the findings from the survey, Keelin McCone, Head of Environment, BITC said: “We can see that businesses in NI recognise that an increase in the likelihood of extreme weather events due to climate change poses significant challenges to operations, supply chains, and long-term financial stability.

“The survey highlighted that at least 89% of companies have identified climate risks to their business and just over half of organisations who took part in the survey have mitigation plans in place.

“Biodiversity is being considered too, with 65% of businesses reporting that they have taken action to improve their impacts by making biodiversity a fundamental element in their ESG strategy.

“They’re making a difference along the value chain too, by engaging with sub-contractors, the local community, and schools, to clean up local green areas, provide bird boxes, planters, soil and wildflower seeds.”