Foster Contracting have started their journey to obtain ISO 14001 certification and PAS 2080 verification, aiming to be one of the first companies in the highways sector to meet these environmental standards.

PYE-Management Ltd is working with Foster to help them obtain certification to BS EN ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and to obtain verification to PAS 2080: 2023 Carbon Management in Infrastructure. They are hoping to obtain both certification and verification in approximately 12 months.

Foster are keen to ensure that their impacts on the environment are minimised and recognise that it is vital to be able to show, through certification, the good work being done by the company to protect the environment in which they work.

The new EMS and PAS 2080 requirements will be integrated into their existing ISO 9001 quality management certification system. During the development of the systems, Foster will also be calculating their own carbon footprint.

Foster’s Technical Director Craig Andrews said: “It is through understanding our own emissions that we will be able to identify areas for reduction which will feed into the business’s environmental objectives and sustainability targets.

“The highways sector is under increasing pressure to adapt to improving environmental standards and expectations of government and society; including bringing all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

“It is important that we take steps as a company to decarbonise our own operations and in turn help others to do so. As a leading highway and runway maintenance specialist, we will continue to help the industry deliver carbon and cost savings, by providing resilient solutions and innovative services.”

PAS 2080:2023 guides organisations in holistic carbon management, reducing costs, fostering industry leadership, and adapting to a low-carbon future.

• PAS 2080 guides the management of carbon across the lifecycle of buildings and infrastructure.
• It emphasises early collaboration, defined roles, and integrated decision-making for sustainability.
• Implementing PAS 2080 can lower project costs, emissions and enhance tender competitiveness.

Using it shows commitment to decarbonising the built environment and effective carbon management.

Third party verification takes place in two stages, stage 1 looks at the management system documentation to ensure it has been written in accordance with the standard and stage 2 looks at successful implementation of the system.

Emma Pye, Founder and Director of PYE Management, said: “PAS 2080:2023 was only released in April 2023, and although the previous version was issued in 2016, uptake in the highways sector has been slow. Foster are one of only a small handful of companies that are looking to get this verification in 2024 and we’re looking forward to helping them obtain it.”

Importantly for Foster, PAS 2080 encourages innovation, by asking adopters to ensure that they are challenging, promoting and innovating lower carbon solutions in order to tackle climate change, whilst reducing costs. Foster Contracting recently put together an information document entitled ‘Carbon and Cost Benefits of FCL’s Geosynthetic Interlayers’, which shows both the potential for immediate, and whole life carbon and cost savings in using their geosynthetic interlayers.

Foster estimate that values ranging from 29% to 93% can be achieved in carbon reduction, along with a net cost reduction between £13/sq.m. and £38/sq.m. These claims are backed up in the document which outlines the background behind these values and offers worked examples for six scenarios. A copy of this document can be obtained direct from Foster Contracting via [email protected]