Yorkshire-based building specialist announces £1 million sustainability drive

Integra manufactures a range of bespoke, high-quality modular buildings at the Paull site, with a workforce of more than 160 people.

Integra CEO, Gary Parker, said: “We’ve done a huge amount of work to firstly understand our carbon footprint and then identify the priority areas and key actions we can take to become more sustainable.

“The work we’ve done on site so far has already had a positive impact, but we’re far from finished and we’re committed to continuing to invest as a business in sustainability.

“Construction companies like us face significant challenges in reducing their emissions and becoming carbon neutral, but we’ve taken significant steps forward and we’re committed to working with our suppliers, clients and partners to share ideas and help each other on the decarbonisation pathway.”

Key sustainability projects on Integra’s site include the installation of more than 70 rooftop solar panels on its office building, with a further 150 panels fitted to one of the factory units.

The first phase of Integra’s solar installation is expected to reduce annual energy bills by over £80,000. The two phases combined will generate close to 200,000KW of clean electricity every year.

The firm has also reduced the volume of waste leaving its site by almost 20 per cent, after installing a new £35,000 compactor which cuts the number of lorry trips to the processing facility and saves on carbon emissions.

In its first month of operation, the compactor reduced general waste by 18 per cent compared to the same month the previous year.

As well as a series of infrastructure improvements, Integra has also helped its staff to gain new industry qualifications and accreditations around sustainability and environmental good practice.

The business has also secured ISO 14001 Environmental Management accreditation – an

internationally-recognised environmental management standard – as it sets out a roadmap to carbon neutrality.

Integra also plans to integrate a rainwater capture system on site, with a variety of uses including testing modular units to ensure they are water-tight and flushing toilets across the site.

Other sustainability projects include switching the company’s vehicle fleet to electric and hybrid and installing electric vehicle charging stations on site.

The firm has also switched how it handles its recyclable waste. Previously, Integra’s waste was collected as one and taken by waste management business Biffa to be processed off site. Today, waste is separated into three categories – timber, plastics and other recyclables.

Integra is carrying out further work to understand its scope two and three emissions, including those produced throughout its supply chain and operations off site.The firm notes that it will only consider carbon offsetting as a last option where no other option is available to achieve Net Zero.

The modular buildings manufactured by Integra are also 100 per cent re-usable, and can be relocated from site to site. The firm notes that if the buildings require disassembly, the individual parts including steel and timber can be recycled.