Leading cladding and roofline manufacturer Freefoam Building Products Ltd looks at sustainability credentials in the supply chain.
Consumers – and the stockists and contractors that serve them – are becoming more and more concerned about sustainability. According to a recent Rated People survey, 43% of homeowners now say they’d be more likely to choose a tradesperson if they were ‘environmentally friendly’.
And they may pay extra for eco-friendly products or services, as shown in the PwC 2024 Voice of the Consumer survey, which noted that consumers are willing to pay a 9.7% sustainability premium, even with ‘cost-of-living and inflationary concerns’.
In roofline and rainwater, there are some key green credentials roofing and cladding contractors and stockists can look for in a supplier:
ISO 14001
This accreditation is the internationally recognised standard for environmental management systems (EMS). It’s used as a benchmark for many businesses to show how they are reducing their emissions and environmental impact.
EcoVadis rating
The world’s largest sustainability ratings provider, EcoVadis has assessed more than 100,000 companies. Ratings are based on the actions taken to support objectives around the environment, labour, business ethics and sustainable procurement. Housebuilders should ideally be sourcing from Gold and Silver accredited suppliers.
Climate Change Agreements
Climate Change Agreements (CCA) are voluntary agreements between UK industry and the Environment Agency to reduce energy use and carbon dioxide emissions. Any supplier with a CCA must measure and report energy use and carbon emissions against agreed targets.
Supply Chain Sustainability School membership
The Supply Chain Sustainability School is a learning platform dedicated to upskilling people within the built environment. It covers the three pillars of sustainability – environmental, social, and economic, with companies awarded attainment levels. Suppliers who actively engage with the SCSS demonstrate a clear commitment to supporting team members and embedding sustainability into everyday work practices.
Not just the environment
The ‘three pillars’ approach to ‘sustainability’ looks at economy, environment, and society. Each one must be considered for true sustainability to be achieved – the natural environment but also human and social capitals.
Patricia Hegarty, Freefoam’s Operations and Sustainability Coordinator, comments: “It’s critical for all organisations and individuals to take sustainability seriously and to look for positive changes they can make. At Freefoam, we’ve worked hard to move up the waste hierarchy, especially around reduction and reuse of packaging.
“Upskilling employees is important, as well as involvement in Communities of Practice in different areas of sustainability. Membership of organisations such as CirculÉire, of which Freefoam is a founding member, is also a big part of our strategy.”
Setting specific sustainability goals
Setting (and publishing) transparent sustainability targets with specific, measurable goals separate those companies who mean what they say from those who just pay lip service. This goes all the way through the supply chain.
A commitment to sustainability should include key topics such as ethics, quality, use of resources (eg labour, energy and water), waste management and a responsible procurement strategy. It should also cover people – Health and Safety, skills, employment, and local communities.
Released in September 2025, Freefoam’s five-year Sustainability Plan is part of a broader initiative to embed environmentally friendly practices into the business. The targets – published at freefoam.com/professional/sustainability-archive – cover a wide range of activities. Freefoam aims to achieve these targets by the end of 2030, if not sooner.
As part of our sustainability strategy we measure the flow of all materials, and innovate to find new ways to Reduce, Reuse (keeping materials in circulation), and Recycle – eliminating waste. We seek to ‘close the loop’ wherever possible.
For example, Freefoam’s manufacturing facility in Cork operates a fully closed production loop – every kilo of PVC that comes into the plant leaves as a finished good for customers. The Cork plant – which runs day and night producing roofline, cladding, guttering and more – now also operates entirely on renewable energy, a significant milestone in our sustainability journey. The Northampton facility has been using renewable energy since 2022 and we’re working hard to closing the loop in production too.
Our new Sustainability Plan will take our journey further, with specific, measurable targets. Freefoam’s two-pronged strategy looks at Operations and People. Our operational objectives include reducing carbon emissions by 15% (compared to 2022 figures) in ‘Scope 1’ direct emissions eg burning fuel in company fleet vehicles, and reducing ‘Scope 2’ indirect emissions from energy purchased and used eg electricity, heat or steam.
We’re aiming for a 10% cut in ‘Scope 3’ direct emissions from sources associated with Freefoam but which are outside of our control, ie from customers or suppliers.
We also plan to reduce mains water usage by 30% by 2030, and operate all Freefoam plants on a closed loop water system by 2027, using filtration systems. By 2030, we will also be sending zero waste to landfill, along with reducing our general waste figures by 15%.
In terms of people, we aim to cut the Annual Injury Incident Rate (AIIR) by 10% year-year, and ensure employees complete on average 18 hours of training or learning each year by 2027, with 5% of the workforce on a training pathway, for example an apprenticeship, graduate or work experience by 2027.
These targets aren’t a comprehensive list of projects and processes, but they allow us to measure performance and manage sustainability impacts and risks. We’re committed to enhancing our environmental performance while setting a benchmark for others. The targets are also important to our customers – roofline and cladding stockists and contractors who want to know they’re partnering with a responsible and reputable supplier and a future-fit organisation.
Aidan Harte, CEO of Freefoam Building Products, comments: “We’re embedding sustainability into the core of our business. By acting today, we’re building a stronger, more resilient company for tomorrow.”
To learn more about Freefoam’s sustainability journey, including targets, case studies and staff interviews, visit https://freefoam.com/professional/sustainability-archive.
