The Power To Connect

ESG & Sustainability

Our Commitment

We are all on a journey together. As a business, we are aware of our impact upon both the planet as a whole and the local communities we work within. Each day, we face diverse and difficult operational challenges ranging from the sourcing of raw materials to the delivery of customer orders.

We understand the importance of adhering to a sustainable business model without compromising our values, or our commitment to the environment. Working with our supply chain and customers, we strive to ensure that today’s actions do not affect our children’s future.

View our full Sustainability Report 2023.

View our EcoVadis Silver Certificate 2023.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions and our Carbon Footprint

Greenhouse gases (also known as GHGs) are gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat. We are all aware of the impact Greenhouse Gases have on our environment and - in line with the Paris Accords - we are aiming to achieve Net Zero by 2050 or sooner. Steps towards this goal include solar PV installations rolling out across our branch network, plus retiring ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) company cars and local ULEZ delivery vehicles in favour of EVs (Electric Vehicles).

Cleveland Cable Company is committed to reducing our carbon footprint wherever possible. Whilst we do not yet operate within a fully circular industry, we are working hard to get to that point ourselves. As such we have signed up to the SECR (Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting) scheme and ESOS (Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme), producing reports under both as part of our annual integrated management system review.

All company objectives are fully compliant to ISO 14001 SMART targets for continual improvement and are audited annually by SGS (UKAS accredited).

For further details, see Cleveland Cable Company SECR Report 2023 and Cleveland Cable Company ESOS Report.

Waste

Cleveland Cable Company aims to achieve zero waste to landfill, alongside an increased use of sustainable and recycled materials. As we are not a manufacturer, we do not carry out any processes which result in waste other than those resulting from normal domestic/office routines. All waste is disposed of in accordance with environmental legislation.

Within the past 12 months, as per KPI 6 in our company objectives, across all branches Cleveland Cable Company has recycled or diverted from landfill 100% of our waste. Our target for 2023 is to maintain this high standard and not go below 98% for recycling/recovered waste.

Waste recycled includes:

General Waste
Each CCC site has a general waste skip/FEL (dependant on branch size) handled by Veolia. Waste is transferred to Veolia's Staffordshire ERF facility where biodegradeable material and non-combustible material is separated, the residual material shredded, dried, and baled. These bales are then burned as RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) to produce electricity. 99% of general waste is recycled and recovered in this manner, reducing our waste to landfill as per our Environmental Objectives.
Paper & Packaging
Our paper and plastic waste is collected and recycled by Restore Datashred on a weekly basis. This includes waste from other group companies, and our transport fleet operations.
Wood Waste (including Wooden Drums & Battens)
Cleveland Cable Company holds a wood waste transfer license to transport scrap wood to UK Wood Recycling (UKWR). UKWR, managed by ENVA, operate a recycling facility adjacent to Wilton 10 Biomass Power Station. UKWR grade and separate the wood, using only low-grade waste as biomass fuel. Additionally, we operate a wooden cable drum and batten reuse scheme ensuring we maximise the effective lifetime of these products. For more information on these processes, see our wood waste and drum reuse scheme news story.
Scrap Metal
Across our branch network, scrap metal processing is handled EMR. Steel drum products are cut down and crushed for export to be melted down and recycled.
Scrap Cable

Our cable recycling is handled by Cupral. Scrap cable lengths are processed via machine to separate metallic components (copper, aluminium, and steel) from plastics. Metals are formed into granules – copper at 99% purity, aluminium & steel in high grade low-carbon furnace-ready forms. Secondary recycled copper alone has an estimate 85% lower carbon footprint than primary (mined) copper. Plastics are separated according to grade and reused where possible (e.g., to manufacture speed ramps and traffic cones).

Employment

As a multi-national company, Cleveland Cable Company takes pride in a highly competent workforce sourced from areas local to our branch network. As we experience continued growth and improvement as an organisation, our workforce across all departments has scaled accordingly. We aim to offer not only jobs but long-term careers, making available additional opportunities such as training and development. We continue to advertise future positions geographically, drawing many applicants who were previously unemployed due to the current economic climate.

Across our network of ten branches worldwide, we currently employ a total of 658 staff with many added during the past 12 months due to increases in workload. Additionally, we use local contractors for any maintenance work or building improvements.

Supply Chain

Diverse and Inclusive Supply Chains

Cleveland Cable Company has a diverse and inclusive supply chain policy, ensuring that diverse suppliers are included in the early tendering stage. We negotiate with diverse suppliers and constantly develop our supplier management integration processes and metrics to ensure successful and sustainable inclusion. Where possible, we deal with local suppliers and local service providers.

Ethical & Labour Standards

Cleveland Cable Company promotes and sustains good labour standards both within our own company and throughout our supply chain. All suppliers are regularly audited to ensure we are still meeting the requirements of the Ethical Trading Code. Our own workforce respects the rights and equal treatment of all staff regardless of age, gender, skin colour or religion and are aware that unethical treatment will not be tolerated.

Conflict Minerals

In compliance with EU and other cross-juridiction legislation, we adhere to auditing and reporting regulations surrounding the import of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold (3TG). Reporting is undertaken annually using the Conflict Minerals reporting template. View our Conflict Minerals Declaration 2023.

Charity

We believe in giving back to the communities in which our branches are based. This includes support for local initiatives and causes close to our heart, as well as working in partnership with national and international charities. These include:

Electrical Industries Charity (EIC) - For over 100 years, supporting members of the electrical industries and their families regardless of age or circumstance.

Butterwick Hospice - Delivering holistic palliative and supportive care to those suffering with progressive life limiting conditions, their families and loved ones, across Teesside.

The Teesside Charity - Financially support community groups and charities based within Teesside, which promote social wellbeing and provide support to those who find themselves at a disadvantage.

Teesside Family Foundation - improving the quality of life of those in need by reason of youth, age, ill health, disability or financial hardship who do not have the resources to provide themselves for the public benefit of Teesside.

Teesside Hospice - Palliative care hospice based in Linthorpe, Middlesbrough.

CPD

In line with our policy of career-long learning and in support of staff, colleagues, and customers, Cleveland Cable Company is developing CPD (Continuing Professional Development) modules fully accredited by the CPD Certification Service.

More information on subjects covered and how to apply can be found on our CPD Providers page.

Policies & Governance

Like all businesses, we strive to maintain best practice with ongoing guidance and support from advisors. This includes all polices linked to our Integral Management Systems (ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001). All our polices are published on our website or available upon request.

Below are our policies linked to our sustainability approach: