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Strategy Defined for Sustainable Aggregates Industry
01 Dec 2006
The British Marine Aggregate Producers Association (BMAPA), which represents over 90% of the marine aggregates industry, has released a sustainable development strategy for the sector. As a constituent member of the Quarry Products Association (QPA), and following on from last year’s overarching QPA document, BMAPA has created the strategy to tackle the unique aspects of marine aggregates operations.
Although a vital industry in supporting the construction sector, extraction of marine aggregates takes place over a very limited area of the UK’s continental shelf with typically 140km2 dredged annually, representing just 0.016%of the UK’s overall continental shelf. Despite this small footprint, BMAPA says the industry recognises that the marine environment is sensitive and accepts that it has a responsibility to manage its operations to minimise any effects on these environments and other marine users.
BMAPA’s member companies believe this challenge should be approached as a partnership with the other stakeholder organisations involved with the marine environment and the new sustainable development strategy provides a framework and a means of measuring progress into the future.
Performance indicators to be measured are arranged across a number of sustainable development criteria falling within four broad themes: social progress, environmental protection, resource conservation and economic contribution. Against the criteria set out in the document, BMAPA will now quantitatively assess its sustainable development performance to establish an initial benchmark. These figures will be published in BMAPA’s first annual report, due for publication in late summer 2007.
A PDF of the BMAPA Sustainable Development Strategy can be accessed online at the QPA’s website – www.qpa.org and BMAPA’s own site at www.bmapa.org.
By DAVID FOXWELL
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