Ahern is committed to operating and working in a responsible and sustainable way. We recognise and embrace the positive impacts that we as a local employer, working within resource management, can have on our environment and community.
This Policy sets out our approach to social responsibility and how we will measure the impacts of our actions to ensure that we are working towards the Government’s Sustainable Development Strategy and the UK’s Social Value Model.
We recognise as an organisation that to deliver upon our commitments, we need to work collaboratively with our teams, our suppliers and of course our customers. Through this partnership approach we are committed to positively impacting our community, delivering environmentally sustainable working practices which work towards net zero plan and working tirelessly to ensure that health and safety is at the heart of our service delivery.
Commitment To Employee Wellbeing
The physical and mental wellbeing of all staff is of paramount importance to the Company. Through the Managing Director’s charity, Pinches Trust, 45 acres of land, which is currently under restoration, provides a tranquil and secluded outside space overlooking London. Counselling Services are available on this site for those suffering with mental health issues.
The Company will offer competitive pay and incentives to ensure sustained morale. They will offer a fair and consistent process for rewarding and recognising staff who are committed, driven and deliver their role well.
Commitment To Community & Charity
Working with our community to enhance and support social and environmental prosperity. We recognise the added benefits that this support can provide for the health and wellbeing of our community.
We are currently involved in the following community projects.
- Pinches Trust. Charity No. 1169298 – As a 6% Shareholder of Ahern’s, the Pinches Trust is financially supported by Aherns, and all staff are funded by Aherns. Our Managing Director is the founder of charity Pinches Trust. In addition, Ahern’s has donated £300,000 in 2024 to the Pinches Trust.
- Trees for Havering as a project of the Pinches Trust, we have provided 1800 trees to be planted by volunteers.
- The Re-Use Partnership (TRUP) – We collect and store items for TRUP and donate them for their work to support vulnerable people or those in crisis.
- ForwardMotion Cycle Hub Thurrock – Ahern provides bicycles that would otherwise be thrown away for repair and reuse.
- Friends of Essex & London Homeless. Charity No. 1178366 – Ahern provides £5,000 funding towards this local homeless charity as well as offering job opportunities to those that are trying to get back on their feet using via the Pinches Jumpstart scheme, including potential funding towards temporary accommodation where necessary.
- Just4Children/Just Josh. Charity No. 1164473 – Ahern provides £5,000 funding towards rehabilitation of this local 6 year old boy from Hornchurch, Essex.
- London Borough of Redbridge in Bloom – Ahern donated £5,000 of funding to Redbridge in Bloom.
Our Partners
Thurrock Council & Essex Wildlife Trust
Developing meaningful partnerships to deliver impacts and benefits to our community has enabled us to deliver some innovative projects with tangible benefits to the community:
As part of our social value commitment to Thurrock Council, Ahern’s provided £5,000 and a HGV driver for an Education Waste Bus that engaged with over 1,000 children at 9 schools to provide interactive lessons with the long term aim of creating positive long term recycling habits. This project was delivered not only with Thurrock Council, but also through a partnership with Essex Wildlife Trust.
Commitment To Environmental Responsibility
Accreditation:
ISO14001:2015
Reuse: – We work proactively within the principals of the Waste Hierarchy and actively participate in diverting waste from the waste stream for reuse within the community, through our partners, Thurrock Reuse Partnership (TRUP), reusing 1 tonne of waste in 2023 saving 21.29 tonnes of carbon from diverting this from EfW.
Recycling: – We recognise and support the UK’s ambition to move towards a circular economy, and we have invested £500,000 in upgrading our recycling equipment so that the maximum amount of waste is recycled. In 2023 our facility recycled 58% of the waste that was processed. We are also working with our customers to ensure that they are compliant with the requirements of the Environment Act, particularly the changes to recycling collections in 2026 due to Simpler Recycling.
Landfill diversion: – Of the waste that cannot be recycled, we divert over 99% from landfill, ensuring through sustainable contract arrangements that the waste is used to create heat and power. This method of waste disposal saves 200kg of carbon per tonne of waste disposed. In addition to this our EFW contractor, Corys, intends to apply Carbon Capture Storage technology to their Belvedere site which is the UK’s largest single-site energy from waste (EfW) operation, with the potential to create the world’s largest single-site EfW decarbonisation project. By 2030, this could capture c. 1.4 million tonnes of CO2 per annum – providing a significant contribution to reducing the carbon emissions of the several million people Cory services in London and the South East.
The project intends to use marine shipment to transport liquefied CO2 to an offshore subsea storage site, building on Cory’s maritime expertise which extends from the late 1700s. It highlights the strategic importance of the Thames as existing, natural infrastructure which could help to establish a transportation hub to ship CO2 from several other major industrial facilities in the region. The river reduces the need for complex infrastructure to transport CO2 and provides flexibility and confidence as Cory will be able to access operational subsea storage locations, including the industrial clusters already selected by the UK Government.
Commitment To Diversity & Inclusion
The Company is committed to the principles and practices of equal opportunities in employment. As such the Company offers equal employment opportunities to all applicants on the basis of proven ability and competence, experience and training, without regard to sex, race, marital status, ethnic origin, colour, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or any other grounds of discrimination not prohibited by legislation such as membership of the travelling community.
Discrimination between employees in recruitment and selection matters is unacceptable. Job-related decisions will be made on the grounds of ability to do a job and performance in that job and the Company opposes any treatment afforded to employees or applicants on any other basis.
It is the Company’s policy to consider promotion from within existing employees where possible, but only where this would be without detriment to the overall requirements of the Company. It is expected therefore
that in addition to internal candidates being promoted, externally sourced candidates will be required to be engaged to complement existing employee numbers and competencies.
We employ over 70 staff across our business, 82% of which live locally and work closely with local charities to give vulnerable people opportunities within our organisation.
Many of our staff have joined our team as unskilled and have worked through the Pinches Jumpstart scheme to receive the necessary training, mentoring and qualifications to enable them to progress in their careers.
We currently have 5 Transport Managers with a Certificate of Professional Competence and 2 members of staff who are holders of a Certificate of Technical Competence.