Reducing, reusing and recycling in cooperation with our suppliers

If’s Supplier Code of Conduct defines the minimum requirements with which If expects suppliers to comply when conducting busi- ness with us. We also have additional environmental requirements for our property and vehicle repair contractors. During 2020, If reviewed and updated the requirements for property repair contractors.

‘The handling of building waste is an area where the construction industry and contractors are already well underway with their environmental activities. It is a good starting point when dealing with sustainability in relation to the supply chain. One area we are particularly involved in at the moment is the recycling of building waste. We and our suppliers have noticed that this type of waste is starting to gain in value. This means that bits and pieces from a demolition job can get a new lease of life elsewhere’, says Gunnar Ingelsrud, Head of Claims Purchasing Property at If.

If encourages the use of environmentally friendly building materials and local materials whenever possible. Other areas in which If is working closely with its construction partners include the reduction of the use of transport. Repeatedly driving back and forth to the building supplier’s warehouse to make small purchases is not viable in the long term. Gunnar Ingelsrud believes that there are obvious gains for the environment with the decreasing number of transport operations throughout the supply chain.

‘We’re also asking the construction industry to think about what kind of vehicles are being used to transport both tradesmen and building materials. We’re encouraging them to switch from diesel to electric vehicles – especially in Norway – and also hybrid vehicles. This is often a cheaper option, not to mention being better for the environment’, he says.

A positive shift towards recycling

Marianne Mikkelsen is Head of Quality and HSE at Recover, a company that specialises in drying, clean-up and recon- struction operations after fire, water and environmental damage. Recover provides assistance to If’s customers when damage has occurred, for example following a water leak in a basement. Marianne highlights the shift taking place in the means of transport being used at Recover and in the rest of the industry in Norway.

‘We have a large fleet of 850 vehicles in Norway, but as leases come up for renewal, many vehicles are being re- placed by electric vehicles. At the moment, we have about 40 electric vehicles, and more are in the pipeline. In Bergen we have a cargo bike for craftsmen. The city has narrow lanes with access being difficult for vehicles in many places, which makes it both very convenient and environmentally friendly’, she says.