Sustainability at DBFL
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report
At DBFL, we are committed to continuous improvement across all areas of our business. Our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report sets out the steps we are taking to strengthen our sustainability performance, support our people and communities, and uphold the highest standards of governance. This report forms part of our broader commitment to responsible engineering and long-term value creation.
Our Commitment
Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. We believe that every project offers an opportunity to drive environmental efficiencies. From project concept to completion, DBFL integrates environmentally-friendly practices and cutting-edge technologies to minimize impacts while maximizing efficiency, quality and longevity. Our commitment to sustainability ensures that we deliver solutions that are not only effective today but also beneficial for future generations. We strive to influence sectors & policy makers with what we do.
The ACEI Pledge
At DBFL we take our responsibility within the industry seriously. We are signatories to the ACEI Pledge to Net Zero campaign, and members of the Irish Green Building Council and their EPD Campaign. These initiatives are driven by our staff who are passionate about tackling the climate emergency and affecting change in how we design, but also in how we conduct our business responsibly. We are involved with Construct Innovate working groups and active members of MMC Ireland. Our environmental management systems are ISO 14001:2015 certified.
Sustainable Travel
As champions of sustainable travel for our employees, DBFL were one of the first ten companies in Ireland awarded the Smarter Travel Mark Gold Certification from the National Transport Authority of Ireland, proof of our “outstanding measures in place that support sustainable and active commuting’ our commitment ‘to long term investment and leadership in Smarter Travel”.
Additionally, as a European Gold Standard Cycle Friendly Employer DBFL’s aim is to continue to improve facilities for cyclists and to further encourage the use of sustainable travel modes for everyone on their commute to our city centre offices and for local business travel.
Putting our Commitments into Practice
At DBFL, we pride ourselves in ‘practising what we preach’ in terms of sustainable travel, reflecting the extensive contribution our Transportation teams are making in development and implementation of Active Travel schemes across the country.
In our designs, we encourage all our engineers to consider the environmental impact of their decisions. We aim to help clients and the design team to consider sustainability in their own aspects of a project, to think about using sustainable materials and construction methods wherever possible. By using embodied carbon calculators at concept design stage, we can inform the team of the environmental footprint of each option considered. This information allows us to highlight areas, materials and phases with the biggest environmental impact.
The 3 R’s
Reduce, reuse and recycle is a core principle of DBFL designs. Our expertise in soil stabilization, re-use of excavated materials, geosynthetics and recycled aggregates for use in roads, where appropriate, minimises import/export of virgin materials, reduces haulage traffic and disposal to landfill. Our designs and commitment to the environment offer significant carbon reductions and increased sustainability.
Leaders in Nature-based Strategies
DBFL has introduced a transformative shift in our approach to urban drainage design in response to the climate crisis and our commitment to sustainable engineering solutions. We are leaders in the design of nature-based drainage strategies at regional and site level to mitigate the effects of extreme weather events.
Our design approach focuses on replicating the natural drainage regime while ensuring robust and maintainable systems for our clients and future generations. This approach ensures the functional requirements of on-site drainage systems are achieved while also respecting the flood protection of downstream assets.
