MKM Building Supplies (MKM) has achieved a Gold EcoVadis Medal, placing the business among the top 5% of more than 150,000 companies assessed globally for sustainability performance.
The independent assessment recognises organisations that demonstrate strong environmental, ethical, labour and human rights, and sustainable procurement practices, providing customers and suppliers with confidence that they are working with businesses committed to responsible operations and continual improvement.
For MKM, the Gold Medal marks another step on its sustainability journey. Since its first EcoVadis assessment, the business has progressed from Bronze, to Silver, and now Gold, increasing its score by 39 points overall.
Rachel Constable, Head of ESG at MKM, said: "Achieving Gold is a fantastic milestone for everyone at MKM because it reflects years of work happening right across the business. It's recognition of the way our people support their communities, how we work with suppliers, the choices we're making to reduce our environmental impact and the way we're helping customers build more sustainably.
"It's also independent reassurance for our customers that sustainability isn't simply something we talk about. EcoVadis looks in detail at the policies, actions and evidence behind what businesses do, so achieving Gold demonstrates that we're managing sustainability, ethics and supply chain responsibility in a robust and transparent way."
The EcoVadis assessment covers the whole MKM business, including specialist businesses such as Oceanair. MKM operates through 142 independently run branches, with local Branch Directors empowered to support the needs of their own customers and communities.
Rather than implementing sustainability through a centralised, one-size-fits-all approach, MKM says it has focused on embedding a culture of "Doing the Right Thing" throughout the business, enabling branches to take ownership of local initiatives while being supported by central specialist teams.
That approach has seen every MKM branch actively involved in community projects through sponsorship, fundraising and volunteering, while the business continues to invest in initiatives that reduce environmental impact and improve operational performance.
Recent developments include the opening of MKM's first two BREEAM-Excellent-certified branches in Cheltenham and Wolverhampton, expanding the use of electric forklift trucks across the network, strengthening supplier engagement through its Code of Conduct, and increasing access to products that help customers meet evolving sustainability standards and building regulations, including renewable heating technologies, energy-efficient products and lower-carbon construction solutions.
The assessment also recognised MKM's continued investment in health, safety and people through its Go Home Safe programme, alongside improvements in sustainable procurement and ethical supply chain management.
As sustainability expectations continue to grow across construction, Constable believes independent verification is becoming increasingly important. She added: "Customers are, quite rightly, asking more questions than ever before about sustainability, responsible sourcing and supply chain performance. Achieving Gold gives them confidence that we're not only responding to those expectations today, but that we've built the systems, processes and culture to keep improving into the future.
"We're incredibly proud of this achievement, but Gold isn't the finish line. Sustainability is about continuous improvement, and we'll continue working with our suppliers, our customers and our branch teams to make a positive difference for our communities and for the construction industry."
Alongside its EcoVadis Gold Medal, MKM is also a Gold member of the Supply Chain Sustainability School, a Construction Leadership Council CO2nstruct Zero Business Champion, and holds full timber Chain of Custody certification, reflecting the business's wider commitment to responsible sourcing and driving positive change across the construction sector.
