Reflecting on World Environment Day: How ADSL assists Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) on its Sustainability Mission.

Plastic pollution in the UK remains a pressing issue, with significant amounts of plastic waste generated annually and substantial portions ending up in landfill or the wider environment. Whilst government initiatives and public awareness campaigns have led to some improvements, continued efforts are necessary to achieve long-term reductions in plastic pollution.

As the world comes together to celebrate World Environment Day, we proudly reflect on our ongoing commitment to addressing this challenge and supporting Defence with its sustainability ambitions. Aspire Defence Service Limited (ADSL) remains dedicated to protecting our planet and fostering a greener future, with sustainability woven into our core practices. We continue to incorporate a range of impactful environmental initiatives within our projects, from recycling methods to biodiversity and sustainability endeavours.

In partnership with our subcontractor, Hills Waste Solutions (Hills), we have implemented a comprehensive recycling service across the Project Allenby Connaught (PAC) estate. Hills’ dedicated team collects, sorts, and processes recyclable materials, with a particular focus on capturing plastic waste before it is disposed through an Energy from Waste (EFW) facility. Their service facilitates the transformation of these plastics into reusable materials, creating a circular economy approach that allows us to uphold Defence’s sustainability goals. This collaboration comprises several plastic recycling streams, including soft and hard plastics, as well as the reprocessing of ADSL’s redundant hard hats and bump caps. These practices have significantly reduced the amount of plastic waste, demonstrating how aligning with our core Value of ‘Delivering Together’ can drive meaningful environmental impact and support global efforts to reduce plastic pollution.

Across the PAC estate our subcontractor, Sodexo, demonstrated early leadership in sustainability through the PAC Plastic Pledge initiative, becoming one of Sodexo UK&I’s first contracts to eliminate single-use plastic items like cutlery, food containers, and carrier bags in favour of sustainable alternatives made from potato starch, cardboard, or compostable materials. As part of Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow 2025 roadmap and Social Impact Pledge, the company expanded its single-use plastic removal across its UK&I operations by 2021, limiting purchases to wood, paper, cardboard, or fibre-based alternatives. Current initiatives include collaborating with global supply chains on sustainable packaging, introducing “bring your own” container programmes in corporate locations, eliminating 330,000 plastic yoghurt pots through in-house production served in reusable bowls in schools and universities, and trialling a coffee cup reuse and return scheme at the Aspire Business Centre. All contributing to Sodexo’s Global Net Zero 2040 plan that addresses single-use plastic removal alongside broader indirect emissions across the value chain including supply chain, business travel, employee commuting, and client site energy and waste.

Working and ‘Delivering Together’ with our subcontractors to recycle, reuse and repurpose waste and plastic, ADSL’s contributions are as diverse as they are meaningful, spanning from natural habitat preservation to embracing renewable strategies. Notable examples include:

Biodiversity in Focus

Project plans established with our Environmental Team have actively safeguarded protected species and habitats and nurtured an impressive 70 hectares of long grass and wildflower meadows, helping to maintain local biodiversity and support pollinators. Community-focused projects have also been a priority, rejuvenating community gardens that create vibrant green spaces for Military personnel, residents, and local schools to enjoy whilst simultaneously providing crucial habitats for wildlife.

This rich ecosystem now hosts 31 of the UK’s 58 butterfly species—an extraordinary 53% of all British butterflies across the PAC footprint, including several protected species like the Duke of Burgundy and the Marsh Fritillary.

ADSL’s environmental efforts include planting 21 different local tree varieties within our fruit orchards, with an additional 1,500 trees planted this winter alone. We also maintain beehives that produce local honey annually whilst playing a vital role in ecological balance. Our conservation work has created thriving habitats for several protected species including Great Crested Newts, various bat species, badgers, stoats, and native plants like bluebells and orchids, alongside wildlife such as Green Woodpeckers, Goldfinches, toads, frogs, and Smooth Newts.

Sustainable Energy

In addition to conservation efforts, ADSL has delivered clean energy for the DIO by installing 5,636 photovoltaic solar panels across 21 assets as part of the Prometheus project. Since 2017, a total of 36 assets across the PAC estate have achieved a combined peak power of over 4MW.

This initiative has reduced the carbon footprint by over 163 tonnes of CO2 and promoted long-term energy sustainability. These panels have generated over 8.8 GWh of electricity to power assets, with surplus energy being fed back to surrounding estates via the PFI electricity network.

Richard Tindal, Capital Projects Director, Aspire Defence Services Ltd shared:

“We are very pleased to support the Army and DIO in this latest stage of the journey towards decarbonising their estate. Our long-term collaborative relationship has enabled us to work together, identifying the opportunities to support sustainability ambitions as funding becomes available. I look forward to continuing this into the future”.

 

Reflecting on World Environment Day reaffirms ADSL’s dedication to supporting the Army and DIO in protecting the estate, its future, and the earth—one sustainable project at a time.

(Front, centre) Maj Gen Richard Clements CBE, Director Army Basing & Infrastructure at Larkhill Garrison 26 March 2025

Image part of the Army’s Prometheus project ©UK MOD Crown Copyright

Looking Forward

As we celebrate these achievements, ADSL remains committed to expanding our environmental initiatives in the years ahead and building on our successful partnership with Hills. We are also developing an ambitious carbon reduction roadmap, which includes installing, on the DIO’s behalf, additional solar panels across more sites and implementing energy-efficient solutions throughout our operations.

Our Environmental Team is continuing the removal of invasive hemlock to allow native plants to establish and thrive, which demonstrates ADSL’s ongoing commitment to environmental responsibility.

Through continued collaboration with our subcontractors, we aim to further reduce the overall carbon footprint in the coming years, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to support Defence’s environmental responsibility.

Stay connected with our sustainability updates to follow our progress and discover how we participate in creating a greener future for all.

*Data presented reflects energy production figures up to April 30, 2025, and may be subject to change as new data becomes available.