When it comes to contract engineering, Leo Lynch is committed to providing the very best service possible. With a clear focus on sustainability, and an in-depth strategy to match, the company has been working hard to match this commitment internally too. Director of Environmental Health, Safety & Sustainability (EHS&S) Denis O’Sullivan and Environmental & Sustainability Specialist Joshua Hellier explained more to Imogen Ward.
Leo Lynch’s sustainability journey began to take shape in 2024, when the topic became more frequent in conversation with larger multinational clients.
“Those companies made us realise that sustainability was something we needed to get ahead of,” explained Director of Environmental Health, Safety & Sustainability (EHS&S) Denis O’Sullivan. “Sustainability in the construction industry has fast tracked over the last two years, and now we are in the position where companies large and small are talking about data-driven policy scopes.
“Before long, we realised that to be successful in generating the figures our customers needed, we would have to move away from the industry standard scoping targets into a more structured and streamlined data-driven approach.”
Establishing solid foundations
With decades of experience behind it, delivering high-performing construction solutions to some of the world’s fastest growing industries, Leo Lynch understands the importance of accurate, reliable data. This same data-driven approach has become central to the company’s sustainability strategy, helping it set meaningful goals and measure progress effectively.
“Sustainability for many companies sits within finance, whereas at Leo Lynch, we place it under EHS, which is a highly data-driven department,” explained Mr O’Sullivan, “Just as high-quality data is crucial to EHS, we believe that it is essential for creating actionable sustainability goals.
“In fact, one of the first things we did, even before Josh came on board, was select the right platform for data collection. By ensuring we had this gold-standard tool in place from the outset, we were able to establish a robust foundation for accurate, reliable and actionable data.”
Joining the company in August 2025, Environmental & Sustainability Specialist Joshua Hellier has wasted no time taking Leo Lynch’s sustainability strategy to the next level – relying on the company’s foundational data-driven approach to lead the way.
“Reliable, high-quality data is the fundamental milestone for success, when it comes to sustainability,” explained Mr Hellier. “It provides that essential credibility that so many sustainability reports lack. On top of that, it allows us to better understand our environmental impacts with an added level of confidence. And from that basis, we can make informed decisions on targets that would have otherwise been entirely blue-sky estimations.
“However, sustainability data ultimately belongs to the business as a whole; the onus is not just on the sustainability team. They are effectively the spider in the middle of a complex web, and when data is needed, they must rely on the web of departments to feed them that information. The sustainability team coordinates that data, but it is generated and best understood by the people who own it.”
With this knowledge in mind, Mr O’Sullivan and Mr Hellier have been working diligently to establish that clear ownership across Leo Lynch.
“If you are randomly asked to fill in a template or answers a couple of questions and you don’t under why this is being asked of you, then the entire structure breaks down, and consistency disappears,” explained Mr Hellier. “Whereas, if you understand your own data and appreciate that the company is going to be asking for it periodically, then the data becomes more reliable and consistent.”
Each department in Leo Lynch now abides by clear reporting structures and an in-depth validation process that is completed by the teams themselves. With this foundation in place, Leo Lynch is now working to enhance the teams’ understanding of accountability. In doing so, the company will ensure that everyone knows what their role is in sustainability reporting.
Creating a baseline
Part of laying the foundations includes measuring Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.
“Approaching a carbon footprint is difficult, because there is so much at play,” continued Mr Hellier. “You must look at the entire impact of the business through a specific lens. Leo Lynch has approached this challenge by calculating it systematically. We focused on Scope 1 and 2 first, as they are generally easier to calculate and the data is more accessible.”
To ensure its data is as credible and transparent as possible, Leo Lynch has established an API between its reporting partner, Sustain IQ, and its waste partner. This allows for quick calculations and real-time visibility, while removing the middleman reduces the likelihood of manual errors.
Leo Lynch purposefully left Scope 3 emissions until last, given their greater complexity. Scope 3 require significantly more time and data to calculate accurately due to these emissions covering the entire value chain.
Despite the complexities of Scope 3, Leo Lynch is now working to create a baseline year and has already gained valuable insights. The company knows who its top 30 suppliers are, allowing it to identify key emissions hotspots. As a result, conversations with these suppliers are being prioritised, because they will require the most work to drive meaningful reductions.
The company has also integrated sustainability questions into its annual PQQs and is working hard to secure Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) from its partners.
“We have also committed to working with any suppliers that don’t currently have EPDs, in order to help them create these vital declarations,” explained Mr Hellier. “This is incredibly important, especially now that we are receiving more EPD requests from customers than ever before.”
Of course, there is still a long way to go (with many hurdles to overcome).
“We have to focus on specific areas of our Scope 3 emissions to really implement change,” shared Mr O’Sullivan. “For instance, when sourcing materials, our clients will often tell us specifics of what they want and where from. We can advise them on more environmentally friendly alternatives, but ultimately that choice is up to them.
“To have a real impact in this area, we need to enhance our education around the topic of procurement and a product’s environmental impact.”
Next steps
As it looks to the future, Leo Lynch is determined to transition from simple sustainability reporting to a broader more inclusive approach.
“We are currently building the data framework and the foundations,” explained Mr Hellier. “Once that data is fully digitalised, we will use it to run the business through a sustainability lens. Just as we put on our financial or innovation lens, sustainability needs to be prioritised as a strategic part of the business. We also mustn’t forget that there is an ‘S’ in ESG.”
“We do well in the community,” agreed Mr O’Sullivan, in conclusion. “We promote women in STEM and support lower socioeconomic areas. However, we want to do more. Our plan is to further enhance this area of the business, using our own expertise to teach these vital skills to community groups and the younger generation.”