News and Updates

Arco, the UK's leading safety products and services company, is providing £5,000 of funding to the children's reading charity Ready, Steady, Read to restart activities following the COVID-19 pandemic is also encouraging its colleagues to volunteer their time and support the charity as reading mentors, helping to improve the reading skills of children in the Hull area.

Ready, Steady, Read was established to support children with reading difficulties and provides volunteer mentoring support, dedicated reading resources and books to help local children.

The charity currently partners with Hull primary schools to help identify children whose reading is falling behind and supplies reading mentors to provide one-to-one support to children to help them gain an age-appropriate reading level.

The onset of the pandemic resulted in the charity's 34 volunteers no longer being able to go into schools and it is only during this current autumn term that volunteers are starting to return to schools, but in smaller numbers.

Unable to provide one-to-one support and to address the skills gap in reading caused by the pandemic and long periods of classroom absences, the charity developed a Reading Challenge and Reader of the Week scheme to encourage children to continue with their reading.

The Reading Challenge began in autumn 2020 with seven schools taking part and by the end of the summer term, in 2021, 13 schools were participating.

The Reader of The Week Scheme started in January 2021 with awards for nominated children each week at participating schools.

The feedback from the schools and the children taking part was so positive that the charity has incorporated these new reading schemes into the ongoing support they can offer to schools and 18 schools are now participating in the scheme during the current autumn term.

It is still a difficult and unusual time for schools, but Ready, Steady, Read is hoping to build its volunteer numbers up again and return to its pre-pandemic levels of one-to-one reading support during the spring term in 2022 in tandem with the new reading schemes.

Arco will be the official sponsor of the spring term Reader of the Week scheme and it is anticipated that approximately 4,500 children will take part.

Anna Harvatt, Community Engagement Manager at Arco, said:

"Arco is delighted to have partnered with Ready, Steady, Read and looks forward to helping the charity deliver on its aim of improving reading skills across Hull.

"As well as funding to help Ready, Steady, Read re-start its activities following the pandemic, we will also be encouraging our colleagues to volunteer as reading mentors.

"Through our work in the community, Arco is committed to supporting projects that inspire children and young people to achieve their full potential and this is very much at the heart of what Ready, Steady, Read does day-in and day-out."

Joanne Walker, Founder of Ready, Steady, Read, said:

"A good level of literacy is the foundation of all education and here at Ready, Steady, Read we are committed to improving outcomes for children who are falling behind in reading, to close the gap between children's reading age and their chronological age and to help children develop a lifelong love of reading, which in turn, supports the rest of their education.

"Working alongside partners like Arco, we are aiming to support hundreds of children across the Hull area to develop essential literacy skills and the confidence and love for reading they need to succeed at school and in life."

Arco, the UK's leading safety products and services company, has launched a partnership with The Constellation Trust to provide learning opportunities for pupils across the trust's network of primary and secondary schools in the region and to ensure that every child is connected.

Arco and The Constellation Trust's partnership will see students develop knowledge as to what it is like working for one of Hull's top employers through meetings with Arco industry experts and visits to the company's new Blackfriargate office and its National Distribution Centre (NDC).

The partnership also supports Hull City Council's ambition that every child in the city is connected by being able to access the right technology to support their education, with Arco supplying 60 laptops that will be used at Rise Academy and Rokeby Park Primary School for one-to-one sessions between teachers and students. Additional devices provided to Sirius Academy West will be housed in the school's new dedicated IT suites, featuring Arco's brand colours and company imagery, and will aid in catch-up work in English and maths.

While Arco's purpose is to keep people safe at work, the company has always recognised its responsibility to the communities in which it operates.

Arco is committed to making a meaningful difference and lives this through a range of activities and initiatives, from colleague volunteering, partnerships, and charitable donations.

One of the aims for the business is to nurture future talent, such as through its Future Experts programme.

Since launching in 2016, the business has recruited almost 40 apprentices. Arco's donation and partnership with The Constellation Trust demonstrates a strong commitment to investing in the future generation and the digital stars of the future.

David Evison, Managing Director at Arco, said:

"As well as ensuring pupils at Rise Academy, Rokeby Park Primary School and Sirius Academy West are connected, our partnership will see us working together to provide learning and development opportunities for students, delivered by Arco experts, which will showcase the world of work and bring the experiences of work and education closer together.

"The establishment of the new Arco Suite at Sirius Academy West is a great honour for our business and will have a real impact on supporting student learning and the development of digital skills."

Dr Cathy Taylor, CEO of The Constellation Trust, said:

"The launch of this new partnership with Arco is a really exciting opportunity for the Trust. Like Arco, The Constellation Trust is embedded in the communities we serve, and we are always looking to work with partners to provide opportunities for our students, so they develop not only through learning but also through experiences.

"We look forward to working with Arco on various projects and initiatives in the future as we develop our partnership further."

Gemma Ransom, Head of School at Sirius Academy West, said:

"We live in a digital age and the capacities of the present and future students require an ability and technical skill way beyond what was imaginable even five years ago.

"A strong ICT infrastructure is absolutely imperative for young people and their learning to enable them to achieve and be the best they can be.

"The donation of laptops, housed in our wonderful new Arco Suite, will ensure that Sirius Academy West students can do just that.

"We are incredibly appreciative of the generosity of Arco and their desire to improve the academic outcomes of young people in Hull."

Arco, the UK's leading safety company, is now verified carbon neutral for its direct and indirect emissions from energy use in its UK operations, marking a key milestone in its journey and commitment to becoming net zero by 2045.

As a family-run business, built on integrity and driven by its purpose to keep people safe, achieving carbon neutrality represents a key moment in Arco's wider environmental ambitions and its determination to protect both people and the planet.

Arco has achieved carbon neutrality for energy by working with environmental and energy management experts Environmental Strategies Limited as well as with iOffset, an organisation dedicated to helping organisations reduce and offset their unavoidable emissions by funding an equivalent CO2 saving elsewhere. All iOffset projects are verified and accredited by the world's leading carbon registries, such as The Gold Standard, Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and The United Nations (UN).

To offset its emissions, Arco has selected two projects that give back to the countries and communities that support its supply chain and which both prevent and capture carbon. The safety expert is funding the Verra accredited CAZ Project in Madagascar, one of the first REDD initiatives in Africa aiming to reduce deforestation and degradation, and the Gold Standard CDQ Project in China, which helps cut greenhouse gas emissions annually.

With Arco now being verified carbon neutral for energy, the next step for the business is achieving a 50% reduction in its 'absolute' Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon emissions by 2030. To achieve this, Arco will measure against a baseline taken in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To achieve this 'absolute' reduction and to continue making good progress towards net zero, Arco is embedding sustainability into its day-to-day operational activity across the business, including at its National Distribution Centre (NDC), retail stores, offices and vehicle fleet.

Arco purchases all its electricity for buildings from renewable sources and the company is investing to replace legacy lighting systems at its NDC and other selected sites with high-efficiency, modern fitments that will save 172 tonnes of carbon. The company is also progressing with its plans for 50% of its fleet to be comprised of ultra-low emission vehicles by 2025.

Environmental Strategies Limited audited Arco in accordance with ISO 14064 and verified the business as carbon neutral in terms of Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions for energy use. Arco will continue to work closely with Environmental Strategies in relation to Scope 3, which looks at carbon emissions from other areas including purchased goods and services, transportation and distribution in the supply chain as well as business travel and employee commuting and will then develop plans to address carbon emissions in these areas, which will support Arco in achieving its commitment of carbon net zero by 2045.

Danny Hobson, Head of Ethics and Sustainability at Arco, said:

"As a responsible company, achieving carbon neutrality for energy was the right thing for us to do. We are determined to make a meaningful difference as we strive towards our goal of carbon net zero. This means continuing to explore and action all the ways we can make a positive impact, from cutting emissions to investing in fleet and waste management and ensuring best practice in circularity through sustainable product development, packaging solutions and product recycling capabilities."

Arco's Managing Director, David Evison, added:

"As a family-run company, Arco has always put corporate and social responsibility at the heart of the organisation. Achieving carbon neutrality for energy marks our care towards the environment and the people and communities within it. We are committed to achieving net zero by 2045. Over the coming years, we will continue with further projects, investments, partnerships and initiatives that reduce our carbon footprint and continue to lead by example, both in our communities and in our industry."

Leading safety company Arco announces that its campaign identifying the issues with PPE procurement in the first phase of the pandemic and advice on future preparedness has won the PRCA National Award for the Crisis and Issues Management category.

Working with its Public Affairs advisors at Dentons Global Advisors Interel and Public Relations agency Houston. Arco, as the UK's leading provider of personal protective equipment (PPE), published a Position Paper: Personal Protective Equipment and the Government's Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic that offered insight into its experiences dealing with Government bodies and other agencies as part of the PPE supply chain.

Proposing a 10-point set of recommendations to prevent a repeat of the high-profile issues that were seen during the first wave of the crisis and to ensure the country is better protected in any future pandemic, Arco provided a strong and authoritative voice in the industry and the report was picked up and read in parliament by MP for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle, Emma Hardy. With support and invaluable insight from Thomas Martin, Chairman of Arco and Neil Hewitt, Director of QSHE UK & Asia, the report shared findings with the independent Public Accounts Committee, and led to Thomas Martin being invited to give expert evidence as a witness to the Committee's inquiry into how the Government procured PPE.

Thomas Martin, Arco's Chairman said:

"With over 135 years of experience in the industry our core purpose is to help keep people safe, so we felt that it was our duty to report on our experiences and to support the Government in continuing to deal with the pandemic. We urged the Government to act on our recommendations and the evidence we gave has played a key part in raising awareness for the improvements needed in the regulation and purchasing of PPE and I'm really pleased to see that our work has been recognised with the PRCA National Awards in the Crisis and Issues Communications category.

I congratulate our partners Interel for devising and driving this project forward and for the ongoing support from our communications consultants at Houston who delivered a superb media campaign."

UK Safety Expert Arco Urges Businesses to Review Their Safety Signage

As businesses continue to reintroduce employees to the workplace, Arco, the UK's leading safety company, is raising awareness of the importance of reviewing safety signage to keep businesses compliant and employees and members of the public safe.

New workplace layouts designed to adhere to social distancing measures may be obstructing the visibility of signs installed before COVID-19. In addition, temporary closures may have disrupted regular cleaning and maintenance procedures, increasing the likelihood that signs may be dirty, faded or damaged. Safety signs are designed to help identify hazards and provide information on safe routes and access around buildings. However, signage must be adequately cleaned, maintained and updated to work effectively.

Arco is urging employers to consider whether their signage needs replacing and ensure it is in line with current regulations. Signs must meet the BS EN IS07010 standard to ensure all graphical safety symbols are consistent and compliant. Signs with universal images and symbols are essential in overcoming language or literacy barriers.

Under the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulation 1996, employers are responsible for providing adequate, current and maintained safety signs in circumstances where there is a significant safety risk. The regulation also states that employers must ensure their staff are aware of and understand the meaning of individual safety signs and signals by providing training where necessary.

Arco experts offer a specialist onsite survey and build bespoke safety signage plans. Its experts have also developed a downloadable self-survey tool to help businesses assess their initial safety signage requirements. With a comprehensive range of standard safety signage products and a customised solution service, Arco can help ensure companies are compliant with the latest legalisation and standards and, ultimately, keep their people safe.

Darren Williamson, Arco Product & Procurement Manager for Workplace Safety, said:

"A small investment in signage can make a huge difference to worker and visitor safety. However, safety signs must be considered an ongoing area of investment and improvement to ensure that they are visible, maintained and compliant with current health and safety standards."

To request a site survey by one of our experts, or download a self-assessment survey, please visit Site Surveys.