Supply chain needs to innovate to aid low carbon builds HOLISTIC APPROACH IS KEY TO BUILDING SECTOR FULFILLING CARBON ZERO TARGETS WRITES ANDY NEAL, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF IG MASONRY SUPPORT …
T he delivery of sustainable government requiring the country to be net zero by 2050, the need for the construction industry to improve its emissions output has become more acute. While buildings that offer low energy in-use are critical, the environmental buildings has been a focus for many years, but with the UK impact of materials and their production is just as important. If manufacturers are to fully take ownership of their sustainable responsibilities, it will require making a holistic assessment of their overall environmental impact. This includes focusing on day-to-day production processes, which will play a large part in delivering low carbon buildings of the future. Committing to a companywide approach, rather than focusing solely on the environmental credentials of its products, is integral to a successful carbon zero strategy.
TAKING THE INITIATIVE FOR PRODUCT INNOVATION IG Masonry Support’s carbon zero programme was set up because we as a company wanted to be recognised as a sustainable organisation in our own right, regardless of what other businesses were doing. But it also dawned on us that manufacturers such as ourselves had a responsibility to innovate the low carbon products the construction industry needed to increase the carbon efficiency of the UK’s future building stock. Providing a wider range of sustainable products will give builders greater influence when it comes to reducing environmental impacts of the properties they are creating. This is far from the case, currently. It’s estimated that even major housebuilders have only 1% control over the building process, because everything they build with is supplied by different sources, which vary in sustainable composition and performance. To build with greater efficiency and consistency, construction companies
need to engage with responsible sustainable manufacturers, who in-turn need to innovate products that result in less environmental impact. Individual companies have the capability to control the eco-friendly aspect of their business and products. Ultimately, however, it’s the responsibility of the building supply chain to innovate solutions that provide end users with the best possible chance of creating sustainable buildings. SUSTAINABLE STEPS The first major steps in our sustainability journey were taken when we switched to 85% recycled stainless steel and reduced our landfill waste to 0% in 2018. We have continued to take leaps towards achieving our ambitions and more recently became a carbon neutral organisation. This was achieved by enlisting the services of an external body (Carbon Footprint) whose initial task was to clarify how far short we were from our target. Following this assessment, we embarked on an offsetting programme to reduce the
“Committing to a companywide approach, rather than focusing solely on the environmental credentials of its products, is integral to a successful carbon zero strategy.”
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