THE CLIMATE CHALLENGE 31


of FMCG brands,” says Phil, by contrast. “There is undoubtedly an opportunity for the construction and housebuilding indus- try to follow suit in the near future, and we would welcome these goals.” Despite the lack of waste reduction


targets, councils have begun to declare “climate emergencies,” which inevitably address plastic waste in many cases. Hampshire County Council, for example, has recently taken such a step, having announced that its highway maintenance contractor, Skanska, is trialling Econpro’s plastic kerbs as part of its movement to reduce carbon emissions. For councils, “and indeed the wider


industry,” Phil Sutton continues, there are two clear issues: the first being plastic waste in the open environment, “which is troublesome but can be managed,” and the second being carbon emissions. “This is something we need to tackle with great and immediate effect.” Phil adds however that this shouldn’t put


councils off using recycled plastic, as it is ultimately better than using virgin materials. “Holistic carbon footprint lifecycle analysis will become vital for council house construction,” he added. There are all sorts of new products that we as an industry should be using,


according to Econpro’s founder – from kerbing to asphalt: “Generally speaking, by using light weight products, you reduce the carbon footprint, and the most obvious material to achieve this is plastic; we shouldn’t be afraid to use plastic as a means of making infrastructure more sustainable, it is a very valuable resource with a huge


number of benefits, it just needs to be managed in the right way.” “There are so many products out


there that could really change the construc- tion and housebuilding industry,” he concludes. “It’s getting better, but the change isn’t happening fast enough.”


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