SUSTAINABILITY
CROSS-PARTY
Waste recycling will play a central role in the quest for Net Zero. BMJ finds out how a new plastic waste recycling initiative being implemented by Polypipe Building Products and its partner, Wolseley is aiming to do just that.
I 28
COLLABORATION TACKLES WASTE AT SOURCE
n recent years, there has been a significant shift in the industry’s approach to reducing operational carbon. Partially driven by demand but also driven by updates to Building Regulations such as Part L, many are encouraging the use of low energy systems in both new builds and retrofit projects. Chris Smith, Head of New Build at Polypipe Building Products says that, when it comes to embodied carbon, we’re making smaller steps. “While some firms are implementing science- based targets and increasing the volume of recycled content within products, to put it simply, it is not enough,” he says. According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), 100 million tonnes of waste is produced by the construction industry every year. Furthermore, the Construction Industry Waste Report found that the sector generates 62% of the UK’s overall waste and 32% of this is sent to landfill.
These alarming statistics highlight that, despite the sector’s recent efforts to be operate more sustainably, waste could be our Achilles heel. “If we are serious about lowering the industry’s carbon footprint, we need to place more consideration on what happens to product when it is regarded as surplus, or no longer needed. It’s not only the products we install that make a difference, it’s the materials that fall to the wayside, too,” Smith adds.
Supply chain collaboration More businesses are both designing and building with deconstruction, rather than demolition, in mind. However, Smith says that, while considering what happens to products at the end of their life is a positive step, it is important to consider what happens to materials if they are no longer needed at the start of their life, too. Recycled content will only go so far if ends up in landfill before the building is even occupied.
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net January 2025
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
