VIEWPOINT


THE SUSTAINABLE PACKAGE


Gareth Osborne, Senior Marketing Manager, Tarmac, explores the topic of sustainability and the company’s new all-weather, fully recyclable bags.


TARMAC’S CEMENT business has shown its commitment to sustainability by recently becoming the first major cement manufacturer in the UK to move to 50 per cent recycled plastic in its packaging, with the roll-out of new all-weather, fully recyclable bags. We are a major provider of construction products and services and, therefore, have responsibility to grow the business sustainably. While we are proud of what we have achieved so far, we do recognise there is much to be done. Our approach to sustainability means continually improving our environmental, social and economic performance over time. This means adopting a ‘life-cycle’ approach, to understand how the goods we buy are produced by our supply chain, how our raw materials are sourced, how our products are manufactured and transported, how products are used by our customers, how they perform when in use and what happens to them when they are no longer required. This approach means that we


“ With the


unpredictable UK weather,


somthing as simple as waterproof packaging can eliminate wastage through accidental damage.


”


can continually improve whole- life sustainability, rethink our business processes, products and services, and develop innovative ideas that allow our customers to create more sustainable buildings and infrastructure.


Why is it important? Sustainability is a key focus right across the construction sector and, like many other leaders in the sector, we’re committed to continuous improvement and driving forward innovations and ways of working which support ongoing progress in this area. This means taking a new approach to packaging materials and technology. We have been laying out a long- term roadmap to make recycled


16


packaging work for bagged cement and want to be at the forefront of how manufacturers re-think and re-design plastic packaging for bagged cement products.


These new eco bags are a significant step in our sustainability journey and, at the same time, provide the weatherproof and robust packaging that our customers want and need. Products manufactured at our cement plant packaging facilities in Scotland and Wales are all now in production with the new bag, which continues to offer rip, tear and puncture resistance, as well as providing essential protection against rain and water damage. Other sites currently producing a 30 per cent recycled content bag are due to switch to the 50 per cent recycled content bag in the coming months. The new packaging also


features clearer recycling labelling and information to encourage customers to ‘empty, rinse, recycle’ and dispose of the packaging responsibly. Plastic packaging offers a number of benefits for users over paper hybrid, which consists of a plastic inner layer and paper outer. Our packaging is permanently moisture resistant, waterproof, weatherproof and permanently rainproof. In contrast, paper hybrid is moisture resistant up to 120 hours, partly waterproof, not weatherproof and only rainproof for up to six hours. With the unpredictable UK weather, something as simple as waterproof packaging can eliminate wastage through accidental damage. Around three years ago we identified that we wanted to


improve the environmental credentials of our plastic bags. Several bag manufacturers have since been working collaboratively to produce and trial the new packaging. The challenge has always been to maximise the recycled content of packaging without compromising the functional benefits and we are happy that we have achieved this with the new eco bags. This packaging solution is the result of two years of extensive trial work, delivering a tried and tested solution which remains the only sustainable, weatherproof bag solution on the market. Absolutely, this is an ongoing


process of development and we do have ambitions to further increase the sustainability credentials of bags in the future. The ultimate goal is to move to a non-plastic solution that gives the same packaging function. However, this technology does not currently exist. We will continue to work closely with our packaging suppliers to take incremental steps to help drive continuous improvement.


What do merchants’ customers say? Clearly, there is an appetite for more sustainable packaging solutions, providing they still do the job they are intended to. In a survey of 400 end-users ranging from large contractors to small builders in November 2020, seven out of ten said they would prefer to use 50 per cent recycled plastic if given the choice at the point of purchase. This compares to 12 per cent for Blue Circle non-recycled plastic and ten per cent for a tough paper bag from another brand. BMJ


www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net June 2021


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