COMMENT
Burning down the house?
W
hat accounts for over a third of all greenhouse gases emitted globally? I’m sorry to have to say, it’s us. As in, the building
and construction sector, which accounts for a whopping great 37% of global emissions. Ouch. On the plus side, that means there is massive opportunity and scope to do something about this. To lessen our impact on the planet, to reduce our reliance of fossil fuels, to recycle more, and therefore use less of the things that make this planet what it is. This sector, the businesses we run and interact with day-in-day out can make a difference. There is so much opportunity to bring in initiatives, investments and ideas that will the amount of carbon we emit into the atmosphere, and the number of natural, non-renewable resources we consume. Every Summer we see the impact of climate change on our European neighbours. Every year there’s another part of the UK that suffers from the effects of too much rainfall, in the wrong place at the wrong time and not managed well enough. Equally, there will be headlines this Summer about drought in certain areas, about hosepipe bans.
There are products out there that can make a massive difference to the impact that our built environment has on our natural environment. Already there are companies making huge strides towards net zero, and they aren’t always the most obvious ones. Thirty years ago, no-one would have thought that cement companies, with their huge factories and massive silos across the skyline, would be at the vanguard of the drive to decarbonisation. Yet, as our
CONTACTS Builders Merchants Journal
Datateam Business Media London Road Maidstone Kent ME15 8LY Tel: 01622 687031
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
EDITORIAL
Group Managing Editor: Fiona Russell Horne 01622 699101 07721 841382
frussell-horne@datateam.co.uk
Assistant editor Will McGill 01622 699185
wmcgill@datateam.co.uk
Editorial contributor Kevin Stanley
special extended feature looking at sustainable initiatives in the sector shows, cement carbon emissions are being hacked in half. There’s still a long way to go, but we’ve also come a long way.
Recycling, net zero, carbon emissions, the circular economy, water-saving, energy efficiency, better packaging, solar power, Future Homes Standard: we’ve covered all this and more this month. There is so much happening out there in the sustainability arena, and we have only had the chance to bring you some of the highlights.
There was so much that we could have written about, so many companies that are putting time, effort and resources into developing their products and services so that they minimise the harm caused to the planet by this industry just doing what it does. This is great news, because what this planet really needs right now – apart from some sense being banged repeatedly into certain heads – is for businesses in this sector to keep fighting the good fight, to carry on trying to reduce their impact on the environment, whilst trying to provide solid business benefits at the same time.
Sustainability means staying around. It’s about building the future. Our future.
Until Star Trek becomes a reality, this planet, the third rock from the sun, is all we’ve got. We really, really need to look after it a bit better than we do. BMJ
Fiona Russell-Horne Group Managing Editor - BMJ
“
Men do not live only by fighting evils. They live by positive goals, individual and collective, a vast variety of them.
Isaiah Berlin ” CONTENTS
4 Newsround What’s happening this month
8 News Extra
Are you up to date with the Simpler Recycling rules coming in?
10 People Who’s moved where and 10 Minutes With…
11 Meet the Future Our latest Rising Star.
12 Business Helpdesk Do you know what to about dust? 13 Viewpoint
Our regular and guest columnists. 16 Merchant Focus
When you love what you do, does it count as work?
18 SUSTAINABILITY
A special extended feature looking at some of the latest sustainable initiatives across the building materials supply sector.
42 Landscaping From bio-diversity rules to partner programmes, BMJ looks at what’s happening on the ground.
46 Supplier Focus
Naylor has a rebrand and a new focus on plastic instead of clay.
48 Painting and Decorating What’s new on the wall?
Production Controller: Nic Mandeville
ADVERTISING
Group Sales Manager: Dawn Tucker 01622 699148 07934 731232
dtucker@datateam.co.uk
Media Account Executive Morgan Borthwick-Hunter mborthwick-hunter@datateam.
co.uk
01622 699126 © Datateam Business Media Ltd 2025
Publisher: Paul Ryder
pryder@datateam.co.uk
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means, electronic or mechanical including photo-copying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without the prior written consent of the publisher. The title Builders Merchants Journal is registered at Stationers’ Hall. Suppliers have contributed towards production costs of some photographs in this issue.
CIRCULATION
ABC audited average circulation
July 2018-June 2019: 7,801 SUBSCRIPTIONS
UK 1 year: £97 UK, 2 years: £164 Outside UK: one year £113/$204; two years: £196/$353
51 Plumbing & Drainage BMJ takes a look at the plumbing industry trends and challenges.
53 Doors & Windows Opening up the latest trends.
58 BMF Industry Voice News and views from the BMF.
60 Product News The latest new products.
62 And Finally News and our Prize Crossword.
March 2025
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net 3
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
