SUSTAINABILITY
SUSTAINABILITY THROUGHOUT THE SUPPLY CHAIN
For builders’ merchants, sustainability is becoming part of everyday business, Garry Gregory, Packed Products Director at Tarmac, discusses the challenge of whole-life sustainability.
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whole-life approach to sustainability is key to driving the construction sector forward in the journey to Net Zero. Rather than focusing on one part of the process, those in the supply chain must look at the full journey of a product, from raw materials and manufacture through to transport, use and reuse. For merchants, that bigger picture helps answer the questions customers are increasingly asking at the trade counter.
Looking beyond the factory gate In the past, sustainability discussions around construction materials, like our Tarmac Blue Circle products, often centred on manufacturing emissions alone. While this remains important, it’s only part of the story.
A whole-life approach considers how materials perform over time, how efficiently they can be used on site and how easily they can be reused or recycled once their job is done. This matters to contractors and developers who want to cut waste, reduce carbon and meet project requirements without changing the way they build. For merchants, working with manufacturers that think this way makes it easier to have informed conversations with customers. It provides reassurance that sustainability isn’t just a claim, but something that’s built into the way products are made and supplied.
Clear standards, clearer choices With sustainability high on the agenda, customers are often faced with a confusing mix of claims and labels. Independent standards and certifications help bring clarity.
Recognised systems such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 show that quality, environmental impact and health and safety are being taken seriously across day-to-day operations. Meanwhile, product certification to standards like BES 6001 and schemes such as Achilles Building Confidence help demonstrate responsible sourcing across the supply chain. For merchants, this makes life simpler. These frameworks are widely understood across the industry and give customers confidence that products meet recognised benchmarks, particularly on projects where sustainability credentials are no longer optional.
Left: Garry Gregory, packed products director at Tarmac
supporting customers who want to make more responsible choices.
Merchants play a key role in helping customers reduce the environmental impact of their projects. Increasingly, builders want products that support sustainability goals without adding cost, complexity or risk.
This is where close working between manufacturers and merchants really matters. Products designed to reduce embodied carbon, while still meeting familiar British Standards, allow customers to make more sustainable choices without rethinking their entire build approach. It also means sustainability becomes practical. Instead of being something that only applies to large flagship projects, it becomes part of everyday construction.
Cutting carbon in practical ways Reducing carbon in construction materials means looking at every part of the process, including some of the most visible elements for merchants and customers.
Packaging is a good place to start. At Tarmac Blue Circle we were the first in the sector to introduce cement bags made with 50% recycled and recyclable material, showing how sustainability can be built into everyday products in a practical way. Importantly, it delivers environmental benefits without changing how products are stored, handled or used on site. For merchants, this helps reduce waste while
March 2026
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
Alongside packaging, cutting carbon in cement also means continuing to improve production. This includes reducing emissions at source and using technology and digital tools to cut waste and improve efficiency. Small, ongoing improvements across manufacturing can add up to meaningful reductions over time. Transport and logistics also have a role to play. Fewer road miles, greater use of alternative fuels and electric vehicles, and increased pallet reuse all help reduce emissions beyond the factory gate. For merchants, these changes also support their own sustainability goals and reporting, while helping to make the supply chain more efficient overall.
Shared supply chain effort Sustainability in construction isn’t something that sits with one part of the industry alone. It relies on manufacturers, merchants and customers working together to make steady, realistic improvements.
For merchants, choosing suppliers that take a whole-life view of sustainability helps remove uncertainty and build trust with customers. It supports compliance, simplifies product selection and helps future-proof businesses as expectations continue to rise.
As sustainability becomes a standard part of doing business, supply chains built on transparency, collaboration and practical action will be best placed to support a more sustainable built environment in the years ahead. BMJ
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