Tarmac
SUSTAINABILITY
T
he world is changing, and it is widely recognised by the UK Government and the construction sector that environmental and social
considerations will transform our future, what we build, what we build it with and how we build it. The construction industry has a vital role in meeting society’s needs for homes, schools, hospitals, transport infrastructure, clean water and clean energy, while ensuring that resources are used in the most efficient and sustainable way.
As the UK’s leading sustainable construction solutions business, Tarmac’s approach to sustainability is embedded in everything we do. Adopting and promoting circular economic thinking is central to this. This approach is helping to ensure that resources are reused and recycled wherever possible. Tarmac is a net user of waste – using more of other peoples’ waste than the waste we generate ourselves. Designing out waste at every stage of the product life cycle and developing products with greater durability, performance and longevity help to reduce the demand for natural resources and ensures we supply essential materials to our customers on a sustainable basis.
Sustainable packaging An area which can lead to significant amounts of waste on a construction site is packaging. This is often in the form of plastic packing, due to its essential strong and durable properties which are of particular importance for cementitious products. Last year, we became the first major cement manufacturer in the UK to move to 50% recycled plastic in our packaging with the roll out of new all-weather, fully recyclable hybrid bags. Products manufactured at our cement plant packaging facilities in England, Scotland and Wales are now manufactured with the new bag which continues to offer rip, team and puncture resistance, as well as provide essential protection against rain and water damage. Our packaging also features clearer recycling labelling and information to encourage customers to ‘empty, rinse, recycle’ and dispose of the packaging responsibly.
This packaging approach offers several benefits for users over paper hybrid, which consists of a plastic inner layer and paper outer. Our packaging is permanently moisture resistant, waterproof, and rainproof. In contrast, paper hybrid is moisture resistant up to 120 hours, only partly waterproof, not weatherproof and only rainproof for up to six hours. With the
PARTNERSHIP PACKAGING AND
Ryan Moss, senior commercial manager at Tarmac, explores the delivery of a low-carbon built environment.
unpredictable UK weather, something as simple as waterproof packaging can eliminate wastage through accidental damage.
Our step forward in developing the new packaging followed close collaboration between a number of bag manufacturers to produce and trial the new bags. We continue to work closely with suppliers on further innovations as part of ambitions to further increase the sustainability credentials of our bags in the future.
The Pallet LOOP
Collaborative working is key in driving forward sustainable innovations. Our partnership with The Pallet LOOP is another example of our commitment to design out waste wherever possible in action. We are tackling another waste product associated with construction products and sites; wooden pallets. We are now part of an innovative scheme aimed at minimising the consumption of single-use pallets across the construction industry. Around 18 million pallets are estimated to be used annually in the UK construction sector, but less than 10% are reused. Not only is this costly from a financial perspective, but also an environmental one. Under The Pallet LOOP scheme, manufacturers
November 2022 A supplement to builders merchants journal
pay a deposit for distinctively branded 100% FSC green pallets, which are engineers to last and used to transport products to construction sites. As pallets move through the supply chain, the deposit passes from manufacturer to merchant to the end-user. Once used, stacked and stored, the scheme operator collects the pallets and returns deposits, before repairing pallets as necessary and recirculation them. The Pallet LOOP is a fantastic initiative which is already helping to reduce construction waste by transforming the way in which pallets are used - and turning them into valuable returnable assets.
Continuous improvement At Tarmac we have clear ambitions set out in our 2030 Sustainability Strategy, ACT. We’re taking continual steps in our approach to the circular economy, and more widely in other key priority areas to drive improvements. The value of collaborative working is vital in developing and driving new innovations which will help our sector continue to deliver its important work, at the same time as placing a necessary focus on the need to accelerate actions which support a low-carbon built environment. n
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