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info@bmf.org.uk www.bmf.org.uk
End of CE Marking next year
IT IS 9 months since UK-EU negotiators struck the post- Brexit free trade agreement last Christmas. But there are significant issues outside its scope that affect you - notably new conformity testing, assessment and labelling in Great Britain that will replace CE Marking.
The BMF and other industry partners are collaborating in the Construction Leadership Council’s Standards & Regulatory Alignment Group to solve complex technical & legal problems. We are very concerned at insufficient testing capacity and capability for companies to have goods certified for the British market, using UK Approved Bodies, in time.
We are hearing reports of distributors or merchants telling manufacturers that - unless goods have only a UKCA Mark - they will not accept them - and CE Marked goods will be rejected. This stock cleansing prior to 31 December 2021 shown on the official GOV. uk website is wholly unnecessary. Firms that de-list goods like this are labouring under a misapprehension that 31 December 2021 is a legal deadline: it is not. Until new laws are passed in the Houses of Parliament next year, existing legislation remains in force. CE Marked goods already placed on the GB market can lawfully be bought and sold after New Year.
BMF DIARY DATES
In light of the continuous changes to events due to COVID-19 precautions, please check the BMF website at www.
bmf.org.uk for all the latest news and events updates in this ever-changing environment.
Latest English Housing Statistics
BEFORE PARLIAMENT BROKE up for the summer recess, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government released the latest set of housing statistics for England.
The BMF has seen the
quarterly numbers for starts and completions. In the period January to March 2021, building control recorded:
• starts - work began on 46,010 homes - a 7% increase compared
to the previous quarter - a 21% increase on the same quarter in 2020 - the highest number of quarterly starts since January to March 2007 - but still a 6% drop against that period 14 years ago. • completions - work finished on 49,470 homes - a 4% increase compared to the previous quarter - this is the highest number of quarterly completions since the seasonally-adjusted records began in 2000.
The MHCLG noted that starts grew 36% year-on-year to reach the 46,010 figure. It added that in 2020-2021, houses made up 81% of all new builds against flats, the highest ratio for 20 years.
This is encouraging: nearly 50,000 new homes were built in the first 3 months of this year. But there is a long way to go to reach 300,000 per year by the mid- 2020s, the Conservatives’ target.
BMF commits to zero carbon operations
THE BMF HAS signed up to the SME Climate Commitment and pledged to take action to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2040.
The announcement comes the day after the publication of the United Nations’ landmark scientific report confirming the devastating impact of human activity on the earth’s climate and the immediate need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming.
BMF CEO John Newcomb said: “Climate change poses a threat to the economy, nature and society at large, and reducing carbon emissions is something businesses of every size must act upon.
The BMF is supporting and promoting the Construction Leadership Council’s ConstructZero programme and encouraging our members to become Net Zero Business Champions. But it is just as important for us to take proactive steps to reduce our
own carbon impact as well as supporting our members on their path to net zero. We encourage every member business, no matter what their size, to take action now.”
The BMF’s net zero project group has been meeting regularly since March to assess their current environmental impact and identify short, medium and longer term actions they can take to reduce carbon output, create a healthier working environment and, ultimately, save on operating costs. The BMF’s Tracy Wootton, who is leading the net zero team, said: “Assessing our carbon impact at the outset of our journey will enable us to accurately measure our progress. As a first step we have reviewed the day to day sustainability of our operations, for example lighting, climate control, printers and toner waste, use of plastics and travel / car use and have already identified simple and relatively low cost ways to reduce our carbon output and create a healthier working environment. “We are also speaking to our suppliers and utilities companies
The BMF welcome the following new members: September 2021
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net 45
to confirm their commitment to zero carbon.”
Simple first steps implemented by the BMF include increased use of LED and movement activated lighting, using paper rather than plastic wrappers to mail out its magazine and year books, moving from individual desk printers to larger shared printers, and using sustainable promotional materials for conferences and events. The BMF is also investigating financial incentives available for green initiatives to support medium to longer term objectives including the installation of electric vehicle charging points, solar panels, and changes to the current heating and ventilation systems. Earlier this year the BMF introduced a new Sustainability Forum, to bring together merchants and supplier members for regular briefings and discussions on net zero objectives and to share best practice. Book your place at the next BMF Sustainability Forum by visiting
www.bmf.org.uk.
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