Nowadays being sustainable couldn’t be more important. Sustainability is essential for the prosperity and well-being of all, from customers and the communities in which organisations operate to the long-term success of a business and society as a whole.
Here Ryan Moss, senior commercial manager at Tarmac, gets into the nitty gritty of this hot topic, exploring sustainability in the construction industry.
Recover, reuse, recycle and…. repeat!
The world is changing, and it is widely recognised by UK Government and the construction sector that environmental and social considerations will completely transform our future, what we build, what we build it with and how we build it.
While handy over-flow resources can be saved for future projects or even recycled, there is one notable item which can lead to a large amount of waste on site, and that is pesky packaging. Of course, plastic is often used due to its strong and durable properties. However, there is a clear opportunity to increase its environmental credentials and, the innovative ways are being developed to capture, recover, reuse and recycle, or even design new ways to package products.
When it comes to packaging, it’s either eco or a no-go
A key focus for the construction sector, like many others, is commitment to continuous improvement and innovative ways of working which support ongoing progress in this area. This means taking a new approach to packaging materials and technology.
Designing sustainable packaging that is robust and weatherproof enough for bagged cement products was a challenge. However, Tarmac’s mighty eco bags, launched last year, are a significant step in the company’s sustainability journey and, at the same time, provide packaging that their customers want and need.
Products manufactured at Tarmac’s cement plant packaging facilities around the UK are in production with the new bag. Their bags continue to offer rip, tear and puncture resistance, as well as provide essential protection against rain and water damage. Other sites currently producing a 30 percent recycled content bag are due to switch to the 50 percent 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.
Tarmac’s approach offers several benefits for users over paper hybrid, which consists of a plastic inner layer and paper outer. Their packaging is permanently moisture resistant, waterproof and weatherproof. 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 unpredictable UK weather and dreaded winter approaching, something as simple as waterproof packaging can eliminate wastage through accidental damage.
Tarmac’s ultimate goal is to move to a non-plastic solution that gives the same packaging protection and benefits. We are continuing to work closely with packaging suppliers to take incremental steps to help drive continuous improvement and head in this direction.
Never set in stone… or set in concrete!
There is always room for improvement. Taking steps to improve the sustainability credentials of an organisation is a continual journey and that’s why Tarmac regularly reviews their ways of working. This includes how the goods tjey buy are produced, sourced, manufactured and transported. As well as how they are used by the company’s treasured customers, their performance levels and how they’re disposed of when no longer required.
For more information about Tarmac’s sustainability priorities, visit: https://tarmac.com/sustainability/.
