Association Highlights Key Role of Construction Products in Delivering Sustainability

6 December 2007

The Construction Products Association has responded to the Sustainable Construction Strategy Consultation, and highlighted the actions needed to ensure construction products can play their key role in helping to deliver a sustainable built environment

Jane Thornback, Environmental Policy Advisor at the Association said: “The construction process happens because buildings and infrastructure are desired by society.  The Government has ambitious targets for new homes, better hospitals, schools, and transport infrastructure. The challenge is how to carry this out in a sustainable way which acknowledges the three pillars of sustainability – economic, social and environmental.  Construction products are part of this solution, both in terms of how they are manufactured and the functions they perform in a building, such as improving energy efficiency and in capturing renewable energy.”

Other key messages covered in the Association’s response include:

• Coherence. The Association would like to see the strategy bring coherence to government initiatives and agencies on all aspects concerning sustainability in the built environment.
• Consistency.  To invest and innovate, industry needs clear long term targets using standardised methodologies that do not change frequently.  Industry does not want, and cannot respond to, a plethora of conflicting targets measured in different ways.
• Whole life Cycle appraisal.  It is fundamental to assess whole life cycle impact rather than highlighting single issues, whether they are one part of the lifecycle such as operational or a characteristic such as resource depletion.
• Early engagement of manufacturers.  Much of what must be achieved would be greatly facilitated by the early engagement of manufacturers in construction projects, as recognised by Egan and earlier BERR work.