Spec Finish

Sustainability www.thefis.org 15 Adaptavate recently joined the FIS Sustainability Working Group ( www.thefis. org/membership-hub/working-groups/ sustainability-working-group ) to embrace positive ecological change and regeneration. They want to influence behavioural change in the construction industry and contribute to the FIS Net Zero campaign. www.adaptavate.com Manufacturer reduces carbon emissions In October 2021, Siniat, manufacturer of interior and exterior materials for drywall construction, reported a 17% decrease in CO 2 emissions per tonne in 2020 compared to 2010, and a reduction of 38% over the past three decades. These results are ahead of the sector’s 10-year target (10%) and the company’s own science-based 30-year target (35%). Find out more in their sustainability report: www.etex-bp.co.uk/sustainability FIS signs Pallet LOOP Charter The FIS is the first trade body to sign the Pallet LOOP Charter, which delivers a simple way of eliminating avoidable pallet waste. The Pallet LOOP is a new venture designed to deliver a change in the transportation of building materials throughout the UK. Through its deposit- based scheme, The Pallet LOOP will remove the need to harvest 4,500 acres of trees every year to feed current linear pallet practices. This in turn will reduce related industry CO 2 emissions by up to 70% and cut construction waste by around 10%. Pallet LOOP founder, Paul Lewis, said: “The drive for more sustainable ways of working has never been stronger, this topic is now championed at board level, scrutinised by stakeholders and expected by consumers.” By signing The Pallet LOOP Charter, FIS acknowledges that it is time for change. Currently, UK construction consumes 18 million pallets each year, achieving a reuse rate of less than 10% – significantly less than FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) retail, where pallet reuse is now the standard. This practice is clearly unsustainable. n the finishes and interiors sector alone it is estimated that there are around 25 pallets used per £100,000 of turnover. Supporters of the Charter commit to: • a comprehensive evaluation of how The Pallet LOOP could be integrated within our sector; • championing the adoption of a circular economy pallet solution that reduces associated CO 2 emissions, delivers improved safety and increases supply chain resilience through standardisation; and • cooperating with other industry stakeholders to accelerate sector wide implementation – conscious that there is no Planet B and that that we must act now and adopt more sustainable supply chain and distribution solutions. On signing the Charter, FIS CEO, Iain McIlwee, said: “The shift in gear needed to help us get where we need to be as a sector is about looking at what we can each individually and collectively do tomake a difference now. Logistics is key to enabling change and within this a focus on eradicating single use pallets makes perfect sense. We hope that finding a formula here will be a catalyst for change that can accelerate collaboration and focus the supply chain on practical steps to a practical, circular economy”. Members of the FIS community that have also signed the charter include Meronden, Willmott Dixon, BDL and Platt and Reilly. You can find out more about Pallet LOOP at www.thepalletloop.com or via the BBC Short featuring Pallet LOOP here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ av/business-59207678 World-leading Environment Act becomes law Legislation will improve air and water quality, tackle waste, increase recycling, halt the decline of species, and improve our natural environment. The Act will help the transition to amore circular economy, incentivising people to recyclemore, encouraging businesses to create sustainable packaging, making household recycling easier and stopping the export of polluting plastic waste to developing countries. These changes will be driven by new legally binding environmental targets, and enforced by a new, independent Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) which will hold government and public bodies to account on their environmental obligations. Commenting on the Act, IainMcIlwee, FISCEO, said: “This Act becoming law is the unequivocally the dawn of a newera.Whilst we have had numerous stuttering attempts at delivering amore sustainable economy, we have not seen the legislative imperative that will ultimately ensurewe deliver it. Contained in this Act is the ability to apportion responsibility and compel businesses to behave differently. In our sector, the pressure on the producers of waste (manufacturers or contractors) will start to be felt within projects, and access to finance is likely to become increasingly linked to our ability to demonstrate sustainability. “At FISwe are ready to do our bit and support our members not just inmeeting the requirements, but workingwith thewider supply chain to ensure that responsibility is shared and change isn’t just about contractualisation of responsibility but collaboration and that procurement considers a value-based approach not just based on costs. “It is a positive start to what will be a challenging journey, but one we have to take”. FIS Members wishing to update or develop a Carbon Reduction Plan can visit the FIS Sustainability Hub for resources and ideas or contact FIS Sustainability Champion, Flavie Lowres to discuss ideas and options. www.thefis.org/knowledge-hub/ sustainability flavielowres@thefis.org Innovate UK is part of Research and Innovation (UKRI), the national funding agency investing in science and research in the UK. Operating across the whole of the UK with a combined budget of more than £6 billion, UKRI brings together the seven Research Councils, Innovate UK and Research England. www.gov.uk/government/ organisations/innovate-uk Download the Net ZeroWhole Life Carbon Roadmap for the UK Built Environment here: https://www.ukgbc.org/ukgbc- work/net-zero-whole-life-roadmap- for-the-built-environment/