EnviroBuild has made history, becoming the first company in
the UK to publish the environmental impact of its composite products with an
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD).
Traditionally EPDs use an internationally standardised
method to determine the impact of a product over its lifetime. Completing the
report will allow EnviroBuild to identify and mitigate their contribution to
climate change and increase their sustainability. EnviroBuild freely chose to
make their EPD public in order to increase their transparency and to hold
themselves accountable to their sustainable commitments.
The team at EnviroBuild have looked at their environmental
impact at every stage of the design and development process including
manufacturing, shipping, disposal and treatment. This is particularly
significant as many manufacturers only consider their manufacturing processes
when creating an EPD, whereas EnviroBuild has analysed its business from
end-to-end, including its transportation, use and disposal stages.
Buster Palmano, Technical Director at EnviroBuild, said:
"The impact on the environment also covers more than just greenhouse gas
emissions (global warming potential), we’ve also looked into things like ozone
depletion, the environmental effect on bodies of water, the creation of any
harmful substances and water consumption."
The report revealed that the Net CO₂ works out at +1.53 kg
per kg of composite, when looking at every stage of the product lifecycle,
including the company's move to 100% renewable energy in 2021. The data shows
that the company is currently outputting more CO₂ than they are removing from
the atmosphere. The disposal stage is the largest contributor to this output as
the product releases carbon as it biodegrades.
In comparison, the data reveals that the raw material
processing stage absorbs more CO₂ than it releases. This is most likely due to
the fact the construction process of the composite products involves using
waste wood which absorbs CO₂ during its growth. The majority of the other raw
materials used are recycled plastic, which have very little impact.
The manufacturing stage of the EPD report has a small CO₂
output, which is largely due to the company moving to wind energy. By doing
this, they were able to reduce the total carbon impact by over 30%!
The ultimate goal of Envirobuild is to not only offset their
environmental impact but reduce it entirely. In order to address the findings
of the EPD and increase their sustainability, Envirobuild are starting multiple
initiatives.
Palmano said: "We are removing plastic packaging from
smaller items such as screws and we are looking to improve the sustainability
of our non-combustible flooring solutions, including porcelain paving and
aluminium decking (ProGrip and Aquachannel)."
The company is also looking to move the majority of its additional ranges to wind power. When purchasing renewable energy, the company will buy it in the country of production where they are using the energy. This is to ensure that they aren't, for example, polluting one country and then balancing that pollution by planting trees in the UK.
In order to address their biggest CO₂ output, Envirobuild
will be encouraging builders' merchants and customers to reuse old decking at
its end of life rather than sending it to landfill.
EnviroBuild is continually measuring and analysing the environmental impact of all of its products through LCAs and publishing EPDs, and using the results to objectively find the most effective way to reduce their environmental impact as much as possible. For EnviroBuild, the move to wind energy for Hyperion was just the start.
EnviroBuild
Quality
sustainable building materials without compromise
EnviroBuild is the UK’s leading builders' merchant for
sustainable building materials. They apply the latest technological innovations
to provide highly engineered and lasting environmentally friendly solutions
over traditional building materials. With over 60 years of experience in the
construction industry, EnviroBuild are leaders in their field, and providing a
quality experience for customers is at the core of their values. Their highly
trained expert team are on-hand to help customers at every stage of their
project, from take-off to completion.
Most recently, EnviroBuild launched new composite decking boards
to join the Pioneer and Frontier lines in the highly successful Hyperion range.
Hyperion Explorer has on one side a luxury, authentic textured wood grain
effect and on the other a traditional grooved finish, giving homeowners the choice
for their garden project. The game-changing Hyperion decking boards, in
addition to the cladding and fencing ranges of the same name, are now produced
using renewable wind energy as well. These latest changes to the production
method mean that Hyperion composite decking boards will now produce a whopping 59.67%
less carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) across its lifetime than maintained
timber deck boards.
Within the high-rise construction industry, EnviroBuild is
not standing still either. The new 150 Aqua Channel aluminium decking system is
their newest revolutionising non-combustible system on the market complying
with the newest fire legislations. The decking boards can be installed
alongside built-in drainage for effortless upkeep. Its modern take on decking means
a flush insert can provide a smooth and continuous look or be removed to create
a more traditional look of gapped individual boards. This ensures 150 Aqua-Channel
caters to all preferences and can be used to create versatile designs.
Given the innovative nature of these materials and others
EnviroBuild supplies, it is no surprise that the products are distributed
across thousands of homes in the UK and are increasingly becoming the first
choice for contractors, architects, landscapers, and construction firms. In
2020 alone, EnviroBuild brought on six new commercial projects during lockdown
including Taylor Wimpey’s new homes development at Innsworth and CALA homes
construction in Cheltenham. EnviroBuild also featured in the Guardian and on
ITV. Their garden furniture collection - Galleon - was also recommended by the
Independent and in 2020 saw a massive 250% increase on 2019 sales.
The business turned over £13 million in its last financial
year and in quarter two of 2020 EnviroBuild reported a 45% increase in revenue
on 2019’s figures and that increased even further in quarter three with a 51%
rise in revenue via the retail sales division.
Above all, EnviroBuild’s mission remains to significantly
reduce the carbon footprint of the construction industry by providing high
quality products that are consistently the better environmental choice over
current traditional products on the market. For every product EnviroBuild
sells, a pragmatic approach is taken to manufacture a commercially viable
product with significant environmental benefits; whether using high levels of
recycled material, renewable energy in production or intelligent design to
reduce input material in finished goods without compromising a long operational
life.
These careful assessments naturally resulted in several
awards highlighting the company’s sustainable efforts. In 2018, EnviroBuild had
been awarded the Federation of Small Business London Ethical and Green Business
of the Year awards, and was presented
with the Golden Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice within the
“Building & Construction, Innovation” category at the International Green
Apple Environment Awards. Most recently, they won the West London Business
Award in the “Green Circular Economy Business of the Year” category at the
start of 2021.
EnviroBuild also dedicates 10% of profits to sustainable
causes, which is unmatched in the industry. From the beginning they have been
supporting Rainforest Trust in their mission to protect endangered rainforests
and species. They recently celebrated their 5th year of donations to
the organisation and with those contributions protected nearly 250,000 acres
equating to over 62million trees across Africa, South America, Central America
and Asia.
EnviroBuild are true industry leaders in progressing the
sustainability and environmental impact within the construction industry.
Products include:
Outdoor & garden
Indoor
Awards won:
·
2018: Federation of Small Business London Awards
- Ethical and Green Business of the Year
·
2018: International Green Apple Environment
Awards – Golden Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice within the Building
& Construction, Innovation category
· 2021: West London Business Awards – Green Circular Economy Business of the Year
For more information, visit www.envirobuild.com
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