Barry Mellor of @aggregateUK discusses how greener #construction materials are key to #sustainability & explores how #BREEAM has driven demand for greener concrete solutions @buildingnews https://t.co/FGnTN2btXs— BREEAM Official (@BRE_BREEAM) November 27, 2018
Amid a growing public consciousness around the importance of sustainability, it is becoming increasingly critical for the construction industry to go beyond compliance and adapt its business approach to incorporate a more environmentally friendly stance.
Not to be overlooked, concrete specification can have a major role to play in this; helping to not only vastly reduce the requirement for quarried material, but also the overall associated carbon footprint.
Balancing the need for economic growth with sustainability remains one of the most pressing challenges facing the modern construction world…
For instance, recent years have seen the growing use of concrete made from secondary aggregate - materials which would otherwise become landfill – which in accordance with BREEAM specifications means it can be counted towards the recycled aggregate content of a build project.
Using secondary aggregates in the concrete mix also replaces the need for quarried natural aggregate and in doing so can reduce CO2 emissions in buildings by up to 10%, as by being up to 50% lighter than natural aggregate, it means fewer truck journeys are needed to transport construction materials – resulting in significant cost savings for the build.
Amid recent reports showing that almost two-thirds of businesses operating in the UK construction sector are now more committed than ever before on taking action on sustainability, the direction of travel for the industry is clear - reducing carbon emissions needs to be at the heart of everything we do.
This is, of course, from the same company planning a 2.5 MILLION MILE climate-busting haulage scheme across Devon.
