ARTICLE: Why we need to drive more sustainable supply chains for a net-zero future

As more UK housebuilders, investors, and developers outline their net-zero goals, the pressure is on the building materials supply chain to deliver sustainable solutions. Lorna Stork, our UK Environmental, Sustainability, and Governance Director sees the distributors’ role as key to helping the wider construction industry reach these targets, and discusses her thoughts below.

Business strategies for reaching net zero targets often start with looking at the carbon footprint in ‘scope 1 and 2’ – these are the carbon emissions an organisation is directly responsible for and identifying ways of reducing these. But for those responsible for delivering a building project the biggest expenditure can be ‘scope 3’, or all other indirect emissions, which relate to the products used and over which a business can have limited direct control over.

The key to determining a product’s impact comes from measuring its embodied carbon, and how much Carbon dioxide (CO2) is consumed within the manufacturing process. While there are ways to calculate, there is not always consistency in the methodology for measuring. Suppliers are starting to collect this data but assessing and understanding all this information from different sources can become complicated. While this may all sound like a daunting challenge for the industry, it does not need to be.

Understanding where to start

This is where a distributor and its position in the building materials supply chain can make a difference.

SIG UK is well-positioned as we have access to multiple manufacturers and can supply the right product for the right solution. However, what is becoming increasingly important is understanding the embodied carbon generated by product manufacturing.

It can be complicated to gather consistent embodied carbon data. The most common methodology for calculating embodied carbon uses Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), based on the European standard EN 15804. However, one product supplier might measure the embodied carbon from the raw materials through to the manufacturing stage, whereas another might focus on the whole product lifecycle. There is currently no consistency in how far manufacturers measure their embodied carbon data.

Understanding this product data becomes increasingly important when taken in the context of setting carbon reduction goals. Across the UK, housebuilders, investors, and property developers are setting these targets for themselves. However, it is the product they are specifying, both its embodied carbon and performance in use, which can prove to be the toughest to reduce.

Setting the standard for measurement

This is where a distributor such as SIG can use its central position in the building materials supply chain to become the link between this carbon data and housebuilders. Creating a common method for measuring product carbon performance is a key focus. This is vital if we are to drive change down the supply chain and offer clarity to housebuilders.

SIG in the UK is working to develop a consistent methodology based on EPD or lifecycle analysis which considers the performance of the product in use. In this method, we would provide the EPD from manufacturers, and supporting this, the methodology will measure that product in use to provide a clearer view of the total environmental impact.

The consequence of this for the housebuilders is that their buyers will be able to make fair comparisons between products. All thanks to a common method of evaluating and measuring the environmental impact, supported by a robust methodology.

It is a tough challenge, but one that would benefit the housebuilding industry. This is just one part of SIG’s sustainability strategy which looks at our own carbon footprint and how we can also help our suppliers and customers reach their net zero goals too.

By implementing this within the supply chain, the goal is to accelerate the take-up of better performing, lower carbon products through the transparency of their carbon data. The result would be housebuilders having all the tools needed to make informed decisions and drive change, aiding the development of a wide range of products to meet evolving customer demand.

Many of our suppliers are already hard at work to reduce their own scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions. We have a responsibility to pass this information on and ensure it is as visible and transparent as possible as it accounts for our customer’s scope 3 emissions.

With this in place, it will become far easier to track, measure, and pass on those savings ensuring all our sustainability targets are met.