Setting the standard for sustainability
John Cooper, commercial director at Swisspacer, discusses the Government’s Net Zero targets and why the construction sector needs to take action sooner rather than later.
It feels like we, as a nation, are finally in a place where we have the right level of interest in climate change and the inclination to each do our bit to improve our impact on the planet.
Co-Op’s Ethical Consumerism Report 2021 found that in the 10 years to 2020, our average household spending on ethical or sustainable products and renewable energy services increased by a massive 110%.
Another report by Supercharged Commerce found that 43% of UK shoppers would pay more for a product or service if it was sustainably or ethically sourced.
Whilst their buying behaviours of every-day items has been improving, homeowners have also been opting to have new energy efficiency measures in their homes. The 2021 Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report found that the market demand for eco home improvements increased by 44% in 2021, compared with 2020, with new PVC-U windows and doors topping the list of ‘Most Popular Eco Jobs’ posted through Rated People in 2021.
As energy prices continue to rise, there is no doubt that homeowners who haven’t yet looked at improving the energy efficiency and comfort of their homes, will start looking at their options and looking at the sustainability of the products they choose.
Improving the built environment
In the UK, there are more than 28.6 million homes and more than 1.9 million ‘non-residential’ buildings, which, according to The Royal Academy of Engineering, results in “the built environment” contributing up to 40% of the UK’s carbon emissions, with direct emissions – namely the use of fossil fuels for heat, hot water and cooking – reaching 88MtCOe in 2019 or 18% of the UK’s total emissions.
It’s no wonder that the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy’s 10-point plan for the ‘Green Industrial Revolution’ includes a focus on Greener Buildings and The Future Homes Standard is focussed on making sure that any new homes built in 2025 and beyond must produce 75-80% less carbon emissions than the current Regulations allow.
We may think that we have a lot to tackle with the implementation of Approved Documents F, L and O from 15 June 2022 but there are many more pressures on the horizon for the construction industry as Government ploughs on with its 2050 Net Zero targets.
One of the key takeaways from the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) for the UK was that financial and listed companies will need to publish a publicly available strategy for how they will achieve 2050 Net Zero targets. These documents need to be published by 2023 and must include detail on the actions that companies intend to take in order to achieve the targets.
Setting standards early
With homeowners eager to buy more sustainable and ethical products and increasing pressure on the construction industry to lower carbon emissions, it makes sense to start making steps towards a better built environment by choosing the right sustainable components to futureproof products. Small changes to your manufacturing process now will get your business ahead of the game.
A study by Passive House Institute in 2021 looked at the energy, CO2 and cost savings that can be made by using Swisspacer products. It found that in an average single-family home with 30m² of insulated glass units featuring Swisspacer Ultimate, instead of aluminium spacer, resulted in energy savings of up to 140 kg CO2/year – that’s the equivalent of more than 17,000 smartphone charges or the consumption of 13.8 gallons of diesel.
What’s more impressive is that within 2.5 months of installation, Swisspacer spacers save enough energy to neutralise its own product emissions, so less than three months after fitting, the spacer becomes carbon neutral – pretty impressive performance for one component of an IGU!
Choosing the right components that improve the sustainability of the products you sell now, will help to futureproof your business, meet tomorrow’s energy efficiency targets, and today’s demand from homeowners for products that have minimal environmental impact.