Helping members understand the net zero agenda and its relevance to the sector

Helping members understand the net zero agenda and its relevance to the sector

by | May 13, 2022 | Sustainability

Net Zero is rapidly becoming a high priority and therefore the FIS Sustainability Group has put together a series of papers to help FIS members understand more about the net zero agenda and its relevance to the finishes and interior sector. These papers provide members with an overview of:

  • How to measure the whole life carbon impacts of products and projects using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach
  • What net zero means at project and organisational levels and approaches to measuring the carbon footprint of an organisation
  • An action plan for the sector to start getting a better understanding of the performances of FIS members

These papers provide an overview of the most commonly used jargon in relation to the topic, how to measure, what the drivers are and references to other relevant information.

They are freely available to FIS members at https://www.thefis.org/knowledge-hub/sustainablility/sustainability-related-to-your-activities/net-zero/

24 June - Net Zero - measuring your carbon footprint

The UK Government has committed the UK to be net zero by 2050. In this session, we will discuss what this means for the finishes and interior sector, both at organisation and activity level (product and project).

An FIS member will share their experience of measuring their organisational carbon footprint. Following the short presentation, this session will provide an opportunity to understand more about the papers that have been published by FIS and ask questions/share any concerns or issues.

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Greenwashing – make sure your claims don’t come out in the wash

Greenwashing – make sure your claims don’t come out in the wash

by | Apr 26, 2022 | Sustainability

The Competition and Markets Authority has produced its Green Claims Code to help businesses understand how to communicate their green credentials while reducing the risk of misleading consumers. The Code focuses on 6 principles that are based on existing consumer law, these are:

  • claims must be truthful and accurate
  • claims must be clear and unambiguous
  • claims must not omit or hide important relevant information
  • comparisons must be fair and meaningful
  • claims must consider the full life cycle of the product or service
  • claims must be substantiated

These bear similarity to our sector’s Code for Construction Product Information which emphasizes the need for clear and robust statements about the performance and impact of a product.  This applies to green claims just as much as to other performance claims.  This is an area we may need to visit in more depth to ensure green claims in our sector are robust.   If you are making a claim about the environmental impact of a product then it should be on the basis of the standard EN 15804 to produce an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD).  This considers impact through the whole lifecycle of a product.

New Sustainability Disclosure Requirements and Plastic Tax

New Sustainability Disclosure Requirements and Plastic Tax

by | Apr 21, 2022 | Main News Feed, Sustainability

Duty to report

Organisations with more than 500 employees and a turnover over £500 million are now required to report climate‐related financial information on an annual basis. The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has published guidance to help organisations understand how to meet the new requirement.

This is likely to impact many companies in the finishes and interiors sector supply chain.  Whilst most won’t be reporting, they will likely be under greater pressure to supply information and data to their larger clients. 

Plastic Packaging Tax

The UK Government has introduced the Plastic Packaging Tax.  This Tax came into force on 1st April 2022 and will be charged at a rate of £200 per tonne. The tax applies to ’packaging that contains more plastic by weight than any other single material’. However, packaging that contains at least 30% recycled plastic is exempt. For more details see the paper written by CPA here.

Need help complying, you can talk to the FIS Sustainability Champion on 0121 707 0077

Visit the FIS Sustainability Hub

NHP Supplier Guide

NHP Supplier Guide

by | Apr 21, 2022 | Main News Feed, Sustainability

The New Hospital Programme (NHP), which is developing 48 hospitals by 2030, has published the NHP Supplier Guide. The guide is aligned to the Construction Playbook and sets out what is important to the NHP ‐ better, faster and greener procurement ‐ and what it requires from its supply chain to realise the opportunities available. The guide, which will be updated regularly, follows publication of the first NHP commercial pipeline, which gives suppliers visibility of current and future contract opportunities on proposed projects up to 2024.

Commenting on the launch of the new Guide NHP Commercial Director, Emma-Jane Houghton stated:

“Traditionally each time we build a new hospital today, it’s effectively treated as a standalone scheme that fails to fully capture the opportunities to standardise design, leverage scale or foster long term sustainable growth within the UK supply chain.

The NHP represents a dramatic shift from traditional ways of hospital building. We have a unique opportunity to create an infrastructure ecosystem that transforms the way hospitals are designed, procured and constructed.

The scale of the New Hospital Programme will call upon the skills and expertise of companies of all sizes, across a broad range of sectors.

This is an opportunity for businesses to make long-term investments in their capabilities, create jobs, drive growth and help in delivering world-leading experiences for patients and staff. We need to bring the right people and the right teams together to foster innovation and deliver hospitals of the future That’s why we’re calling upon the knowledge and experience of the widest breadth of suppliers from construction components, medical equipment and beyond.”

You can download the NHP Supplier Guide here

Government’s Energy Strategy Published

Government’s Energy Strategy Published

by | Apr 21, 2022 | Main News Feed, Sustainability

The Government has released its British Energy Security Strategy with the aim of providing secure, clean and affordable energy for Great Britain. It sets out how the deployment of wind, nuclear, solar and hydrogen will be accelerated, which could see 95% of electricity being low carbon by 2030, whilst supporting the production of domestic oil and gas in the nearer term. Offering significant opportunities for construction, measures include planning reforms to cut the approval times for new offshore wind farms from four years to one year and a £120 million Future Nuclear Enabling Fund which could see eight new reactors built across Britain.

To help the industry reduce its reliance on diesel in line with the CO2nstruct Zero target to eliminate 78% of diesel plant from sites by 2035, Build UK has published its ‘Drive Out Diesel’ guide which contains a range of tips to use less diesel, go alternative and use more electric plant and equipment on site.

Construction hits first target on roadmap to Net Zero

Construction hits first target on roadmap to Net Zero

by | Mar 18, 2022 | Sustainability

The construction sector has hit its first target in its campaign to drive carbon out of the sector.

Last year the Construction Leadership Council launched its CO2nstruct Zero industry-change programme with the aim of eradicating carbon from buildings and infrastructure.

The programme includes a Performance Framework to monitor progress and whether the industry is living up to its commitments.

There are 28 metrics included as part of the framework, covering issues including the reduction of embodied carbon in products, lowering the volume of waste produced by projects and boosting the number of carbon-retrofitted homes.

While some of these metrics will take years to achieve, the campaign has secured its first success, with 90% of planning, design and estimating professionals having access to the relevant Net Zero training and post qualification Continued Professional Development.

This early win is crucial as carbon awareness among designers is seen as an essential enabler for work to cut carbon elsewhere in the construction process.

The CLC has committed to updating the CO2nstruct Zero Performance Framework on a quarterly basis, with today’s publication being the second update. Other positive outcomes reported today include a steep jump in the number of heat pump installers (rising to 3,555) as well as a welcome increase in the number of properties with Energy Performance Certificates.

While this first success helps to sustain momentum, the CLC is clear that there is still a huge amount of work to do to secure the other targets in the framework. To support this the CLC will be launching a series of new initiatives in the coming months including an industry group to secure zero diesel sites, and a focus on funding and finance for retrofit, as well as continuing to work with and grow its current base of 150 supporting companies, a number of whom have a global footprint.

CLC Co-chair and Construction Minister Lee Rowley MP said: “2021 saw CO2nstruct Zero established with industry leaders and Government. 2022 will see us continue to develop and grow the programme, working with our growing network of Business Champions and Partners to co-ordinate and promote our collective progress and influence companies across the sector’s breadth and depth to join our journey”

Hannah Vickers, Programme Director for CO2nstruct Zero and Chief of Staff at Mace, said:
“Delivering a transformed construction sector that is fit for a net zero future will take a huge, collaborative effort from across the entire industry. Ensuring that we’re measuring our collective performance is a vital first step to enable that collaboration – and that’s why the progress we’ve tracked so far is so positive. These are the first steps on a long journey; but one that is crucial to our industry’s future.

FIS Sustainability Hub

FIS is committed to taking a pro-active lead, not just in supporting the UK ambition to net zero carbon by 2050, but delivering profound transformation within our supply chain on all aspects of ethical and environmental sustainability. We have created this hub to bring together resources and information that will support your journey to net zero.

Find out more