We’ve been more and more exposed to the advances of climate change over the last few years – and are starting to witness a shift in mindset on the impact we can all have in driving change. 

So now, to celebrate all things sustainability, support and share tips for smarter environmental thinking, and remind each other just how much our carbon impact matters, we’re inviting colleagues, friends of the business and our peers in the wider industry to take part in this quickfire environmental Q&A.

Next up, it’s Oliver Lawton, co-founder of the Copper Sustainability Partnership and managing director at Lawton Tubes.

Where do you fit into the environmental sector? Tell us a little bit about your role at CuSP…

The Copper Sustainability Partnership (CuSP) was born out of Lawton Tubes and Mueller Europe joining forces — despite being competing copper tube manufacturers — to represent copper’s role in the manufacturing community. Together, we set out to promote the environmental benefits of copper and fight back against the plastics misinformation, after witnessing the sheer amount of harm the construction industry can do to the planet.

With construction, demolition, and excavation generating around three-fifths (62%) of total UK waste in 2018, it’s clear that our industry needed to make changes – not just for the planet, but for the people on it. It is clear we need to limit the resources used and focus on choosing sustainable materials with proven circular economies.

Complete the sentence – the UK is great at recycling… 

… copper, thanks to its ability to be infinitely recycled. In fact, to date, around half of Europe’s copper demand is currently being met by recycled materials.

Conversely, the plastics industry is perpetuating mistruths about their recycling efforts. For example, the recycling rate of PVC, a popular material for plastic pipes, is often reported as 100%. However, in reality, only 25% of PVC is recycled, with 5% being sent to landfills and a huge 70% being used for energy in incineration. This ultimately releases toxic chemicals and pollutes the atmosphere. Overall, the UK generated 222.2 million tonnes of waste in 2018 with the construction industry producing a staggering 137.8 million tonnes of this.

It’s high time we fight back against the plastics greenwash. With the facts behind plastic recycling proving to be mythical, we must prioritise reducing our use of this and other synthetic materials.

Which sector do you think could achieve significant environmental progress this year? 

The construction industry, without a doubt, could and should achieve significant environmental progress this year. Standard procedures, which have historically been used industry-wide, are becoming increasingly scrutinised and should no longer be considered best practice. Without comprehensive legislation introduced, soon we will not be able to move quickly enough to prevent further climate issues. 

Processes and industry practices need to be updated to reflect the needs of the planet. Currently, many industry standards have their roots in the ‘value engineering’ methodology, which focuses on reducing the cost of producing a product, without reducing its quality or efficacy. Unfortunately, this means that in practice, sustainability has not been prioritised. 

While installing plastic or synthetic materials instead of metals may prove to be a lower initial cost, this may not be the case in the long term. Thanks to copper’s extreme durability, it won’t need to be replaced or maintained as frequently as plastics, reducing costs in the long-term.

As the construction industry is one of the biggest contributors to waste in the UK, it’s a wonder why there haven’t been more regulations imposed on the sector. Furthermore, many industry leaders and trade shows all list sustainability high on their agenda, but how many of them actually practise what they preach? It is crucial that governing bodies and the construction industry take true accountability for their actions.

What do you wish you’d known about the environment, as a child? 

Hopefully speaking for a generation, I wish we had been better educated about the flaws of plastic and synthetic materials. Following the Second World War, plastics were hailed as a phenomenal answer to many problems due to their low cost, versatility, and ease of manufacture, and so they became popularised and mass-produced.

Now, as a society we find ourselves engulfed and overrun by plastic. In fact, research has found that an average person consumes one bank card’s worth of plastic every week, and for the first time, microplastics have been found in umbilical cords. Both of these terrifying facts demonstrate the harm being done by the material. 

As children, if we had been properly educated on the dangers of plastic to our planet’s health, as well as our own health, then the world may not be in its current state.

What’s the single biggest threat to the environment, in your opinion? 

The plastics greenwash perpetuated by key players in the construction industry. Many claim their plastic is completely recycled or recyclable, however, studies have found that in reality only 9% of the world’s plastic has ever been recycled.

Plastic is regularly praised as a simple solution, with businesses greenwashing their products and promoting the materials’ cheap cost. Which, during the current economic climate, is being seen as the most important factor. 

Share one tip to help people be ‘greener’, at work or at home: 

As the construction industry is the biggest contributer, we need to collectively educate ourselves on the effects of our usage and think in the much longer term. For people at work, it’s a case of discussing sustainable initiatives with management. This can lead to larger changes such as the installation of more sustainable materials — like copper — when plumbing or renovation work is needed.

In fact, research from the Copper Alliance suggests copper in a building’s drinking water system cuts around one-third of greenhouse gas emissions and energy use, compared to systems made from plastic (PEX-Al and PEX). With building operations being responsible for 28% of annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, choosing the recyclable option will not just support our impact at the end of its use, but help reduce our annual greenhouse emissions as well.

Tell us an environmental statistic that you think people need to know: 

Everyone should be aware of the power of copper and its environmental benefits. 65% of all copper that has ever been mined is still in circulation and thanks to infinite recycling capabilities, the world has and will continue to have a durable and versatile material to use for many years. What’s more, copper used thousands of years ago is still in use today and could even be in the wires of the screen you’re reading this on!

Complete the sentence – in 100 years’ time… 

Right now, we’re at a crossroads. We could continue the way we are, which in 100 years’ time will result in a highly polluted and unsafe world, or we could make changes to better the planet and increase our chances of prosperity.

The COVID-19 pandemic may have given us a shocking snapshot into the future, with much of the world’s population wearing masks in public. While in recent years it was to protect us from a harmful virus, in the future it will be to shield us from dangerous levels of pollution.

We already see this behaviour in China and have done for years. Perhaps in the not-too-distant future, it may become more widespread.

However, the team at CuSP do hope the future is bright — and copper coloured. But this will only happen if we genuinely make changes to the way we live and legislate. Pushing difficult decisions into the long grass will only make the planet uninhabitable for humans – I have no doubt the planet will survive, but will we?