Waste not, want not: Reducing excess with MMC
The startling reality that the construction industry is responsible for almost 40% of global emissions means it’s right that Roofspace Solutions is scrutinised on our sustainability credentials and issues such as excess waste. After all, it’s our ambition to help make the world a better home, and reach carbon-neutral status by 2045. We asked OSS Installation Director, Graeme Reed, to explain how we are able to build more quality homes whilst promising less waste compared to traditional builds.
Because we’re manufacturing everything off-site, we’re optimising the raw materials to create finished goods. This means we’re not only supplying structural material but the sheet material and the insulation too. In turn, this reduces the need for deliveries from a number of different partners down to just one.
“Our i-House™️ system delivers a 35% reduction in waste when compared to traditional methods, while i-Roof™️ provides a 25% saving.”
The wastage we produce on-site is very small. Take for example with i-Roof, where we typically have to dispose of the cardboard boxes from the roof lights, a few small pieces of plastic and some offcuts from the ends of the rafters – which altogether would fill only a few carrier bags, compared to an entire skip required for just one traditional roof.
Not out of sight, out of mind
But what good is it reducing waste on-site, when it only means that the rubbish can be found elsewhere? Thankfully, we can confidently assert that this is not the case with our systems. When we promise reduced waste, we mean across the board.
This is achieved via a number of methods. For example, we use computer-aided design (CAD) to optimise the use of materials, and in some instances are able to repurpose off-cuts which would otherwise go completely to waste. Those that we can’t use are donated to charities and initiatives across the UK.
Secondly, our factory processes are just like any others, which means we’re making things to pattern. Our buying power as a member of the Saint-Gobain Off-Site Solutions divisions means we can purchase materials in sizes and lengths that suit production, resulting in reduced waste from start to finish.
A sustainable promise
Roofspace Solutions is the first organisation in the panelised room-in-roof system industry to receive an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for our i-Roof solution. This is because we’ve developed systems to monitor our carbon waste usage. That will then better enable us to reduce them – once you can track something, you can improve it, and this will help inform us on how we can reduce waste across a building’s whole life cycle.
We’re also working with clients and our suppliers to reduce carbon and waste. This might be by ensuring that materials are travelling a shorter distance to their location, or supporting house designers to ensure they are built in an optimum manner for sustainability.
Ultimately, the EPD means it’s a lot easier for you to see how our products will factor into your project’s overall emissions, with the aim of helping to improve a development’s green credentials. To find out more or to get a copy of our EPD, get in touch and find out how we can reduce waste in your next development.