Sustainability has yet to become a key driver for product selection among housebuilders and architects, with availability and cost still the main factors influencing purchasing decisions, according to exclusive new research from Ibstock, the UK’s largest brick manufacturer.
Conducted among 300 architects and housebuilders, the research asked respondents to rank the importance of factors used in materials selection, availability was number one, closely followed by price.
Sustainability came fourth, behind aesthetics and appearance. In fact, nearly two-thirds (63%) said their clients were ‘never’ or ‘rarely’ willing to pay more for sustainability and one in six never asked for sustainable building materials to be used.
This could be due to inconsistencies in knowledge across the sector. While many respondents could demonstrate a superficial understanding of the key issues, it was only respondents where sustainability was a key part of their role who could claim to have a detailed awareness across a range of sustainability-related topics.
However, even with these knowledge gaps, many believe that sustainability will become a key driver in the future. More than three quarters (77%) see sustainability as important to the future of the construction industry, or believe that materials should be sustainable, sustainably sourced, recyclable, renewable or environmentally friendly, with 41% of respondents believing that 80-100% of projects will have sustainability as a key consideration in five years’ time.
Andrew Halstead-Smith, Group Marketing Manager for Ibstock Brick comments: “With so much focus on a sustainable future across the construction industry, the results of our research show there is still more to do in terms of educating end customers of the added value benefits of selecting a construction product based on its sustainability credentials and removing the focus on availability and price from decisions.
“However, the research revealed that architects and housebuilders do think sustainability is important for the future of the construction industry and that materials should be sustainable or recyclable and sourced in a sustainable manner. Therefore, it’s clear to see why it’s so important for us to work together to bridge the gaps in knowledge that may exist and help customers see the benefits of sustainable products.
“At Ibstock, we take sustainability extremely seriously and agree that it is a vitally important issue for the future of construction. That is why we were delighted to see brick recently become the first construction industry product to gain verification under the BRE Global’s Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) scheme. We also continue to invest in the sustainability of our own operations and were the first UK brick maker to be awarded the internationally recognised standard ISO 50001 for energy management at our flagship ‘Centre of Excellence’ factory in Birtley. In addition, we were the UK’s first brick manufacturer to be awarded a very good rating for the responsible sourcing standard, BES 6001, which applies to all of our brickworks across the UK.”
Further demonstrating its commitment to sustainability, Ibstock was also the first brick manufacturer to achieve ISO 4001 – the environmental management standard – and has lead the way by publishing the annual Ibstock Environmental Report, now in its 14th year.
