In a recent blog for the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), Roy Fishwick, Managing Director of ASBP Patron member Cleveland Steel and Tubes Ltd, calls for more entrepreneurialism in order to fully unlock the circular economy in construction.
The circular economy is finally gaining traction in the UK. Whilst coronavirus is rightly the focus of attention at the moment, it is clear that, over the last year, the climate and ecological crises have become a motivating force which have entered the public consciousness. As a staunch believer in circular solutions, and as the manager of a business operating to circular principles, I welcome this increased sense of urgency and focus on achieving circularity.
However, while public opinion may have shifted, on a practical level I see little progress in projects and, too many times, circularity falls at the first hurdle and is deflected by the weakest excuses and feeblest of efforts. This raises the question, if so many people are proclaiming the benefits of the circular economy, why is it seemingly so difficult to achieve?
In the simplest analysis it is because we lack people who want to “DO”!
Cleveland Steel and Tubes have pioneered the concept of ‘Greener Steel’ and have been leading the way in developing circular business models for the reuse of surplus steel for construction and infrastructure projects. Cleveland have supplied reused steel for use in the Olympic stadium in London, the roof of Wimbledon Court No. 1, Canary Wharf and the London Eye.
Cleveland Steel and Tubes are a long standing supporter of The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products, having been a key partner in our Innovate UK funded research projects and supporting our Resource Efficiency and Embodied Carbon workstreams.
Links
- Read the full UKGBC article here – https://www.ukgbc.org/news/circular-economy-needs-more-entrepreneurs.
- Watch a video recording of our recent webinar on the Circular Economy, Reuse and Construction featuring Roy Fishwick, Katherine Adams (ASBP), Jane Anderson (ASBP board member) and Colin Rice (Cullinan Studio) on Green Tiles – https://asbp.org.uk/video/ce-week-webinar-circular-economy-reuse-and-construction.
- Find out more about Cleveland Steel and Tubes Ltd at their new website – https://cleveland-steel.com/sustainability.