Summary
As part of Plastic Free July 2026, ASBP is hosted its fourth Reducing Plastics in Construction Summit.
Plastics pose serious risks to both human health and the environment. Their overuse and poor disposal pollute water, soil, and air, while microplastics have been detected in drinking water, seafood, and the air we breathe. Plastic waste also harms wildlife, damages ecosystems, and creates wider social and economic impacts. Addressing these issues will require reducing plastic use, improving waste management, and adopting more sustainable alternatives.
Concerns about the health effects of plastics in building materials and products are growing across industry, government, media, and academia. Although some research exists on both specific products and the broader health impacts of plastics, the evidence can be difficult to interpret and quantify. What is clear, however, is a broad consensus that the overuse of plastics may be contributing to negative health outcomes.
This summit brought together expert speakers from across the industry to examine the impacts of plastics on health and the environment, and to explore practical ways to reduce plastic use and adopt alternatives.
What you will learn
This recording will give participants a clearer understanding of how plastics are used across construction and the built environment, why they are attracting increasing concern, and what practical steps can be taken to reduce their impacts.
- Gain a clearer understanding of the health and environmental impacts associated with plastics used in building materials, products, and construction processes, including growing concerns around waste, pollution, and human exposure.
- Learn how plastics and microplastics can enter the built environment through product choices, packaging, site activities, and maintenance practices, and explore practical approaches to reducing these emissions.
- Explore examples of best practice from across the sector, including efforts to reduce unnecessary plastic use, specify lower-plastic alternatives, and improve decision-making around products and processes.
- Hear from practitioners, researchers, and industry representatives about current evidence, emerging priorities, and collaborative action being taken to address plastics in construction.
- Take part in a live discussion and Q&A to reflect on key challenges, questions, and opportunities for reducing plastics across the construction value chain.
Useful resources
- Plastics in Construction – Health Risks, Evidence and Alternatives
- Earth Action
- Plastic Free Babies
- A Plastic Planet
- CIRIA Microplastics in Construction Projects
Chapters
00:00:00 Welcome – Katherine Adams, Technical Director, ASBP
00:09:35 Plastic pollution – Charlotte Stalder, Environmental Consultant & Plastic Footprint Network Secretariat co-lead, earth action
00:23:43 A 12 minute fast-track exploring what will finally shift industry from its dependence on plastic – Sian Sutherland, CoFounder and Chief Changemaker, A Plastic Planet
00:41:56 Best practice on site to reduce microplastic emission – Joanne Kwan, Project Manager, CIRIA and Dr Ben Stride, Senior Environmental Consultant, Ramboll
00:57:40 Plastics and paints – Michiel Brouns, specialist in linseed paint and glazing, and CEO of Brouns & Co
01:11:57 Plastics in Construction: Health Risks, Evidence and Alternatives – Paper launch – Larry Tate, Projects and Communications Coordinator, ASBP
01:17:36 Q&A panel