Reducing preventable plastics

Real-world dematerialisation

Reducing preventable plastics

Real-world dematerialisation See more

Market need & context

Our customers and consumers want to see less plastic in use as part of wider shifts in attitudes and awareness to protect our planet. They want to do the right thing, and those personal values are shared by people within Ibstock and our dematerialisation plans. There is also an economic aspect. Buyers are looking to reduce costs as inflation goes up, so less plastic can help do that. And a significant driver has been the introduction of a plastic tax in 2021, where any plastic that doesn’t comprise at least 30% recycled content is subject to a £200 per tonne surcharge. The responsibility for that tax can extend to anyone in the supply chain.

Our customers want to do the right thing - and these values are shared by people within Ibstock.

Project objective: Reduce preventable plastics by 40% - by 2025

Ibstock is implementing a plan that will see its use of ‘preventable plastic’ cut by 40% by 2025.
In the 18 months to December 2021, we eliminated over 200 tonnes or the equivalent to nine million plastic bottles.
This target is not an end goal. By continuously reviewing packaging needs and learning lessons, as a result of the improvements made, ongoing reductions will be made.

Project overview

Our plastic reduction strategy has the following three key elements:

Removing plastic where possible
Reducing the amount of plastic used where it’s not possible to remove it
Looking at alternative materials that could replace the remaining plastic

Project outcomes

The biggest immediate reductions in plastic have been at the factories whose products are more regularly shaped, and therefore can be packed uniformly. In some cases, it has been possible to remove the plastic used for bagging entirely, with only straps remaining to secure the product for transportation.
A successful initiative has been to find better quality films with reduced thickness and 30% PCR content. This project has reduced virgin plastic consumption at some sites by over 30%.
Working with suppliers engaging our plastic packaging suppliers in the plastic thickness reduction initiative enabled greater discussions around recycled content which is now being trialled at many of our factories.
We have not simply ‘moved the problem’. Current alternative plastics (such as bioplastics) are not free of environmental impact. By undertaking moves to reduce overall plastics use and increase recycled content, we can have far greater confidence in the long-term environmental benefits.

Lessons learnt & next steps

Reducing plastics isn’t as easy as it sounds. There are competing factors: We need to ensure our products are safe to move and handle and we have to protect our customer’s investment. Any change in our process can’t compromise health and safety or compromise the aesthetic qualities of the bricks.
We can’t solve everything. Some plastics are unavoidable, so our goal has been to reduce as much as possible, in order to use material more efficiently.
Sharing responsibility drives innovation. Challenges of plastic packaging are shared across the housebuilding and wider construction sector. By working with peers and organisations, like the Building Alliance, we can share experiences we are able to learn more quickly and tackle these issues together.
Collaboration is key. Many of our customers are looking at their own solutions to receive plastic-free deliveries. We are collaborating with them wherever possible to make process changes that deliver long-term results.

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