Building Sustainable Communities

Focus at our recent @Builders Merchants Federation sustainability forum was on scope 3 carbon emissions – those emissions which an organisation has to factor into its carbon footprint, but which are not directly created by it.  As an example, the vehicle emissions of delivering products from a supplier. 

As builders’ merchants, we know that:

• Less than 5% of the carbon footprint of a building is down to our operations – or scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions. 
• 30%+ occurs upstream in the sourcing of raw materials, and in the manufacture, and distribution of building materials and products used to create the building. 
• 60%+ is down to the emissions resulting from the operation of the building over the course of its life.