The built environment has never been more aware of its environmental impact, but there remains a great, but not impossible, challenge before us all. At present, thought leadership tends to focus on reducing CO2 and some plastics, but we have other issues that need to be addressed simultaneously. For example, the scientific community have outlined nine planetary boundaries intended to serve as environmental thresholds, to ensure a global balance to earth system functioning, and research has showed that we crossed six of the nine planetary boundaries in 2022. If we continue with siloed ways of tackling our socio-environmental impact, then we will not reach the goals required for repairing this negative legacy footprint. It is no longer acceptable to specify based on initial costs alone. We must incorporate a much more robust, holistic way to procure.

How can we change the compartmentalised ways of thinking in the industry, and empower specifiers to embed multi-category thinking into their strategy?

The built environment is evolving, and more emphasis is being placed on the construction industry’s contribution of high levels of CO2 into the environment. This has led to a large amount of time, money and thought being funnelled into tackling carbon emissions and working towards a net zero goal. However, CO2 emissions are not the only issue specifiers should consider for their projects, and certainly not the most critical one. At COP26, Dr Howard Dryden concluded that the most urgent threat facing our planet now is aquatic pollution, specifically microplastics and chemical pollution that has the potential to devastate the planet in the next 25 years, even if we achieve net zero by 2045.

Our isolated way of thinking and intercepting the environmental crisis in the built environment is not working. If we are going to reduce planetary boundary transgressions, we need to have a more collaborative approach with higher training and knowledge-sharing on regenerative design. We must support specifiers with evidence-based data and verified case studies to fast-track their ability to avoid greenwashing and enable them to engage with verified, innovative, third-party-tested, certified, regenerative products. This joint approach must be adopted at all levels, and all structures, with tools such as KPIs, digital tools, contracts and tenders involved to engage the entire supply chain. The most effective regenerative design case studies have fully engaged stakeholders from the beginning, from investors to clients, bankers to architects and designers, the whole supply chain has worked together to achieve the same aim.

At present, the industry faces a lack of regenerative design regulation, and a lack of standardised, robust, multi-category specification, with the title of sustainability mostly unregulated. This presents specifiers with a sea of confusion, unable to gain confidence in choosing a new innovative product, leading them to return to the old products of the past. We need to push for the highest design ambitions and regulatory standards and engage with critical concept shifts to allow for substantial change. Typically in industry we see a range, from low-level compliance ambitions, to sustainable innovations, through to regenerative design with global gold standards such as Cradle to Cradle®. If we can arm specifiers with the data required to dispel myths about higher costs and lower performance of regenerative materials, then we can change the way of thinking when it comes to adopting impactful innovative practices. This is where Futurebuild comes in. 

Taking the stand for a collaborative approach

Futurebuild provides the stage for the innovative, collaborative approach that we so desperately need. The 2023 exhibition allows over 400 brands and 90 industry partners to come together and share knowledge, and this year Futurebuild have been an industry leader by incorporating a circular designed, C2C Certified® event carpet called REWIND, in both their feature areas and shell scheme stands.  This has saved thousands of carbon kg’s (CO2e) as well as allowed for a fully circular carpet with known non-toxic dyes, all third party assessed and globally recognised as safe, circular and responsibly made. These are several of the exemplar socio-environmental net gains specifiers can achieve when they use broader metrics as procurement goals.

Futurebuild offers a platform to showcase, debate and understand the inspiring ideas and innovative solutions emerging within the industry, and brings together the entire supply chain to witness advancements in trailblazing materials, products and technologies. 

As a champion of change, Futurebuild places emphasis on innovative products and materials that will help advance the industry. Futurebuild is taking a stand for a better-built environment and is urging companies and professionals in the construction industry to also take a stand on an issue that they passionately believe will help propel the industry towards a positive future. 

540 WORLD is one of many exhibitors at Futurebuild this year, and is taking a stand for ‘C2C® regenerative design, safe, then circular materials’. 540 WORLD exists to create a regenerative circular world of good through planet-positive design consulting. We are the first company to unite the expertise of Cradle to Cradle® manufacturing and C2C® innovators worldwide to collaborate planet-positive materials that can empower low-carbon, regenerative design in the UK built environment. Cradle to Cradle Certified® materials are assessed and verified across five performance categories which provides a simple, accessible way for specifiers to choose safe, circular and responsibly made products for their projects. 540 WORLD is educating and training all members of the supply chain, and have devised the world’s first free, interactive, national registry of C2C Certified® products, in our growing UK Cradle to Cradle® Design Directory available from www.540.world  

This year at Futurebuild, 540 WORLD is advocating that safe product ingredients are the first pillar of change needed to create a circular, regenerative design model for the built environment. We intend to showcase the largest stand of certified, safe and circular game-changing products which are all innovations in their own sectors. Some examples of the products on 540 WORLD’s H26 stand showcase include a prototype of the world’s first certified sustainable Accoya wood fender from International Timber, Purline flooring from wineo, Honext fibre panels, Magna Glaskeramik’s sintered crystal, Shaw Contract carpet tiles, Staco Gratings steel and aluminium, Graphenstone paint that absorbs CO2 and has graphene nanotechnology, plus living walls and international knowledge-partner, the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. 540 WORLD plans to empower specifiers to take an authentic stand for non-toxic, circular, planet-positive innovations through knowledge-sharing and introductions to leading, safe, certified, circular materials. 

Futurebuild 2023 will take place from March 7^th to 9^th at London’s ExCeL. For more details and exhibitor enquires, visit www.futurebuild.co.uk

Don’t miss out on this year’s event. Visitor registration is now open

For further information, please contact Lynsey Bienati at Fabrick on:

Telephone: 01622 943147

Email: lynsey.bienati@fabrick.agency

About Futurebuild: Futurebuild is an event that brings together more than 15,000 building industry influencers and decision-makers with the power to make a difference and form part of a major transformation of the sustainable built environment. By cultivating this type of cross-sector collaboration, Futurebuild is helping to inspire the innovation that is needed to propel the construction industry towards the UK government’s ambitious net-zero target. Such an outcome is essential to creating a cleaner, healthier environment for future generations to enjoy. 

About the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy: Leading economy-wide transformation by backing enterprise and long-term growth, generating cheaper, cleaner, homegrown energy and unleashing the UK as a science superpower through innovation.

The government’s £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio provides funding to UK businesses to accelerate the commercialisation of low-carbon technologies and systems which will help enable the UK to end its contribution to climate change.

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