Building a plastic-free future for the construction industry
World Environment Day, held annually on 5th June, spotlights the urgent environmental challenges faced around the world.
In the built environment, World Environment Day is a reminder that the way we design, build, and manage our spaces must shift towards more sustainable practicesGo to https://stobuildinggroup.com/sustainability/ that cut down on energy use, resource consumption, and waste.
In 2025, the focus is on plastic pollution – a crisis that reaches from oceans to our own bodies in the form of microplastics. This year’s campaign calls for bold, collective action across all levels of society. With a global treaty to end plastic pollution on the horizon, now is the time to rethink how we use plastics and to drive real, lasting change by learning from nature and embracing practical, proven solutions.
Structure Tone London’s Head of Sustainability, Nicola shares her thoughts and insights into some of the key initiatives our projects are taking on to combat plastic pollution…
PLASTIC POLLUTION IS ONE OF THE LARGEST ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES OF OUR TIME
Every year, 300 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally, according to the UN Environment Programme – that’s roughly the same weight as the entire human population. The construction industry is not exempt, producing 20% of all plastics and 70% of all polyvinyl chloride (PVC) globally each year.
The environmental impacts of plastics are complex from fossil fuel dependence (with 9% of plastics made from petrochemicals derived from oil and gas) to pollution in the natural environment, with over 12 million tonnes of plastic entering the ocean each year.
Whilst the environmental impacts of plastics are well known, the human health impacts are not. From production to disposal, plastics pose significant risks to human health. Many plastics are made with harmful chemicals such as phthalates, BPA, and flame retardants, which can leach into food, water, and the air we breathe.
Also, much of the plastics produced are still single use.
At Structure Tone, we’re asking the question: what are we actually doing to tackle single use plastic waste in our operations? And more importantly, what could we be doing better?
Single-use plastics have long been embedded in construction logistics, from packaging and deliveries to site operations. But we want to change that. We’re working closely with our supply chain partners to shift away from single-use materials and champion more sustainable alternatives. Because building responsibly isn’t just about what we create – it’s about how we create it. That is why one of our core sustainability KPIs is to eliminate single-use plastics from our sites, wherever possible.
Of course, practicality matters. We’re not about swapping out solutions that don’t work (we’ve all used a paper straw!), our goal is progress with purpose: reducing plastic waste in ways that make sense, deliver impact, and genuinely work for our teams on the ground.
PROGRESS WITH PURPOSE
So, how are our sites shifting the dial to reduce single-use plastic? Here’s a look into just some of the ways we’re tackling the problem at Structure Tone London:
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Learn more about World Environment Day: https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/Go to https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/