It’s fair to say that many architects and designers view themselves as the creators of humanity’s future, driven by a sense of great responsibility to those living now and also the legacy their creations leave. This responsibility is shared by the construction industry as a whole - including product designers and manufacturers who work tirelessly to innovate and improve their processes to play a key role in delivering projects that contribute to a sustainable future.
“Initially sustainability in construction focussed only on reduction and recycling of construction waste,” says Geoff Marsdon, Executive General Manager at leading insulated panel manufacturer, Bondor Metecno. “But there was a philosophical barrier to widespread adoption due to cost implications – everyone understood and was in favour of sustainable practices, but wanted to defer the associated costs to others.”
But across the industry, there’s been an expansion of the sustainability lens to include use of recycled content in production, cradle to grave environmental impacts including end-of-life redeployment or recyclability, as well as the benefits and features of products that reduce energy consumption and environmental footprint. “Sustainability in construction is now a major focus of industry, and widely considered as both socially responsible and commercially valuable,” says Geoff.
Rather than being dragged along by the swelling tide of sustainability in the industry, Bondor Metecno struck out as a leader in the space quickly. “Like most companies we initially saw sustainability through the narrow lens of cost reduction as a business,” Geoff explains. “But now we understand our leading role as a prime contributor to delivering sustainable liveable communities through provision of high thermal performance building products that reduce demand on natural resources in heating and cooling.”
Bondor Metecno group is heavily invested in and committed to sustainable manufacturing and building practices, and aligned to the Sustainability Leadership Framework as set out by the Plastics and Chemical Industry Association (PACIA). “Our products are manufactured using non-ozone depleting substances, the steel facings are 100% recyclable and the various core materials either recyclable, or reusable in other meaningful ways.” says Geoff. “We’re also a decentralised manufacturer, which means we have multiple plants closer to each market, reducing the emissions derived from long distance transport. We also actively employ passive energy techniques including rainwater harvesting and aligning production with off peak energy demand periods.”
The company is proud of its active leadership position in the industry which it cements through close partnerships with a wide range of associations including The Australian Institute of Architects and the Urban Development Institute of Australia. They’re committed to these groups - as well as their customers - to providing a diverse range of code compliant, energy efficient building products for a sustainable built environment.
And in the background, they continue to work on both their own manufacturing footprint, and constantly improving their product and service offering to industry through a range of initiatives, including a federally co-funded program in collaboration with leading universities across a variety of activities focused on recyclability and reusability as well as optimising energy consumption in manufacturing.
Bondor Metecno has brought sustainability into the core of its business, so that environmental consideration is not really a consideration anymore - it’s just how things are done. And this is something Geoff takes great pride in. “We’re proud of our contribution to a sustainable built environment that delivers perpetual savings to both asset owners and the environment over the entire building life.”
