Northamptonshire village company’s climate showcase at parliamentary reception

A Little Addington company has played a key role in showcasing a blueprint for a more sustainable building sector at a parliamentary reception.

Marsh Industries, based at Addington Park Industrial Estate, joined companies from across the construction materials and home improvement supply chain at the House of Commons event hosted by national trade body the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF).

The reception gave parliamentarians the opportunity to learn more about climate-conscious innovations in British building products, and how the supply network has a crucial role to play in decarbonising homes as well as heating and hot water systems.

Speakers at the event included Secretary of State for Housing, the Rt Hon Christopher Pincher MP and Minister for Small Business, Consumers & Labour Markets, Paul Scully MP as well as Andrew Lewer MP, who is chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for SME Housebuilders and a member of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee.

John Newcomb, BMF chief executive and co-chair of the Construction Leadership Council’s Product Availability Group, said: “BMF’s Towards Net Zero’ Parliamentary reception showcased the importance of low or zero-carbon products in driving down emissions and demonstrated how the construction supply chain is the most efficient route-to-market for these products.

“We unveiled a new policy document, which gave an informed overview of steps that could be taken to help the UK reach its emission targets by 2050.

“The reception also enabled us to give an industry overview to Parliamentarians in the run-up to the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.”

The BMF represents more than 770 merchant and supplier companies that collectively employ more than 207,000 people in the building materials industry, performing an essential national function in distributing construction materials and home improvement products across the UK.

Marsh Industries, a manufacturer of off-mains drainage products, has been continuing to ensure that its range of wastewater products are at the forefront of industry compliance and environmental sustainability.

At the event at the House of Commons Marsh displayed products that can offer septic tank owners the ability to treat effluent, rather than illegally discharging into surface water.

Michael Harrison, business development manager, said: “The General Binding Rules 2020 made it a requirement to no longer discharge effluent from a septic tank to a running watercourse. So, is it right that there are still so many septic tanks polluting the watercourses of the UK?”

Marsh Industries has been challenging existing environmental standards with its full retention oil separators that are 'at least 50 times better than the current standards'.

Managing director, Steve Boyer, said: “We are bringing our range of Marsh:Marator separators to market at a time where environmental sensitivity on capital projects has never been more important.

“We realise that our customers have been using alternative products in this sector for decades without questioning the current standards. Standards which we believe could still pose an environmental concern.”