A new nationwide association for the construction and plumbing industry has launched its mission to champion the environmental benefits of using copper in built environments.

The Copper Sustainability Partnership (CuSP) was founded by Lawton Tubes and Mueller Europe in response to the growing demand for sustainability and longevity within the sector.

Working alongside organisations such as the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products, CuSP is taking a stand against the inaccuracies of the plastics greenwash, to improve the quality of construction and plumbing materials used.

Although copper tube has long been hailed as the ‘gold standard’ in plumbing, plastic pipe has become increasingly prevalent in recent years – especially in new build housing. Despite plastic’s newfound prevalence, The Resource Efficiency Collective reports that less than 3% of all plastics consumed in the UK are made from recycled sources, and most plastics are incinerated, landfilled or exported once used.

Mark Millerchip, Co-founder of CuSP and Managing Director at Mueller Europe said: “It’s critical we use materials which can meet our needs without depleting our natural resources or causing damage to our environment or health. Most people would avoid using disposable plastics like straws, bags or bottles, yet few question the environmental impact of the materials used to build their homes.

 “Copper can be used, reused, and recycled infinitely, without the loss of its properties and provides a fantastic alternative to disposable plastic pipe.”

Oliver Lawton, Co-founder of CuSP and Managing Director, Commercial at Lawton Tubes continues: “Mark and I have long known each other as competitors, yet we both kept hearing the same thing; an industry calling out for more sustainable materials.

“The environmental impact of products is becoming more important than ever before with builders, plumbers and specifiers seeking better materials. That’s why we felt it was important to join forces as an industry to highlight copper’s green credentials and dispel un-truths told by the plastics industry.”

The UK-wide Copper Sustainability Partnership welcomes likeminded organisations and academia interested in championing environmental thinking, insight sharing and collaboration to further highlight copper as a material for the future.