Marley Eternit handles an eight fold increase

ween 2006 and 2007, the level of enquiries rose by 720%, with more than 40% asking generally about the company’s green credentials, more than 30% about life cycle costs and Ecopoint ratings, and more than 20% about environmental management systems such as ISO 14001. Most of the enquiries came from architects and housebuilders at 33% each while roofing merchants and consultants, local authority planners and Ecohome assessors all came in at between 5% and 8%. Most of the enquiries, almost 40%, were about Marley Eternit’s fibre cement products such as cladding, profiled sheeting and slates. Other drivers have been the Code for Sustainable Homes and the growing numbers of architects specialising in designing using materials with the lowest possible embodied energy. The targets for these enquiries – Marley Eternit’s sales force, technical department, customer service and environmental, health and safety department – have also noticed a growth in the level of complexity of enquiries over the past 10 years. During this time, the company has carried out its own life cycle assessments and with industry bodies such as the BRE, won awards for sustainability and developed a carbon policy with the Carbon Trust. More recently, it has launched a dedicated environmental website www.marleyeternit.co.uk/environment that details the company’s policies on carbon reduction, sustainability, recycling, environmental assessment and certification. Its long-term sustainable goal is to use less primary raw materials, minimise waste and product impact, the latter by developing thinner and lighter products with less aggregate and packaging, and to maximise energy and transport efficiency. Marley Eternit’s environmental manager Norman Richards said: “The enquiries about the environment that we have received over the past few years, and even the past decade, have evolved to become increasingly complex. “Different people have required varying levels of information, whether it is to gain enhanced reputation off the back of our green credentials or to add value to their business. But they pass their concerns onto us and we are constantly improving how we respond to them.”

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