Specifying sustainable cable management

Sustainability in all areas of a building’s design and construction is now a priority. Here, Jon Chamberlain, Managing Director (Designate) at Marshall-Tufflex, discusses why responsible selection of plastic products, such as cable management systems, is essential, the current lack of attention on the issue and how the cable management industry has the potential to make a positive impact with buy-in from contractors.

For many businesses within construction, including electrical contractors, sustainability is an important part of their work, a core element of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy and an essential component of the tender process. This is increasingly true as a growing number of tenders require contractors to demonstrate sustainable practices for pre-qualification. However, one area where many otherwise environmentally conscious businesses are still lagging behind is on the use of responsibly sourced plastic products, especially cable management systems. There are two key and related environmental issues – carbon emissions and waste.

Carbon emissions

It is now clear that action has to be taken to reduce – and even reverse – the impact of human activity on the environment in order to limit the potentially disastrous effects of climate change.

For the built environment, the focus is often on reducing operational carbon, the ongoing emissions associated with the day to day use of the building. However, until recently, the embodied carbon has largely been overlooked.

Embodied carbon is the CO2 emitted in producing the materials and products, from the extraction of raw materials to manufacturing to installation in the building. This is one of the biggest issues for the built environment sector and the primary consideration for products such as cable management systems, which do not impact operational carbon emissions.

Marshall-Tufflex is aiming to increase the average recycled content in its products to reach 80% by the end of the year

Waste

In addition to the carbon impact, there is also the issue of waste. More than a third of the UK’s annual waste comes from the construction sector alone, of which an estimated 25 million tonnes is sent to landfill. In terms of plastic waste specifically, over one million tonnes of PVC-U is removed from buildings each year across Europe, yet currently only 30% of this is recycled.

The issue of waste is closely linked to carbon emissions as recycling plastic requires far less energy than primary plastic production. For example, in a study undertaken by the University of Manchester, it was found that a PVC-U window made from virgin material has 20 times more embodied carbon compared to one manufactured with recycled content.

Finding a solution

This combination of factors demonstrates why the careful choice of products for both new build and refurbishment projects is so vitally important. The cable management products within a given building can represent a significant part of the interior fit-out, especially for larger buildings. Routing power, data, internet and other communication connections to all areas of the building is a requirement on a wide range of projects from offices and public buildings to healthcare and educational facilities. This also means there is a real opportunity to have an impact on the embodied carbon of the project and prevent waste by working with clients to

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specify cable management products with higher levels of recycled content. The positive news is that this is a trend we are seeing in the industry, but more still needs to be done.

Both post-industrial waste, such as discarded material and off-cuts from manufacturing, and post-consumer waste from products such as windows removed from buildings, can be reclaimed and recycled. Manufacturing products from this reclaimed material is not a new innovation. For example, Marshall-Tufflex has been using reclaimed PVC-U in the manufacture of its products for over 25 years. Over the years the company has continued to invest in research and development to increase the proportion of reclaimed material. In 2020, this figure was an average of 74%, with all white conduit and white mini and maxi trunking lengths manufactured using 100% recycled material. This is currently saving the equivalent weight of 300 double decker buses going into landfill each year.

Overcoming the obstacles

Despite the clear benefits of using recycled content in manufacturing, such products have not yet been widely adopted. This is perhaps in part due to some misconceptions about the products. Firstly, there is a false assumption that recycled products may not offer the same strength or appearance. In fact, PVC-U conduit and trunking products with recycled content offer the same performance as the equivalent made from virgin materials. However, as with any product, regardless of the raw material, it is important to choose high quality solutions from reputable manufacturers.

Thanks to Marshall-Tufflex’s long heritage in extruding PVC and injection-moulding techniques that have been developed in house, it can offer superior products with recycled content that retain their high quality and outstanding finish. To achieve this, the company has rigorous quality control measures in place throughout the manufacturing process to ensure the expected standard, including achieving a glossy white finish for colour consistency throughout the project. If a product does not meet Marshall-Tufflex’s exacting standards, it can easily be recycled back into chips and re-enter the production process, meaning there is no waste.

There is also a misconception that the cost of such products will be higher and, as a result, impact the overall cost of this element of the project, and even make a proposal uncompetitive on price. However, the cost of cable management products made from recycled material is usually in line with others of the same quality, as with products from the Marshall-Tufflex range, making it a simple and cost neutral switch.

Driving demand

Marshall-Tufflex is striving to maximise the amount of recycled content in its products to lower carbon emissions and divert waste from landfill. However, this can only be done in collaboration with contractors who have an essential role in promoting the use of these products. The company says that the industry also needs other manufacturers to follow what it is doing, but this will only happen with increased demand from contractors and clients. That is why Marshall-Tufflex is calling on everyone involved in project specification to aim for all PVC-U cable management products installed in buildings to include at least 50% recycled material by 2028.

80 years of innovation

The company says it is proud that Marshall-Tufflex has been at the forefront of innovation in the industry for 80 years and a leader in cable management since 1970. When the company was founded in 1942, it was among the pioneers of manufacturing in PVC, a relatively new material of this era which had only recently begun to be used for commercial applications. While the company is still a family-run business, many things have changed since those wartime beginnings.

Marshall-Tufflex now has warehouses in Watford and Manchester, with its head office and manufacturing facility in Hastings, East Sussex. It has launched several market leading products including Odyssey Profile and Sterling Curve and, in addition to working with customers to improve sustainability, it also strives to make their work simpler and easier – as demonstrated by the company’s latest product launch, the Tufflex Tile. This innovative Correx pattress product replaces the use of traditional plywood or MDF for ceiling installations and makes installing spotlights, smoke detectors, PIR sensors and speakers simple.

As the market leader and a major player in the electrical industry, Marshall-Tufflex says its ongoing priority is to continue to re-invest for the future and to produce new and effective solutions, underpinned with an unwavering commitment to drive sustainable specification. As such, and to mark the 80th anniversary of the company’s founding, in 2022 the company is aiming to increase the average recycled content in its products to reach 80% by the end of the year.

Sustainability is now a key consideration in the specification of building materials and products. It is also an essential qualification factor for many tenders. Using cable management products that include a high percentage of recycled content is a simple and cost neutral way of reducing embodied carbon and waste. Together, we can make a difference and Marshall-Tufflex says that it is looking forward to the next chapter.

Marshall Tufflex, marshall-tufflex.com

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