Member Article

Redrow drive to reduce rubble showcased in new video

Housebuilder Redrow has showcased its innovative work around sustainability in a new film by video and animation company Stone’s Throw Media.

The Wolverhampton-based agency has created a film promoting Redrow’s campaign to cut back on construction waste by 10 per cent by 2022, entitled Reduce The Rubble.

The video, filmed on location at building sites in Lancashire and Yorkshire, shows how Redrow has reinforced its environmental commitment by systematically monitoring and then reducing the waste it generates. The initiative has seen Redrow lay claim to being the first national housebuilder to undertake a waste project of such a scale.

Research shows the construction industry is the UK’s largest user of natural resources and produces 100 million tonnes of waste per year, equivalent to more than one-third of the UK’s annual waste. A report commissioned by Redrow in 2019 found that, on average, 10 tonnes of waste was produced for each typical house built, equivalent to the weight of nine Mini Cooper cars.

In the Reduce The Rubble video by Stone’s Throw Media, Redrow show how they separate waste of different categories including wood, plastic and brick at three locations in Lancashire, Yorkshire and the south east of England, for analysis.

By identifying the amount of waste, not just by Redrow but also by subcontractors, the housebuilder hopes to reduce the levels of discarded packaging and other materials used at future sites.

Redrow sustainability coordinator Olivia Ward said: “Improving resource efficiency improves the amount that is sent to landfill and that can have a positive impact on carbon emissions and greenhouse gases which helps to tackle climate change, which is something we are really passionate about as a company.”

The film also shows how discarded wood is recycled to be “made good” and put to other uses, rather than ending up in landfill.

Charlie Stanley, of social enterprise Leeds Wood Recycling, explains how around 30% of the materials they recovered have been used for woodwork classes to develop skills. Charlie says: “It really changes people’s lives and that all comes from the wood we get from Redrow and their sites.”

With a history spanning more than 45 years, Redrow has grown to be one of the UK’s largest homebuilders, with its shares listed on the FTSE-250 index. Tom Roberts, Group Communications Manager at Redrow Homes, said: “Redrow has a longstanding working relationship with Stone’s Throw Media built up over a number of years.

“Working with Stone’s Throw Media as an agency to capture our work is very good for us, given the growth in video audiences. We love the energy and talent which they bring to all their projects and the pace with which they work to realise our brief in exciting ways.”

Founders Mike Chinn and Matt Weston set up Stone’s Throw Media in 2011 after they met on a University of Wolverhampton media course. With eight staff, Stone’s Throw Media have been producing videos for a range of commercial and academic clients for nearly 10 years.

Mike said: “We have enjoyed working with Redrow and showcasing their work through video over a number of years. As a large employer, they take their responsibilities very seriously so the brief to capture the Reduce The Rubble project on video was one which was a pleasure to produce.

“Redrow are a valued client, who continue to provide us with opportunities which are stimulating for the team to work on and we look forward to building upon our relationship again in the future.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Chris Leggett .