The first quarter’s market performance has been varied, with sector performance, particularly High-Rise Residential, contracting. So, all sectors continue to have growth challenges, and recent forecasts confirm that. The Middle East conflict, and other factors, have added to the uncertainty and inflationary pressures have also affected confidence

Despite economic pressures and global uncertainty, sustainability hasn’t moved down the agenda. New legislation, tighter performance requirements, and increased scrutiny mean the industry is being asked to do more, with less time, less margin, and less room for error.

Sustainability in construction is at a turning point. It’s no longer enough to set targets and get head office commitments. What matters is how targets are delivered on site.

The challenge isn’t ambition, it’s application.

British Gypsum’s focus, working alongside Isover under Saint-Gobain Interior Solutions, is closing the gap between what the industry is being asked to achieve and what it can realistically deliver on a project.

Too often, sustainability is presented as complex, fragmented, or disconnected from real-world constraints. But it only has value for specifiers and contractors if it’s buildable, compliant, and straightforward to deliver.

So, it’s key to embed sustainability into product and system design from the outset. Whether via innovations such as 100% recycled gypsum plasterboard, or system-led approaches that combine plasterboard, metal framing, and insulation, the aim is simple: reduce complexity and improve performance.

Customers aren’t just trying to meet carbon targets, they’re balancing space constraints, cost pressures, programme timelines, and evolving regulations. Achieving U-values, managing embodied carbon, and reducing waste happen within those constraints.

Manufacturers must do more than supply products: make sustainable specification easier, with clear guidance, integrated systems, and accessible, credible data.

And circularity must move from concept to standard practice. Recycling schemes and material take-back initiatives reduce reliance on virgin resources, but their value lies in how easily they can be adopted on site.

The industry doesn’t need more sustainability messaging; it needs workable solutions. The future of drylining will be defined by those who simplify complexity: with systems that meet performance requirements, support compliance, and make sustainable choices easier to implement.

British Gypsum’s priority is clear: help customers move from ambition to delivery and make sustainability something that works not just in theory, but in practice.