We saw a tentative start to 2024 as the effects of poor weather dampened merchant sales volumes during the first quarter.

House building is still an issue, and it remains to be seen if new Government reforms designed to give more powers for councils to build affordable homes will act as a catalyst for investment in our towns and cities and drive much needed regeneration in communities across the country.

With sales volumes relatively unstable, it pays to offer premium products that help to increase the average transaction value.

These higher value products often come with more sustainability credentials too. Overall, the growing demand for sustainability, coupled with regulatory requirements and market dynamics, has driven builders’ merchants in the UK to expand their offerings to include more sustainable adhesives and sealants. This trend is likely to continue as sustainability becomes increasingly important in the construction industry.

At Bostik, we’re embracing sustainability with the introduction of more bio-based solutions, which contain materials that are wholly or partly derived from living matter, such as plants.

We’re also introducing more sustainable packaging, such as Post Consumer Recycled (PCR) cartridges and buckets. PCR is a great advancement in sustainable packaging as it allows us to give used plastic a second life and have a positive environmental impact. Reclaiming plastics reduces the amount of virgin material used and plastic waste going to landfill, thus putting less of a burden on the planet.

Using PCR also reduces our carbon footprint as manufacturing packaging from post-consumer materials requires less energy and less fossil fuel consumption. Our PCR packaging is manufactured using a minimum of 30 percent recycled plastic for our cartridges. Today, the percentage of recycled plastic can reach 80 percent for some of our products.

We are continuously working with our supply chain partners to look into new ways to increase this percentage, with the ambition to reach 100% packaging with PCR content by 2030.