The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has welcomed the Government’s Construction Sector Deal, which makes the link between construction and the need for mineral extraction, product manufacturing and acknowledges that the industry can deliver increased benefits to the UK through strengthening the construction supply chain across the UK.

The industry has highlighted the sustainability benefits of making full use of indigenous supply of UK minerals and mineral products to ensure demand for the construction of housing and infrastructure projects, including Highway England’s roads programme, Hinkley Point C and HS2 is supplied. Typically, for example, a home will require 12 tonnes of mortar and 200 tonnes of aggregates and HS2 will require 25mt of aggregates/minerals. Over 2,000 active quarries or mineral product production sites produced 360 million tonnes of aggregates or manufactured mineral products in 2015, with a value of £20bn.

Further, the MPA supports the Government’s commitment to transform construction through use of digital building design to increase productivity and the commitment to support digital technologies including Building Information Modelling (BIM). Where there are advantages to offsite construction, concrete offsite elements and solutions are uniquely placed to provide performance benefits such as fire resistance, thermal mass and resilience to climate change related such as flooding and overheating.

Commenting, Chief Executive of the Mineral Products Association, Nigel Jackson, said: “The mineral products industry is highly productive and looks forward to helping to make a success of the Construction Sector Deal.  We also welcome the recognition of the key supply chain value of the minerals products industry and look forward to working with Government to strengthen it.”

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