Property developer Nigel Eastham never really considered his environmental impact until he became a dad.
The 33-year-old is a proud father-of-two and was shocked at how many tonnes of building materials from his own property developments were being sent to landfill.
“I have two young children and it just didn’t sit right with me,” he told TechBlast’s latest Going 4 Growth. “The more I thought about it the more I started to think that the big boys in the industry must be throwing away a lot more than I was.”
He came up with idea for Sustainability Yard, which allows users to buy, sell or give away spare building materials.
The free app is already attracting significant interest from across the industry.
In the last month alone user numbers have increased by 1,500 to 6,500 and the company is on track to hit 10,000 by the end of the year.
He said: “What I’m trying to do is create a national platform that promotes sustainability and the circular economy of building materials through our marketplace app.
“We are effectively producing a secondary materials market with a view to cutting down waste, mitigating landfill and helping the government meet its target of being carbon neutral.
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“Users of the app can buy, sell or give away their building materials rather than paying for a skip and sending it to landfill unnecessarily.”
Eastham, who comes from Chorley, has invested an unspecified ‘significant sum’ in making the technology as user friendly as possible.
“If a user is wanting to list some building materials for sale or for free, they can do that in less than 60 seconds,” he explained.
“If a user sees something that they would like, then they can open up a private, instant chat with the seller and arrange a time to collect.
“Sustainability Yard is already being used by every demographic involved in the construction industry. We have Tier 1 and 2 contractors, national house builders, housing associations, local tradesmen and DIY enthusiasts using the platform.
“It services each of their needs slightly differently so the guys at the top of the chain like the house builders and principal contractors are expected to deal with their reusable materials ethically and the app allows them to do that.
“Local trades and DIY lovers are then able to pick up some quality materials in great quantities to finish off or get smaller jobs going.
“We are able to help companies hit their ESG targets because it’s an easy way for users to demonstrate their compliance.
“In the coming weeks we will also have some great new features that will allow users to give exact figures on their ESG contribution by using the Sustainability Yard app. This is why we have had such a good uptake from the corporate users.”