After years of having to trim down plasterboard and chuck away all the offcuts, Britain’s biggest house-builders are finally able to buy plasterboard in the size that they actually require.

Above: 100mm plasterboard offcuts

Working with Barratt Developments, British Gypsum has produced a new, smaller plasterboard product that greatly reduces waste for the house-building industry and saves thousands of pounds.

Previously, Barratt and other house-builders had to buy 2400mm lengths of the standard 12.5mm-thick plasterboard and then cut 100mm off it, filling up skips with waste material.

However, British Gypsum is now producing the 2300mm lengths instead, which Barratt estimates will reduce its annual waste by at least 1,200 tonnes.

The new smaller plasterboard will also help reduce house-builders’ carbon footprint, reducing the transport and recycling of waste. It also means British Gypsum can use smaller pallets to transport it, so saving on timber.

To ensure it was financially viable, Barratt Developments enlisted wider industry support from other major house-builders who were also interested in using the smaller sized plasterboard. After trialling the new size on schemes across two divisions, Barratt Developments has instructed its plastering contractors to use it wherever possible. Other house-builders are now speaking to British Gypsum about trialling the product too.

Daniel Smith, group commercial operations director at Barratt Developments, said: “We had highlighted the need for a 2300mm plasterboard size before but working in isolation made this impractical. But this time, by collaborating with other housebuilders, we were able to demonstrate the new size had industry wide appeal which made it worthwhile. It’s fantastic to be able to make so many savings by simply using a smaller plasterboard. Sometimes the simplest changes do make the biggest difference.”

Ian Winroth, business development director at British Gypsum, said: “It’s fantastic to see the serious public commitment Barratt has made to reducing the amount of waste created and to improving recycling rates. It creates a clear driver for material suppliers to consider how they can contribute to achieving these objectives.”

As part of its sustainability strategy, Barratt Developments it is aiming to reduce its waste output by 2% a year.