Platform for Sustainable Future

The midpoint of the year is for many trade associations time for reflection on the past year with the onset of AGM’s and in CAB’s case an Annual Review and Sustainability Report. In the current climate of worldwide economic uncertainty it is a brave man who predicts the future and for the present, focus for CAB is service and added value – in many cases this means laying the groundwork or platform for members to build upon.

CAB has been successful in laying this groundwork – its member events in the past 12 months involving in each case up to close to 60% of the membership, providing THE meeting place for the aluminium in building sector. Developing targeted technical and marketing conferences with leading industry speakers, CAB has added to this training by highlighting the opportunities to be gained by members presenting CAB CPD seminars to promote aluminium’s sustainable credentials.

Indeed sustainability remains for all materials the priority communication and CAB’s soon to be launched report on this topic will focus on how current global thinking encompasses the full cradle- to-cradle life cycle approach. It will consider, amongst other things, how aluminium extraction and refining companies have dramatically reduced their energy requirements and how, due to its complete recyclability, the ‘bank’ of processed aluminium produced since the 1880’s continues to grow to the extent that 75% of the metal produced since then is still in use for future generations to exploit as a low energy resource.

In providing the above activities CAB is highlighting many of the key characteristics that a modern best practice Trade Association should display and the nature of the services it should provide.


Justin Ratcliffe
CAB Chief Executive