CUBE™ has released its first original documentary today, titled ‘Sustainability: A Broken Record’, exploring how we can manage the relationship between people and our planet, unearthing the secrets to a more substantial impact, and discovering how powerful decisions can move us forward towards a nourishing future.

Sustainability: A Broken Record delves into the true meaning of sustainability; a word we hear so much, but often without substance.

Uniting architects, designers and manufacturers through an honest and dynamic conversation, Sustainability: A Broken Record shines a spotlight on an urgent and important topic within the industry.

“CUBE has become well embedded within the design and architecture community, and sustainability is a buzzword which we hear all too often. But it’s one that comes with so many caveats,” said James Hakesley, CUBE’s CEO and Co-Founder.

“Our first in a series of original productions captures an honest and powerful conversation, to engage audiences, provoke conversation and inspire critical change.”

Playing on the title’s reference to a record, the production is organised into two halves. The A-side highlights the challenges the industry is facing, while the B-side focuses on solutions, relationships, and asks the tough questions; ‘What does it mean to be sustainable?’, and ‘Is sustainability really enough?’.

“Sustainability is built around fear and facts, but clearly, the truth isn’t enough,” said Owen Riseley, CUBE Lead producer and director and editor of sustainability: A Broken Record.

“We set out to create a film that inspires, and that is centred around understanding our relationship with this subject, rather than trying to scaremonger.

“By approaching the documentary in this way, we buck the trend of how content today is addressing sustainability, and broaden our reach as to who we inspire.”

Featuring industry leaders, the mini-documentary takes its audience on an intimate journey and into the lives of its subjects, prompting its viewers to consider more substantial attitudes, behaviours and consumer habits.

Jeremy Grove, managing director and head of design at Sibley Grove, sets the tone by explaining that “there’s still a general lack of understanding of what it means to be better environmentally”.

He explains: “Sustainability is incredibly misleading and there’s a lot of people who want to do good things but they’re being misled by products that aren’t actually solving the problem.”.

Nico Rensch, architect and founder of Wunderhaus, welcomes us into Wunderhaus; a product in the form of a house that can produce net more energy than it consumes, and the only net energy positive capable housing product in the UK.

Nico explains: “We tried to create a product that has all the virtues of a product, but in the form of a house.

“We’re living in the 21st century and our houses perform so poorly in a time when we have an acute climate crisis and a massive energy crisis. It’s just not acceptable.”.

Rachel Hoolahan, architect and sustainability coordinator at Orms, explains that we have to adapt as humans, and challenges us to “think about how you, as an individual, can make an impact in this world.”.

Rachel says: “As an industry, we’re facing an enormous challenge in figuring out how we can design high quality spaces for our society, without sacrificing the land and lives of others. Sometimes, it feels like we are playing a broken record, but equally, we can see this repetition as a positive starting point.

“As the documentary demonstrates, we as an industry need to be a collective voice, calling for greater change and collaborating to make sure it happens. The real question is, do we have enough time to do it?”

Simone Suss, founder of Studio Suss (pictured top), shows us around one of their recent projects; a 13,000 sq ft house in Greater London, showcasing how sustainability has been incorporated “in an invisible way”.

Simone explains that she has always been conscious about trying to do good, and questions, “If not me, then who? And if not now, then when?”.

John Miller, furniture designer and director at MARK Product, invites us into his workshop, explaining how he grew up surrounded by his father’s tools.

Here, we explore the evolution of design, the importance of relationships and the transformation that we must go through, with John explaining: “It needs to be articulated as a new adventure”.

Sustainability: A Broken Record was released on Monday 28th November with an exclusive screening, followed by a live panel discussion, at Barbican Centre, London.

The full documentary can now be viewed on YouTube

I’m sometimes asked what the Bathroom Manufacturers Association does. From anyone outside of our membership or stakeholder base, perhaps there’s an assumption that we only promote UK bathroom manufacturing, but the reality is far broader.

Our official principal objective is to provide an independent forum for bathroom manufacturers trading in the UK to discuss and debate matters of mutual interest. We act as an information highway between industry, the government and the consumer on all issues affecting the UK bathroom business.

That simple explanation, however, can only be supported by a vast range of activities and engagement with our members.

Most trade associations I know of actively engage in political activities through lobbying and advising the government on policies affecting their sector. While ‘experts’ have been out of political fashion for a few years, officials are starting to again appreciate the knowledge and greater understanding of the nuances that could affect us. Therefore, dialogue with government departments and communicating outcomes to members is critical.

The technical work we undertake is also vital for members. The bathroom sector is charged with regulator specifications to safeguard consumers against backflow, for instance, and to comply with the Water Supply (Water Regulations) Regulations, among many other areas. It is detailed work, but we assist and discuss all implications with members and external stakeholders to ensure compliance.

We also discuss issues through our Special Interest Groups, such as those looking at healthcare and adaptations for public and commercial washrooms. These niche groups drive debate and advocacy work, leading us to push amendments to the recent Levelling Up Bill.

Then, of course, we fully utilise our internal and external communications channels, whether in columns such as this, our fortnightly bulletin of association news and updates, social media, our websites, or our dedicated members’ mobile app.

In January this year, we launched a quarterly publication, BMA Insights. This document analyses government policy briefings of relevance to our industry. It also examines trends (sometimes based on our research programmes with consumer polls), sector turnover statistics and the economic landscape to fully inform members so they can prepare their businesses for any impacts.

Our calendar of events is also extensive, most recently hosting the BMA Sustainability Awards, where a range of members were recognised for their drive and determination to make a difference to our planet.

So you see, our role is not just to promote the UK bathroom manufacturing sector. It is to support and engage with all interested parties to ultimately ensure consumers are protected and can enjoy outstanding products in the bathroom space.