Cupolex Australia

21/08/2026

21/08/2026

21/08/2026

13/08/2026

11/08/2026

Here's something most people don't know: beneath most Australian concrete slabs sits a layer of void formers, shaping voids that cut concrete use and help manage reactive soils.

For decades the default has been expanded polystyrene. It's a choice made at the specification stage, usually unseen, and alternatives exist.

Did you know what was under your building?

06/08/2026

Big news for the Yarra, Birrarung.

We have signed a Joint Statement of Intent with the Yarra Riverkeeper Association to reduce polystyrene (EPS) pollution from construction sites across Victoria.

A Yarra Riverkeeper Association investigation found construction to be the leading industry contributor to the EPS in the river, part of an estimated 380 million pieces entering the Yarra every year.
Polystyrene void formers are still standard in slab construction. They do not have to be. This is the start of something.

06/08/2026

Every industry needs a voice that speaks for the whole sector, not just individual businesses. In sustainable foundations, Sustainable Foundations Group is working to be that voice: independent, evidence-based, and not tied to any one product.

When no single company sets the agenda, the industry can judge the message on its merits.

What makes an industry voice credible to you?

06/08/2026

Australia generated around 3.2 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2023-24, recycling only about 13%. The rest mostly went to landfill (DCCEEW).

Construction is one of the biggest users of plastic-based materials in the country, but its share is easy to miss, because much of it stays put until a building is demolished decades later. Polystyrene, common in construction, is recycled at just 6%.

How should construction approach its part in this story?

06/08/2026

People often ask what Sustainable Foundations Group is selling. The answer is nothing. We don't make or distribute materials, and we don't speak for any single company.

That independence is the point. We're a coalition focused on making sure the full picture on foundation materials is available when decisions get made.

What would you like to know?

06/08/2026

Structural engineers are cautious by profession, and rightly so. Alternatives to polystyrene void forming are designed to meet the same Australian Standards as conventional systems and go through the same certification.

So the question shifts: alongside structural performance, should we also weigh a material's environmental profile, given it stays in the ground for the life of the building?

What would help you factor that in?