The Future of Asphalt: Innovation, Sustainability and Quality

Let’s be honest for a moment – most of us don’t really think about asphalt until the road we’re driving on deteriorates and suddenly we’re faced with a pothole the size of a small lake. But the truth is, the quality of the asphalt we lay down today will determine the safety, durability and cost-effectiveness of our roads for the next 20 years. And yet all too often, asphalt is treated as a pretty unremarkable commodity that you can just buy from whoever offers it for the lowest price.

That’s a mistake, and one that’s costing us billions. We’re talking about a network of roads that’s used by hundreds of billions of vehicle miles every year – over 250,000 miles of road in the UK, much of it built decades ago when traffic volumes were a fraction of what they are today.

The Asphalt Industry is At a Crossroads

The UK’s road network is in a state of crisis. Much of it is ageing, with a massive maintenance backlog of potholes, surface deterioration and structural failure. Meanwhile, the asphalt industry is under huge pressure to decarbonise – the production of asphalt is energy-intensive, the extraction of virgin aggregates is damaging the environment and the transport of materials over long distances is generating huge emissions.

And yet we need to keep building roads. So we have to do it better.

What Does “Better” Actually Mean?

Better asphalt means making a few key changes. First, it means lasting longer – a road that lasts for 20 years rather than just 10 isn’t just a cost saving, it’s also a carbon saving. It means fewer disruptions, fewer roadworks and fewer angry drivers stuck in traffic.

Second, it means being more sustainable. That means using more recycled materials, reducing the carbon footprint of production and sourcing materials locally to cut transport emissions.

Third, it means actually working properly. Asphalt that resists rutting, cracking and water damage. Asphalt that provides good grip. Asphalt that’s quiet and does the job it’s supposed to do.

Fourth, it means being innovative. New products, new processes, new ways of thinking about an old material.

The Problem with “Good Enough”

Here’s the thing: the cheapest asphalt is rarely the most cost-effective option in the long run. And yet we keep making our purchasing decisions on the upfront price rather than the whole-life cost. It’s a false economy – you save a bit of money on the initial lay, then spend the next decade mending it. The total cost of ownership is always higher, but because the costs are spread out over time, they’re less visible, less immediate and less painful for politicians to deal with.

It takes guts to specify better asphalt. It takes a procurement system that values long-term performance over short-term savings. And it takes suppliers who can actually deliver on their promises.

The Rise of Sustainable Asphalt

One of the most exciting things happening in the asphalt industry is the shift towards sustainability.

Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) is a big part of this – instead of sending old road surface to the tip, it gets crushed, graded and used in new asphalt. Modern plants can use a huge proportion of RAP in their mixes, cutting the demand for virgin aggregates and cutting carbon emissions.

Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) is another innovation – by cutting the temperature at which asphalt is produced and laid, WMA cuts energy consumption and emissions, and also allows work to continue in cooler weather.

And there are also new, bio-based binders and polymer-modified binders that enhance performance and extend lifespan.

The technology is there, the question is whether the industry is ready to use it.

Innovation in Action: Jobling Purser

Now I want to tell you about a company that’s been quietly pushing the boundaries of asphalt innovation for over a century – a family-owned business that’s family-owned, fiercely independent and absolutely committed to quality. And they’re proving that “better” asphalt is more than just a nice idea – it’s a commercial reality.

I’m talking about Jobling Purser.

Based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Jobling Purser has been around since the 1830s. For over 100 years, they’ve been pioneering coated stone and bitumen emulsification technology. They’re not just another supplier – they’re genuine specialists.

Two State of the Art Asphalt Plants

Jobling Purser operates two strategically located, cutting-edge asphalt plants – one right in the heart of Newcastle upon Tyne, on the banks of the River Tyne, and the other just a stone’s throw from the M6 motorway near Carlisle, in the lovely spot of Hespin Wood.

Both of these plants are equipped with the very latest Benninghoven TBA 3000 technology – and let’s be honest, its no small thing. The Carlisle plant, for example, has a 3-tonne mixer that can churn out a whopping 240 tonnes of mixed product every hour – no problem.

Now what really sets Jobling Purser apart is the fact that they can produce humongous volumes of asphalt when you need it, but they can also whip up small batches of just 1 or 2 tonnes if that’s the kind of project you’ve got on your plate. And that, my friend, is flexibility – and a deep understanding that not every single job is a massive motorway resurfacing project.

They supply a full suite of asphalt and macadams to contractors all over the north of England and the Scottish Borders. And we’re not talking about just any old mixes here – no, they’ve got Macadams, Hot Rolled Asphalts, Stone Mastic Asphalts, PMB Thin Surfacing, and all sorts of other specialist mixes. Whatever you need, they can knock it out.

Armaphalt: The Revolutionary Asphalt on Demand

One of Jobling Purser’s most innovative products is Armaphalt – a game-changing, ready-mixed asphalt material that lets small hot mixes be produced on site at the touch of a button.

It’s a total game-changer for reactive maintenance.

Traditional asphalt is a logistical nightmare. You queue up at the plant, you’re racing against the clock to get it laid before it cools, you waste material because you ordered the wrong amount, and you waste hours because you ordered too little.

Armaphalt sorts all that out. It’s CE Marked and conforms to BS EN 13108. You can get it in 25kg bags, 0.5 tonne dumpy bags, or 1 tonne dumpy bags – so crews can just head to site without queuing at the asphalt plant, and get on with their day much more quickly.

And the beauty of it is that any re-instatement done with Armaphalt is on a like-for-like basis, so it’s fully compliant with HAUC guidance. No corners cut, no compromises – just top-quality asphalt exactly when and where you need it.

And it’s so good that it won the Highways UK Award for Efficiency of Pavement Materials way back in 2018 – beating some pretty stiff competition.

Bond Coats: Heroes of Road Maintenance

You can’t see a bond coat. But trust us, you’d certainly notice if it went wrong.

A bond coat is the crucial bit that sits between layers of a pavement. It keeps everything securely in place, and stops water getting into the lower layers. It makes sure the pavement acts as a single, solid structure, spreading load stresses evenly.

In short: without a bond coat, you wouldn’t have a road.

Jobling Purser have a range of Bond Coats available. And let’s be honest, they know their stuff – they’ve been formulating bitumen emulsions since the 1920s. They get the chemistry, they get the physics, and they make sure you never find yourself in a situation where things have gone wrong.

A Real Commitment to Sustainability

Jobling Purser isn’t just talking the talk when it comes to sustainability. No – they’re putting their money where their mouth is.

Their new asphalt plant in Carlisle can use up to 30% of cold Reclaimed Asphalt Planings (RAP). That means less waste ends up in landfill and fewer virgin aggregates are needed.

They’ve also gone all-in on solar power, installing a 99kW solar array at their Newcastle facility that generates its own net zero energy source. And the results? A 2.4-year return on investment, 42 tonnes of annual CO2 reduction, and a sweet £31,000 in annual savings.

As the company says, “Solar just makes sense for our business”.

This isn’t some PR-driven greenwashing nonsense. No – this is the real deal. Genuine commitment to doing things better.

The Bigger Picture

Jobling Purser is a great example of what happens when a company takes quality seriously. When it invests in the right tech. When it innovates. When it commits to sustainability.

But they’re just one small piece of a far bigger puzzle.

The UK’s roads are screaming out for investment. They’re crying out for better specification. They’re crying out for a procurement system that puts whole-life cost above upfront price.

We can’t afford to keep building roads that fall apart after a few years. We can’t afford to keep patching and repairing when we should be building for the long term. And we can’t afford to keep treating asphalt like it’s some kind of cheap commodity.

Because asphalt isn’t a commodity – it’s a carefully engineered material, a complex blend of aggregates, binders, and additives that are all designed to work together in very specific conditions.

And when it’s done right? It’s completely invisible. You drive over it without even noticing it. You don’t curse it, you don’t complain – you just get on with your day.Thats whats at the end of the day the goal we should all be aiming for.

What You Can Do

If you’re a highways engineer or a contractor – or indeed someone who does procurement – I’d say start thinking about asphalt in a different way.

Don’t just automatically opt for the cheapest option. Think about it, what’s the total cost of ownership going to be. What about sustainability? Are you supporting an innovative company? What does the supplier’s track record look like?

And if you’re based up in the north of England or the Scottish Borders, you might want to give Jobling Purser a ring. From what I can tell, they know their stuff, they’ve got the tech, they’ve got the expertise and they genuinely seem to care about putting out a quality product. Which is more and more of a rarity in this industry these days.

You can track them down at joblingpurser.com or give them a shout on 0191 273 2331.

The Bottom Line

The future of asphalt isnt just about laying down a bit of tarmac. Its about innovation, its about sustainability, its about quality, its about building roads that will actually last.

And its also about the fact that the cheapest option is almost never the best one either.

When you pay for quality, what you get is a lot more than just a decent layer of asphalt. You get peace of mind. Fewer potholes. Safer roads. A better future. And thats a price thats definitely worth paying.