Aggregate Industries has unveiled its sustainability strategy – Building Progress for a Sustainable Future.
The new strategy sets out the UK building materials heavyweight's ambition to embed sustainability in the future of construction.
Building on progress made by the building materials supplier to date, Building Progress for a Sustainable Future brings together former management plans and policies into a more holistic and ambitious strategy set to transform the business to 2030.
Central to its business strategy and corporate vision, the blueprint focuses on five key pillars aligned to its business operations: climate, people and communities, nature and environment, circular economy and sustainable solutions.
Against each pillar, Aggregate Industries has identified key areas of focus, alongside specific performance targets to be achieved by 2025. The business has committed to reviewing these targets annually.
These include:
Climate
- Net CO2 emissions: down to 500 Kg CO2 net/t cementitious
Building Progress for a Sustainable Future sets out Aggregate Industries' ambition to embed sustainability in construction - Downstream transport CO2 reduced by 5%
- 100% zero carbon electricity
- Climate resilience risk assessments at 100%
People
- Health & safety culture maturity to be 'proactive' or 'generative'
- Improve Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate by 25%
- 200 new opportunities for apprenticeships
- 33% female leaders, and 30% overall female representation in the business
- All high-risk suppliers assessed via code of conduct
Communities
- Positively impact 50 000 people in local communities
- Culture of community service and 3000 volunteer hours per annum
- £50 000 per annum fundraising target
- All major sites to have a community engagement plan
Nature and environment
- Reduce freshwater withdrawal intensity by 30% for cement and 12.5% for aggregates
- 100% of water discharged to meet environmental quality standards
- 100% of quarries to have biodiversity plans
- 200 sites to have a 'place for nature'
- Establish a biodiversity baseline following the Biodiversity Indicator Reporting System (BIRS) for all managed land for cement and aggregates sites by 2024
Circular economy
- Increase use of recycled materials from 1.5 million to 3 million t
- Reduce waste to landfill to zero
- Embed a circularity collaboration action network
Sustainable solutions
- Deliver reporting tool to provide accurate carbon information
- 25% of revenue from green products and solutions
- Expand portfolio of sustainable products and solutions
Kirstin McCarthy, sustainability director at Aggregate Industries, who led the business' sustainability review, explains: "We need to transform our business, and we have already made progress. Over the last 12 months, we have delivered the UK's first carbon-neutral road scheme, invested over £13 million in an alternative fuels recycling plant to reduce annual CO2 emissions by 30 000 t, and sold enough ECOPact low carbon concrete to save CO2 over 142 000 t.
"However, it's important to recognise that while we have our own journey to go on, the issues facing our planet are truly global. That's why we have structured our strategy around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as key UK policy and industry standards. We are putting our effort into the areas where we can make a material difference for our people and the planet. Our priorities are to reduce our impact on the climate, protect and enhance nature and the environment, drive the transition to a circular economy and protect and support our people and communities. We have created robust goals and measurable key performance indicators for each one of these pillars. We also recognise that this strategy will evolve, which is why we're committing to reviewing and reporting on our progress annually."
Dragan Maksimovic, chief executive officer at Aggregate Industries, comments: "Aggregate Industries is a progressive, future-facing business. A company that is intrinsically sustainable, trusted and respected by stakeholders and the communities in which we operate. Our newly developed sustainability strategy is central to transforming our business. It will accelerate our transition to net zero, providing clear milestones and measurable results along the way.
"Society's development is dependent on the building sector. As a proud member of Holcim Group – the global leader in innovative and sustainable construction solutions – we recognise our responsibility to play a central role in the transition towards net zero, while building progress through sustainable products and services. We understand that it is in what we do today that builds a sustainable future for our communities, industry and world. It is my personal commitment to drive this forward through everything we do and how we do it."
