The building materials provider says it has actively contributed to the development of the new 1.5°C framework and, in 2019, was the first company in the cement sector to have its then targets endorsed by the SBTi.
“We have been actively supporting SBTi’s efforts to develop a 1.5°C roadmap and impactful criteria for the cement industry,” said Dr Dominik von Achten, chairman of the managing board. “With the industry's most ambitious CO2 reduction targets and a steadily growing portfolio of CCUS projects, we are eager to continue leading the way.”
In May 2022, Heidelberg Materials says that it established the most challenging scope 1 carbon reduction target in the cement sector globally, aiming to reduce specific net CO2 emissions to 400kg/t of cementitious material by 2030. On top of accelerated conventional CO2 reduction measures, the company has already launched eight CCUS projects. With those, Heidelberg Materials says that it is taking big steps forward in the field of carbon capture, a prerequisite for cement companies to achieve Net Zero.
“We welcome the SBTi’s new Cement Science Based Target Setting Guidance,” said Nicola Kimm, Heidelberg Materials chief sustainability officer and member of the managing board. “It is critical for the building materials sector to drive decarbonisation in line with scientific evidence – and the new framework is a useful tool to increase transparency. We have now submitted all required information on our scope 1, 2, and 3 near-term reduction targets and look forward to receiving positive feedback from the SBTi.”
The SBTi assesses and validates corporate emissions reduction targets against the latest climate science. The Cement Guidance is the world’s first framework for companies in the cement sector to set near- and long-term science-based targets in line with the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. It provides a detailed understanding on how to set meaningful targets and deal with processes that are specific to the cement and concrete sector.
