The group, employing 89,000 people at over 3,900 operating locations in 31 countries worldwide, says it is the largest building materials company in North America, has leadership positions in Europe, and has established strategic positions in emerging economic regions.
In his message, Albert Manifold, CEO of CRH, says: I am proud to welcome you to this our thirteenth annual Sustainability Report. 2015 was a very successful year for CRH. The group delivered a strong performance which was achieved through solid organic growth in our heritage businesses, an improving economic backdrop in some of our key markets and the partial year contribution from businesses newly acquired during the year.”
He says that the group’s acquisition spend of approximately €8 billion in 2016 included two significant deals (
“During 2015, we made further strides in key areas of sustainability. Our focus on sustainability is underpinned by a strong understanding, throughout the group, that conducting our business in a responsible and sustainable manner, is key to achieving our ambition to be the leading building materials business in the world.
“2015 saw increasing recognition of the role business has to play in delivering the UN sustainable development goals and global climate targets. We are aware of the role that we, as a leading building materials business, have to play, in delivering solutions for a more sustainable future.
“We believe we can do this in a way that harnesses new opportunities for our businesses globally, and delivers benefits along the value chain. We are focused on achieving safe and responsible operations while also delivering transformative solutions for a sustainable built environment.”
On health and safety, the report shows that 92% of CRH locations were accident-free in 2015; there was a 10% reduction in annual accident frequency rate; 1.5million hours of safety training was completed; there were 3,100 locations with safety audits, and €138million has been invested in safety over the last five years.
Other statistics relating to the environment and climate change show that 23million tonnes of alternative raw materials were reused; 1 6million tonnes of alternative fuels provided 30% of CRH’s cement plants’ fuel requirements; 40% of US asphalt production is lower carbon warm-mix asphalt; 97% of group quarries and pits have reinstatement plans, and there was a 65% water intake reduction through recycling.
