This year has been like no other due to the unprecedented challenges brought about by the Covid-19 crisis and I am extremely proud of the way we have adapted and performed.
As part of a critical industry, we took additional steps to make our sites and workplaces safe for staff, contractors and visitors as we carried on working to supply essential materials to keep roads, rail and infrastructure maintained and operational.
In this report, we highlight our 2030 commitments, and the progress we made during 2020 towards our ambitions across our business.
Like our parent company, HeidelbergCement Group, we are committed to fulfilling our share of the global responsibility to keep the rise in worldwide temperature well below 2 degrees Celsius.
Although we need to be nimble, adapting to changing markets and technologies, we are in our business for the long term, which is why we take our responsibility for sustainability so seriously.
Sustainability is, of course, about conserving water and energy, reducing emissions, enhancing biodiversity and protecting the environment and these are key areas in which we are making big strides. We aim to reach net zero carbon by 2050 and are involved in a number of industry-leading carbon reduction projects. These include trialling carbon capture and storage at our Padeswood cement works and a net zero carbon fuel mix at our Ribblesdale works.
But sustainability is also about working efficiently, making a profit and investing in value-creating projects to grow our business. And, as importantly, it’s about people, including health, safety and wellbeing, succession planning, diversity and adding value for our stakeholders and communities. This led to the development of our social value policy in 2020, which is founded on our core values and demonstrates our commitment to responsible leadership and continuous improvement.
We work hard to train, empower, develop and communicate with our employees to ensure they are fully engaged. Our One Team philosophy is underpinned by values and aspirations designed to make our people feel connected, involved and valued. This will allow us to deliver an improved service to our customers and strengthen our sustainability performance.
Effective management of safety, health, environment, quality, energy, carbon reduction, and responsible sourcing is of key importance to the sustained success of our business. Our long-term success depends on sustainable business practices and the UK executive team has given its full backing to ensure the 2030 commitments are achieved.
