Simon Willis, chief executive officer, Heidelberg Materials UK

Introduction by Simon Willis, chief executive officer, Heidelberg Materials UK

2023 has been a pivotal one for the business as we rebranded from Hanson UK to Heidelberg Materials.

Being part of a strong, unified Group makes it easier for us to work together to drive down carbon emissions, promote the circular economy and develop sustainable and innovative building materials to help our customers meet their decarbonisation ambitions.

These aims are reflected in our revised 2030 sustainability commitments. They are centred on Heidelberg Materials Group’s sustainability strategy but take key drivers within the UK construction industry into account.

They cover topics under four headings – net zero, circular and resilient, safe and inclusive, and nature positive – and form the basis of all our sustainability activities, giving us clear and measurable goals to build a more sustainable future.

During the year we created a new recycling business line that will help us deliver on these commitments. It recovers construction and demolition waste, processing and reusing it for use in our sustainable building materials, allowing our customers to build more with less. This helps us reduce the use of primary raw materials, which is crucial to reaching net zero.

We also continue to make progress with our plans to remove production emissions across the business. We have taken further steps towards building a carbon capture facility at our Padeswood cement works in north Wales, which will use proven amine-based technology to remove up to 800,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. In addition, we are also involved in other industry-leading decarbonisation trials using innovative technologies that could prove instrumental in decarbonising our industry in the future.

We recognise that we can’t reach our net zero ambitions alone and collaboration with our customers and supply chain remains key. One of the ways we have continued to do this is through our Let’s Talk Sustainability webinars, which provide a fantastic platform for those across the sector to share progress and successes in different areas which will all play a part in meeting net zero goals.

Our employees are our biggest asset and play a vital role in the success of our business. We are proud to be recognised by The 5% Club for our commitment to work-based learning and are committed to the health, safety and wellbeing of all of our employees. We also strive to be a responsible operator and manage our activities to maximise the social value we are creating.

Highlights

  • Revised 2030 sustainability commitments and strategy
  • Progress at Padeswood for our CCS operations
  • Certification to new carbon management standard PAS 2080
  • The carbon impact of our operations for scope 1 CO2 emissions is down 16.1% since 2016
  • Creation of our recycling division
  • £54 million of social profit generated via our social value activities (2022 data)
  • 89% of our spend on critical suppliers have an approved ESG rating
  • Let’s Talk Sustainability – decarbonisation and biodiversity webinars
  • Total freshwater consumption (litres/tonne) was down 11.8% against the 2020 baseline

     

Heidelberg Materials Group

Heidelberg Materials wants to play its part in overcoming global challenges. In addition to climate change, these include demographic change, limited resources and biodiversity loss. Alongside environmental sustainability issues, its strategy also includes occupational health and safety, diversity and inclusion, and local responsibility in the areas surrounding our operations. In this strategy it considers its own business activities as well as those of the entire supply chain.

Heidelberg Materials places sustainability at the core of its activities and, through its products, is playing a leading role in helping the construction sector reach net zero.

Its strategy and sustainability commitments are shaped by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and support its vision to build a more sustainable future that is net zero, safe and inclusive, nature positive, and circular and resilient.

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has validated Heidelberg Materials’ 2030 carbon reduction targets under its 1.5°C framework. Following the thorough validation procedure, Heidelberg Materials commits to individual scope 1, 2 and 3 targets for 2030, in relation to the baseline year 2020.

Heidelberg Materials has a strong track record in reducing CO2 emissions. In 2023 it achieved a 28.8 per cent reduction of the specific net CO2 emissions per tonne of cementitious material compared with 1990 levels.