Net Zero - Our progress | Heidelberg Materials UK

Our Policy

We drive decarbonisation and provide low-carbon products

Headline KPIs

CO2 and energy

Reduce scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions in line with Heidelberg Materials Group SBTi.
CCS plant at Padeswood to be operational and feasibility studies for Ketton and Ribblesdale.
Reduce scope 1 emissions from UK operations by 15% from 2016 baseline.
Reduce CO₂ by 15% in concrete, asphalt and cement from 2019 baseline.
Reduce scope 3 emissions in delivery transport by 15% from 2019 baseline.

Sustainable revenue

Achieve 50% of our gross revenue from sustainable products that are either low-carbon or circular.

Enabling and supporting KPIs

CO2 and energy

85% clinker incorporation in our cement.
Alternative fuel rate in cement above 80%.
Biomass fuel rate in cement above 35%.
Measurement framework for scope 3 emissions embedded by 2025 and 10% reduction to 2030.
10% reduction in operational electrical kWh/t from a 2016 baseline.
Net zero plans in all divisions developed to include targets for scope 1, 2 and 3.

Our Progress

Click to expand

CO₂ and energy

Our headline CO₂ and energy commitments	Our progress
Reduce scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions in line with Heidelberg Materials Group SBTi	Heidelberg Materials Group’s 2030 carbon reduction targets have been validated by SBTi under its new 1.5 °C framework and we have set specific UK targets that will contribute towards achieving these ambitions.
CCS plant at Padeswood to be operational and feasibility studies carried out for Ketton and Ribblesdale	Further progress has been achieved in our plans for carbon capture plant at Padeswood with the signing of a FEED contract and the UK Government confirming its financial commitment to CCS clusters. A trial of C Capture’s solvent-based CCS solution was also carried out at Ketton.
Reduce scope 1 emissions from UK operations by 15% from 2016 baseline	The carbon impact of our operations for Scope 1 emissions is down 11.5% from 46.2kgCO₂/tonne in 2016 to 40.89kg CO₂/tonne in 2024.
Reduce CO₂ by 15% in concrete, asphalt and cement from 2019 baseline	The sum of scope 1 and 2 CO₂ emissions per tonne of cement is down 12.7% from 2019 baseline. We published updated EPDs for our bulk cements and 9 standard ready-mixed concrete mixes, updating the EPDs published in 2018. Bulk CEM I showed an 11% reduction and the concrete mixes a reduction of between 8% and 24% from 2018 EPDs. The embodied carbon of asphalt, calculated using EPD methodology, has reduced by 7% from the 2019 baseline.
Reduce scope 3 emissions in delivery transport by 15% from 2019 baseline	Total delivery transport CO₂ emissions/tonne are down 4.5% from the 2019 baseline. Due to increased use of third party hauliers, scope 3 transport emissions have increased by 4.8%. This assumes that the split of owned and third party hauliers was the same in 2019 as it was in 2022, which was the first time the split data was collected.

Our supporting CO₂ and energy commitments	Our progress
85% clinker incorporation in own cement	From the UK KPI report clinker incorporation in our own grey cement is 86.9%, up from 86.5%.
Alternative fuel rate in cement above 80%	From the UK KPI report energy derived from alternative fuels is 79.8%. Alternative raw materials represented 12.7% of total in cement production.
Biomass fuel rate in cement above 35%	Energy derived from biomass was 26.4%.
Measurement framework for scope 3 emissions embedded by 2025 and 10% reduction to 2030	A detailed Scope 3 assessment was carried out in partnership with Schneider Electric, establishing the foundation for our measurement framework and enabling a targeted approach to our most significant scope 3 carbon sources.
10% reduction in operational electrical kWh/t from a 2016 baseline	Electrical energy kWh/t is down 10.7% from a 2016 baseline.
Net zero plans in all divisions developed to include targets for scope 1, 2 and 3	We continue to update and progress our net zero plans in all divisions, with the objective to be net zero by 2050.

Further CO₂ and energy measures	Our progress
% clinker incorporation in total cementitious	Clinker incorporation in total cementitious is 62.9%, up from 56.1% in 2023.
Scope 2 CO₂ (market based) as percentage of overall electricity usage and per tonne of product	We continue to use a zero carbon tariff where we are directly responsible for the supply. 0.8% of our electricity was not on a zero-carbon tariff.
Percentage of electricity generated from renewable sources	Electrical energy generated from renewable solar energy is 2.4% of the total electrical energy consumed.
Percentage of product deliveries by road, rail and sea	Percentage of product tonnage moved by road was 76.5%, by rail was 22.6% and by sea was 0.9%.
KgCO₂/tonne for total cementitious material	Total cementitious material was 429kg CO₂/tonne of cementitious material, down 5.4% from 453.7kg CO₂/tonne in 2023.

Further emissions to air measures	Our progress
G/t clinker of SOx and NOx	SOx was 167.9g/tonne of clinker and NOx was 1,256.6g/tonne of clinker.
Percentage of cars and vans that are EV/hybrid as part of overall fleet	40% of the car fleet is EV and 56% is hybrid, up from 24% EV and 55% hybrid in 2023.

Sustainable revenue

Our headline sustainable revenue commitments	Our progress
Achieve 50% of our gross revenue from sustainable products that are either low carbon or circular	The percentage of gross revenue from sustainable products in 2024 was: Cement: 27% (low carbon) Concrete: 76% (low carbon) Aggregate: 0.4% (circular) Asphalt: 16.8% (circular)

Net zero in action

Another milestone reached at Padeswood: We signed a front-end engineering and design contract with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Worley for a carbon capture plant at our Padeswood cement works in north Wales. It marked another milestone in our plans to create the UK’s first cement works, which received a further boost when the UK Government reaffirmed its commitment to CCS cluster projects in October.
Read more
New global brand for low carbon and circular products: We introduced evoBuild, our new global brand for low carbon and circular products in the UK, which will help to set new standards for sustainable building materials.
Read more
New study to test feasibility of using ammonia as a hydrogen fuel source: A 12-month project began at our Ribblesdale cement works to establish the feasibility of using ammonia as a source of hydrogen for use as a fuel in cement kilns.
Read more
Solvent-based carbon capture trial completed: A carbon capture feasibility and demonstration study at our Ketton cement works was completed in 2024. The trial is part of C-Capture's national XLR8 CCS project, which aims to demonstrate that its carbon capture solution can be used in hard-to-abate industries. It uses a solvent to selectively capture CO₂, which can then be compressed and sent for storage in safe, geological reserves or used in other areas such as the fertiliser and oil and gas industries. Findings of the trial will be published in 2025.
Read more
Fuel switching project looks to decarbonise asphalt production: Our involvement in the Bay Hydrogen Hub, a demonstrator project using hydrogen to decarbonise asphalt production at our Criggion plant in mid Wales, continued. A feasibility study conducted in 2023 explored replacing fossil liquid fuels with low-carbon hydrogen. Following its success, the project progressed to the construction in 2024, and trials are planned in 2025.
Let’s Talk Sustainability event: We continued our Let’s Talk Sustainability series with an in-person event attended by more than 100 key customers. It was an opportunity to highlight the challenges in achieving net zero and demonstrate our progress to date.
Read more