Our Policy
We place the health and wellbeing of employees, communities, and suppliers at the core of our business operations
Headline KPIs
Fairness, awareness, inclusion and respect
- 100% completion of annual HR people strategy to enhance FAIR.
Health, safety and wellbeing
- Implement divisional risk reduction plans by 2025 and embed risk-based H&S management system by 2030.
Enabling and supporting KPIs
Fairness, awareness, inclusion and respect
- 25% women in senior roles.
Our Progress
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| Our commitments | Our progress |
| Annual People Strategy developed and reviewed quarterly by the business lines | Heidelberg Materials UK strengthened delivery of its 2030 commitment by realigning the UK People Plan pillars in late 2025 with the Group HR Director’s People Strategy 2030. This focuses on the right people and skills, future-ready leaders and organisation, seamless employee journeys, and efficient, fit-for-purpose HR. In 2025, employees received an average of 31.5 hours of training per full-time equivalent (FTE). |
| 25% of women in senior roles | Women represented 14% of senior roles, the same as the previous year. |
| Implement divisional risk-reduction plans by 2025 and embed a risk-based H&S management system by 2030 | All business lines successfully met their 2025 Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) plan objectives, and each division continues to maintain ongoing, tracked SHE Improvement Plans. All health and safety plans remain firmly focused on reducing the Fatal 6 risks and strengthening management controls on site. |
| Annual health and wellbeing improvement plan developed and reviewed quarterly | The business achieved an annual average score of 95% against its safety, health and wellbeing plans. |
| 80% of spend on critical suppliers with an approved ESG rating | Our critical suppliers are assessed through Heidelberg Materials Group’s responsible procurement programme, including independent ESG assessments by IntegrityNext. In 2025, 70% of UK suppliers achieved a green ESG rating. |
| 100% of higher-risk (Level 3) sites to have community engagement plans by 2025 and all sites by 2030 | All Level 3 Community Engagement Plans are up to date. We are now working through the Level 2 sites, which we expect to complete by the end of 2026. |
| Offer one day of paid leave per employee for volunteering, with a 10% year-on-year improvement in take-up from the 2024 baseline | All employees are encouraged to take one day of paid leave each year to participate in volunteering activities, in line with our policy. In 2025, a total of 186 volunteering days were recorded across the business. |
| Produce a social value monitoring report using 2025 data and monitor annually until 2030 | In 2025, our total social value impact, calculated using the Thrive platform, was £276 million. Full details are published in our Social Impact Report 2025. |
| Establish a charitable foundation by 2030 | We have continued to review and align our approach to charitable giving and community engagement in support of our ambition to establish a charitable foundation by 2030. |
| Reach Level 2 of the Social Value Management Certificate accredited by Social Value UK by 2030 | Our social value strategy is now embedded across the business and supported by a central tracker for monitoring and deliver-ing annual actions. We have achieved Level 1 (Commit) accreditation with Social Value UK and are focusing on embedding and strengthening our approach across the organisation. |
Footnote: Data contained within this report includes A1 Services (now Heidelberg Materials Agecroft) but excludes Mick George Limited and B&A Group.
Safe and inclusive in action
Social value impact
In 2025 we generated £276 million of social value impact for people, communities and the environment through our operations, partnerships and long-term commitments.
Safety First across our business
A Safety First approach was introduced and reinforced through business-wide back-to-work sessions, leadership messages and site briefings. Colleagues across all operations received targeted guidance on risk perception, critical controls, safe driving and wellbeing.
Supporting the Armed Forces community
We continue to be a forces-friendly employer and were delighted to receive the top gold award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme. Company-owned cement and concrete trucks displayed the poppy in recognition of those who serve, while colleagues also marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day through remembrance activities.
Volunteering for stronger communities
During the year employees recorded a total of 186 volunteering days spent supporting community projects and initiatives. Colleagues took part in canal and community-farm clean-ups, prepared and served food for people in need, supported literacy projects and contributed to local environmental improvements.
Heidelberg Materials employees undertake renovation work with Oakham Canal Green Corridor Project, including painting, fence repairs and improving footpaths.
We teamed up with Ketton Green Spaces to plant 16 trees, including 12 giant redwoods and 1,600 spring bulbs in the village near our cement works.
Planting for the community in Ketton
In 2023 we generated over £98 million worth of social impact in the UK – approaching double the figure for 2022. The stated value is established through the delivery of a range of different KPIs, using the Loop social monetisation tool.
Still setting the standard for work-based learning
We retained Platinum membership of The 5% Club for the third consecutive year. The recognition reflects our continued commitment to earn and learn opportunities, including apprenticeships, graduate programmes and supported learning. Over the past three years, more than 10% of our workforce has been supported through these programmes.
Supporting young readers
Our partnership with Chapter One, which provides one-to-one reading support for young readers, continued during 2025. We launched a 500-word story-writing competition and celebrated the winning entry, written by our SHE Business Partner Emily Stevenson. The professionally edited and illustrated book tells the story of a child’s visit to the quarry where his mother works and touches on important topics such as health and safety, diversity and inclusion, teamwork, recycling and biodiversity. We also made a £10,000 donation to the charity towards the cost of noise-cancelling headphones to improve the reading sessions for young learners.
Emily Stevenson reads her winning entry in our Chapter One story-writing competition to pupils at Leighton Primary School in Peterborough.
Connecting communities in the Mendips
Batts Combe quarry supported The Strawberry Line Society by donating more than 1,000 tonnes of mixed aggregates for a new section of the traffic-free route linking communities near the Mendip Hills in Somerset. The project follows the route of the former Cheddar Valley Railway line and aims to encourage active travel.