Aggregate Industries has launched a new sustainability strategy which sets out the business’ vision to become the UK leader of innovative and sustainable building solutions and its ambition to embed sustainability in the future of construction.

The strategy, Building Progress for a Sustainable Future brings together former management plans and policies into a more holistic and ambitious strategy set to transform the business to 2030.

Central to its business strategy and corporate vision, the blueprint focuses on five key pillars that are aligned to its business operations: climate, people and communities, nature and environment, circular economy and sustainable solutions.

Against each pillar, Aggregate Industries has identified key areas of focus, alongside specific performance targets to be achieved by 2025. The business has committed to reviewing these targets annually.

These include:

Climate

• Net CO₂ emissions: down to 500 Kg CO₂ net/t cementitious
• Downstream transport CO₂ reduced by 5%
• 100% zero carbon electricity
• Climate resilience risk assessments at 100%

People

• Health & safety culture maturity to be ‘proactive’ or ‘generative’
• Improve Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate by 25%
• 200 new opportunities for apprenticeships
• 33% female leaders, and 30% overall female representation in the business
• All high-risk suppliers assessed via code of conduct

Communities

• Positively impact 50,000 people in local communities
• Culture of community service and 3,000 volunteer hours per annum
• £50,000 per annum fundraising target
• All major sites to have a community engagement plan

Nature and environment

• Reduce freshwater withdrawal intensity by 30% for cement and 12.5% for aggregates
• 100% of water discharged to meet environmental quality standards
• 100% of quarries to have biodiversity plans
• 200 sites to have a ‘place for nature’
• Establish a biodiversity baseline following the Biodiversity Indicator Reporting System (BIRS) for all managed land for cement and aggregates sites by 2024

Circular economy

• Increase use of recycled materials from 1.5m to 3m tonnes
• Reduce waste to landfill to zero
• Embed a circularity collaboration action network

Sustainable solutions

• Deliver reporting tool to provide accurate carbon information
• 25% of revenue from green products and solutions
• Expand our portfolio of sustainable products and solutions

Kirstin McCarthy, Sustainability Director at Aggregate Industries, who led the business’ sustainability review, explains: “We need to transform our business and we have already made progress. Over the last 12 months we have delivered the UK’s first carbon neutral road scheme, invested over £13m in an alternative fuels recycling plant to reduce annual CO₂emissions by 30,000 tonnes, recycled close to 1 million tonnes of asphalt planings, and sold enough ECOPact low carbon concrete to save CO₂ over 142,000 tonnes.

“However, it’s important to recognise that while we have our own journey to go on, the issues facing our planet are truly global. That’s why we have structured our strategy around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as key UK policy and industry standards.  We are putting our effort into the areas where we can make a material difference for our people and the planet. Our priorities are to reduce our impact on the climate, protect and enhance nature and the environment, drive the transition to a circular economy and protect and support our people and communities. We have created robust goals and measurable key performance indicators for each one of these pillars. We also recognise that this strategy will evolve, which is why we’re committing to reviewing and reporting on our progress annually.”

Dragan Maksimovic, Chief Executive Officer at Aggregate Industries, comments: “Aggregate Industries is a progressive, future-facing business. A company that is intrinsically sustainable, trusted and respected by stakeholders and the communities in which we operate. Our newly developed sustainability strategy is central to transforming our business. It will accelerate our transition to net zero, providing clear milestones and measurable results along the way.

“Society’s development is dependent on the building sector. As a proud member of Holcim Group – the global leader in innovative and sustainable construction solutions – we recognise our responsibility to play a central role in the transition towards net zero, while building progress through sustainable products and services. We understand that it is in what we do today that builds a sustainable future for our communities, industry and world. It is my personal commitment to drive this forward through everything we do and how we do it.”