Ibstock named as CO2nstructZero Business Champion.

Brick maker Ibstock plc has been named as a CO₂nstructZero Business Champion.

Selected by the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) as part of its CO₂nstructZero campaign, the initiative enables companies to be role models in the industry change programme.

Investment in decarbonisation measures and production efficiencies at its facilities, thus accelerating its journey to Net Zero carbon emissions, was a key factor in Ibstock’s inclusion in the scheme. Recent examples of this include; constructing a 4.9MW solar farm at its Leicestershire headquarters, procuring 100% of its electricity from renewable sources and confirming investment in a pathfinder project to achieve world’s first Net Zero brick factory in the West Midlands.

Ibstock plc’s Chief Executive Officer Joe Hudson says: “We are honoured to be named as a CO₂nstructZero Business Champion. There is no doubt that climate change is one of the greatest challenges we face globally. It is part of our DNA to steward our resources and ensure we have a sustainable and positive impact on the world around us. As a leading building products manufacturer, we recognise that we have to adapt and respond – and this is reflected in the targets we have set ourselves in our Sustainability Roadmap to 2025. We have seen a transformational shift in attitudes from all of our key stakeholders, and there is a ‘sea-change’ in how our customers, and, in turn, their customers, view environmental issues. Collaboration is a linchpin of achieving carbon reduction targets across the construction sector and we look forward to working alongside the CLC to share best practice, supporting the industry’s move to Net Zero.”

The news comes shortly after Ibstock launched its latest Sustainability Report for 2020. Its most in-depth to date, the report outlines the decarbonisation initiatives the Group is making across its clay and concrete businesses to reduce the carbon intensity of the manufacturing process as well as providing an open and transparent overview of the progress it is making against its Sustainability Roadmap 2025 targets.

Headlines from the Sustainability update include:

• 6% reduction in CO₂ per tonne of production (from 2015 baseline)
• 40% reduction in Lost Time Incident Frequency Rate (from baseline year 2016)
• 11.7% of sales turnover from new and sustainable products (against a target of 20% by 2025)
• 77% of procurement spend now meets Ibstock’s Sustainable Supplier Code (up from 54% in the previous reporting year)
• 100% of apprentices have now moved into a permanent role

Notable projects during the reporting year include the procurement of 100% of its electricity from renewable sources. Ibstock believes this move is a significant step in reaching its Sustainability Roadmap target of a 15% reduction in CO₂ per tonne of production by 2025. The company also announced its intention to invest in a pathfinder project at its West Midlands Atlas factory which it believes will become the world’s only Scope 1 & 2 Net Zero brick factory. The combination of reduced process emissions and greater thermal efficiency will cut the carbon intensity of bricks produced at the Atlas site by 50% compared to the existing factory.

Hudson says investments in operational efficiency and sustainability-led initiatives made during the reporting period offer proof of Ibstock’s commitment to manufacturing excellence within the construction products sector.

“We aim to be the most sustainable and resource efficient business of our kind and I am very pleased to be able to share such a high level of detail on our progress. We have made very significant investments in the last 12 months – most notably in our Net Zero Emissions Pathfinder Project at our Atlas Factory in the West Midlands – it is extremely rewarding for everyone in the business to see very tangible evidence of the impacts we’re making.

“Our sustainability success would not be possible without the hard work of our colleagues, and by increasing employee engagement we are able to take them on this journey. Over the last year, more than ever, the health and wellbeing of our employees has been of paramount importance. I am so proud of the teamwork we demonstrated, our ability to adapt decisively, the determination to keep driving and to keep caring through rapidly changing and often challenging circumstances. I believe this shows what we are capable of as a business and continues our long history of leading responsibly.”

To download a copy of the 2020 Sustainability Report visit https://www.ibstockplc.co.uk/sustainability.