Reduce scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions in line with Heidelberg Materials Group SBTi
We have set specific UK targets within our 2030 commitments as detailed in this report that will contribute towards the Heidelberg Materials Groups’ carbon reduction ambitions.
CCS plant at Padeswood to be operational and feasibility studies carried out for Ketton and Ribblesdale
We have significantly invested in our Padeswood cement works and, with government support, intend to have carbon capture and storage facilities at the site operational by 2028. Feasibility studies for Ketton and Ribblesdale will be carried out over the coming years.
Reduce scope 1 emissions from UK operations by 15% from 2016 baseline
The carbon impact of our operations for Scope 1 emissions is down 16.1% from 46.2 kgCO2/tonne in 2016 to 38.8kg CO2/tonne in 2023.
Reduce CO2 by 15% in concrete, asphalt and cement from 2019 baseline
The sum of scope 1 and 2 CO2 emissions per tonne of product is down 52.7% in concrete, 8.6% in asphalt (excluding MQP) and 12.4% in cement. For the UK, scope 1 and 2 CO2 emissions are down 21.0% per tonne of product.
EPDs are being updated for these products to show the impact of these reductions.
Reduce scope 3 emissions in delivery transport by 15% from 2019 baseline
Delivery transport CO2 emissions/tonne are 6.1% down from the 2019 baseline.
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 86.5%
Alternative fuel rate in cement above 80%
From the UK KPI report energy derived from alternative fuels is 76.2%
Biomass fuel rate in cement above 35%
Energy derived from biomass is 26.2%
Measurement framework for scope 3 emissions embedded by 2025 and 10% reduction to 2030
A comprehensive scope 3 study was undertaken in conjunction with Schneider Electric which will form the basis of our measurement framework and allow focus on our most significant scope 3 carbon sources.
10% reduction in operational electrical kWh/t from a 2016 baseline
Electrical energy kWh/t is down 8.8% from a 2016 baseline.
Net zero plans in all divisions developed to include targets for scope 1, 2 and 3
Net zero plans are in place for cement, concrete, asphalt and aggregate divisions and these will be fully updated over the next 2 years.
Further CO2 and energy measures
Our progress
% clinker incorporation in total cementitious
Clinker incorporation in total cementitious is 56.1%
Scope 2 CO2 (market based) as percentage of overall electricity usage and per tonne of product
Most of our sites use a zero-carbon electricity tariff but we recognise we can do more than purchasing low or zero carbon electricity and that by reducing our own power consumption we can also reduce carbon emissions. Scope 2 CO2 as a percentage of overall electricity usage is only 3.8% which equates to 0.41 kWh/t of product.
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 total deliveries by road was 76.8%, by rail was 22.4% and by sea was 0.8%
KgCO2/tonne for total cementitious material
Total cementitious material was 453.7 kgCO2/tonne.
KgCO2/m3 in concrete
Over 50 per cent of concrete supplied by Heidelberg Materials UK exceeded our sustainable revenue criteria and we reduced our average kgCO2/m3 by 14kg versus 2021.
Further emissions to air measures
Our progress
G/t clinker of SOx and NOx
SOx was 154.5 g/tonne of clinker and NOx was 1,044 g/tonne of clinker
Percentage of cars and vans that are EV/hybrid as part of overall fleet
24% of the car fleet is EV and 55% is hybrid, up from 2% EV and 50% hybrid in 2022
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
Sustainable low carbon and circular products reporting continues to be developed at Group level with the following data available for 2023: Cement: 35% (low carbon) Concrete: 79% (low carbon) Aggregate: 0.24% (circular) Asphalt: not available Data not available at UK level at present
A ground-breaking 12-month project is being carried out 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. It will explore the potential use of ammonia as a low-cost, low carbon hydrogen carrier, evaluating the most efficient method of ‘cracking’ the ammonia on-site to release the hydrogen for use as a fuel in the kiln. Read the news article
Our plans to build a carbon capture plant at our Padeswood cement works in north Wales continued to move forward. In March, the project progressed to the due diligence and negotiation phase through the Governments’ Phase-2 cluster sequencing programme, giving us the confidence to start the process of finding our front-end engineering and design partner. Read more
Our proposed facility would capture up to 800,000 tonnes of CO2 per year and could produce evoZero® carbon captured net zero cement as early as 2028.
evoZero®, launched by Heidelberg Materials Group in November 2023, is a development that introduces the world’s first carbon-captured net zero cement, demonstrating our commitment to leading the construction industry on its journey to decarbonisation. Read more at https://www.evozero.com
Our carbon capture feasibility study with C-Capture at our Ketton cement works was completed, with trials due to start in April 2024. The trial is part of C-Capture's national XLR8 CCS project, which aims to demonstrate that its next generation 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.
We were one of the industrial partners in a Mineral Products Association (MPA)-led project which assessed the suitability of re-claimed UK clays for calcination. The two-year project has successfully demonstrated how clays from a wide range of sources, including our Ketton quarry, can be turned into reactive SCMs (supplementary cementitious materials) if calcined under the right conditions. This is another stepping stone in our development of a range of SCMs suitable to produce low carbon concrete.
We operate a network of rail connected quarries and depots across the country and transport more than 6 million tonnes of aggregate by rail each year, reducing the number of vehicles on our roads and cutting carbon emissions. In 2023 this included the supply of bulk aggregate by rail, which was recognised at the RailFreightUK awards. We claimed top spot in the Rail Freight Project of the Year category with our project partners EKFB and Fishbone Solutions.
Work has continued to explore the potential large-scale use of basalt fines from our quarrying operations to enable carbon sequestration within industries such as agriculture. It is estimated that 300kg of CO2 can be removed from the atmosphere per tonne of basalt fines used.
The Government committed £6.1 million to support the Bay Hydrogen Hub, which aims to develop a final design for hydrogen production, distribution and end use technology to replace the use of fossil fuels. Part of the project will include the trial of hydrogen to deliver net zero asphalt production at scale at our Criggion asphalt plant in mid-Wales. Learn more
We carried out the first formal trial of our CarbonLock asphalt containing polymer modified bitumen (PMB) bio-binders on the strategic road network in partnership with National Highways. Learn more
Our contracting team worked closely with Dorset Council to minimise the carbon impact of a new road in the county. The project included stabilising existing soils for the foundations and crushing construction waste materials from the county to create a cement bound granular material for the base layer. This saved over 6,000 tonnes of old concrete kerbs and road materials from going to landfill.
The asphalt used in the binder and surface course was produced using our ERA warm mix technology, which enabled the material to be produced at 40 degrees Celsius less than traditional methods, reducing energy use and the associated carbon emissions.
We became one of the first heavy building materials manufacturers in the UK to reach the updated PAS 2080:2023 standard on managing and reducing whole-life carbon in the built environment. Learn more
Scope 3 emissions
A comprehensive study was undertaken to form the basis of our calculations for scope 3 emissions from the purchase of goods and services. The study has allowed us to develop our initial reporting methodology that can be embedded and improved over time in partnership with our supply chain. Scope 3 emissions were higher than originally anticipated at some 639,000 tonnes (using 2022 data).
We carried out a ‘heat map’ of our suppliers and will now work with them to see where opportunities exist for us to reduce our scope 3 emissions.
Our high-quality sustainable asphalt solutions have been developed to be the ideal choice for a wide range of surfacing applications, from major civil engineering projects to domestic driveways and footpaths.
Heidelberg Materials has developed its EcoCrete® range to make it easier to access lower carbon concretes. EcoCrete® reduces the CO2 emissions associated with standard CEM I concrete by up to 85 per cent, helping contractors and clients meet their carbon reduction targets.
They contain Regen GGBS (ground granulated blastfurnace slag), a by-product of iron-making, as a replacement for some of the cement content in the concrete. Using GGBS reduces the embodied CO2 in a concrete mix by around 780kg for every tonne of CEM I Portland cement (PC) it replaces. It also increases the long-term durability of structures, conserves natural resources for future generations as it does not require the quarrying of materials and prevents the slag being disposed of as landfill.
There are three products in the range:
EcoCrete®: reduces CO2 by 30-64 per cent compared with CEM I concrete EcoCrete® Extra: reduces CO2 by 65-79 per cent EcoCrete® Elite: reduces CO2 by up to 85 per cent
