Ibstock targets 40% carbon reduction and biodiversity net-gain in new ESG strategy

Ibstock claims the new strategy was developed following materiality assessments that account for the views of key stakeholders

Ibstock has this week unveiled the intermediate targets for its plans to become a net-zero business by 2040, which were first announced in January this year.

The new targets were issued as part of Ibstock’s new ESG Strategy for 2030 and features a commitment to achieve a 40% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030.

The 40% reduction will be delivered across Scopes 1 and 2, with an additional target to achieve biodiversity net-gain across its estate.

Other notable targets included in the new ESG strategy include a reduction in mains water us of 25% per tonne by 2030, ensuring that 20% of sales turnover revenue comes from sustainable products and services and increasing female senior leadership representation to 40%.

Ibstock’s chief executive Joe Hudson said: “Whilst our new strategy sets our longer-term ambition, we are also very proud of the progress we have made on our journey so far to becoming a more sustainable, purpose-led business. Where the past decade has been about incremental improvement and embedding change, the next decade needs to go much further, much faster.

“To get where we need to be, we must continue to bring our people with us on this journey to enable us to make progress more swiftly and with greater impact. This is work that requires our passionate people with a desire to make positive change at pace. We are confident we will achieve our goals – but we will need to do this together. We are calling on our colleagues, suppliers, partners and customers to work with us – as we will work with them – to deliver on the challenges and opportunities that we share.”

Ibstock claims the new strategy was developed following materiality assessments that account for the views of key stakeholders.

The company will also launch a customer survey of attitudes towards sustainability in the built environment. This will inform new communications programmes moving forward.

Ibstock has already achieved an existing goal of delivering a 15% reduction in carbon emissions per tonne of production, with a new goal now in place to deliver a 40% reduction by 2030 that will build towards the net-zero commitment.

The company has previously invested more than £115m on decarbonising its factories. Last year, the manufacturer confirmed that its Atlas factory in the West Midlands would act as a “pathfinder project” to trial decarbonisation in line with a net-zero trajectory. According to Ibstock, the Atlas factory will focus on reducing process emissions and improving thermal efficiency to cut the intensity of brick manufacturing. This will deliver a 50% reduction in emissions, with the remaining to be offset. Investments have also been made at the Nostell site while the company also procures 100% of its electrical needs from renewables.