Paving and Building Products firm AG says it has “reinforced its position as a market leader in sustainable construction” by reducing its carbon footprint by 53.7%.
The firm, which has manufacturing locations in Fivemiletown, Toome and Carryduff, stated that it “already has one of the lowest carbon footprints in the industry” and that it is “committed to reducing the environmental impact of its operations to an absolute minimum. ”
Last year, the manufacturer signed the Business in the Community’s Climate Action Pledge whereby companies commit to reducing their scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by at least 30% and to also begin reducing Scope 3. As part of the pledge, Business in the Community sets science-based targets and will chart AG’s decarbonisation journey.
An initial analysis of AG’s manufacturing activities showed a reduction in emissions from its baseline of 2019 to 2022 by 53.7% – despite an increase in production volumes as the company faced unprecedented demand for its products reinforcing its commitment to a greener future in construction.
AG has invested £5m into its operations enabling the firm to modernise its plant, equipment, and technology. By shutting down old, inefficient factories and cutting down the amount of mobile plant machinery, it has reduced its fuel consumption even further.
The creation of a “pioneering carbon calculator” is also said to have allowed AG to calculate its overall carbon impact, as well as the carbon impact per product, driving the firm’s sustainability agenda through the introduction of more environmentally friendly products into the business.
As well as this, the specialist building products business previously switched to 100% renewable energy supply and has also introduced electric and hybrid cars into their fleet. This was led by CEO Stephen Acheson with support from the firm’s CSR team which was set up with the aim of reducing the company’s carbon footprint, as part of an energy strategy developed with a commitment to producing low carbon products.
Furthermore, AG has “thoroughly analysed” the composition and core ingredients within its products, enabling Scope 3 carbon reductions due to the introduction of supplementary cementitious materials to reduce cement content, while “maintaining and improving on the exceptional quality AG is renowned for.”
Commercial Director Rodney Davidson said: “For many years, we have worked tirelessly to reduce our energy usage. These results further demonstrate our commitment to making long lasting and impactful changes.”
CEO Stephen Acheson added: “AG has a corporate social responsibility to be sustainable. Each of our sites bring our corporate environmental philosophy to life and our commitment to reducing the impact our sites have on our surrounding environment is evidenced by the rich biodiversity found around our sites – such as the peregrine falcons currently nesting in our Fivemiletown quarry.
“We are delighted to have exceeded our BITC pledge target. We have ambitious growth plans and look forward to working with Business in the Community to ensure we maintain or improve this figure in line with our 2030 target.”
