Three BMF member companies were named in this month’s cohort of net zero carbon Business Champions announced by the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) as part of their CO2nstruct Zero initiative.
BMF supplier and service members, Ibstock plc, Peak and Wavin joined the four existing BMF Business Champions by committing to share evidence of their net zero carbon programmes and to contribute to the CO2nstruct Zero reporting process. They have all committed to work with other companies in the sector in order to support the industry-wide change programme.
Ibstock recognises that the net zero journey is one it shares with customers and understand that the longevity of the business relies on low carbon solutions. It tracks progress tracked against a Sustainable Roadmap to 2025, with a key measure of a minimum 15% reduction in CO2 per tonne of production by that date. As part of this drive, major investment at one of the factories will make it an exemplar of global environmental best practice in the construction product sector – reducing process carbon emissions by circa 50% with the remainder offset to make what Ibstock believes will be the world’s first Net Zero brick factory for scope 1 and 2 emissions. New and sustainable products have already been introduced, with others in development. By 2025 these should account for 20% of sales turnover. Further targets within the roadmap include zero waste to landfill, 40% reduction in preventable plastic packaging, 5% reduction in mains water usage per tonne of production and 100% of suppliers meeting their Supplier Sustainability Code of Business Conduct.
Peak, a BMF service member, helps merchants and manufacturers to drive improved business performance using Decision Intelligence. Peak’s Decision Intelligence software embeds AI in routing technology, ensuring that delivery vehicles are more productive and travel fewer miles. Customers have seen transformational efficiency gains at speed and scale including an 8% reduction on miles travelled per job and an increase of 23% capacity, in just 3 months. AI-driven demand forecasting informs both production scheduling and sourcing optimisation to reduce waste. Over a year, another company making aluminium products reduced transportation costs by 8% and eliminated 400 metric tonnes of waste. As BMF Business Champions Peak will engage customers on the sustainable benefits and long term benefits that Decision Intelligence can deliver.
Wavin is working to reduce carbon both in the products it makes and in everything that concerns the manufacture and distribution. It has a target of reaching net zero emissions by 2050 and an ambition to lead the industry in sustainability by 2025, by which time it will have a fully electric car fleet. The four manufacturing sites already run on 100% renewable energy, 40% of the forklift fleet uses Bio LPG, and transporting products in the most sustainable way is helping to make significant CO2 savings. Managing the full lifecycle of products is another consideration. Around 30% of the products are currently manufactured from recycled material, with a target of 60-70%.
John Newcomb, CEO of the Builders Merchants Federation said: “I’m delighted to see the initiatives that Ibstock, Peak and Wavin have introduced in their drive to net zero gaining recognition in this way. I think it is important that the building materials industry shares best practice, so we can move forward together. Clearly there is a lot still to do, but with seven BMF Business Champions now in place, with ACO Technologies, APP Wholesale, Bradfords Building Supplies and Travis Perkins Plc gaining Champion status last month, we are helping to build a bigger cross-industry movement that will help everyone gain knowledge and learn from their peers.”
Welcoming the new Champions, Construction Leadership Council Co-Chair Andy Mitchell said: “We all know that tackling carbon will be the single biggest challenge our sector faces over the coming decade. To advance as an industry, we need to learn from those who are leading the way. I am delighted that we have such strong Champions coming on board, providing guidance for companies across UK construction on how they can drive out carbon.”
The CLC is running an ongoing monthly recruitment drive for more companies to commit to CO2nstruct Zero as Business Champions. If any BMF member would like to be considered, please contact John Newcomb in the first instance, at june.upton@bmf.org.uk
