Planet - Net Zero
A credible route to Net Zero
Sourcing, handling, transporting and processing aggregates – whether they are from primary (newly quarried) sources or materials from secondary sources – requires the use of energy. Until 2020, most of the energy needed to run our business came from fossil fuels, but this is changing as we transition to net zero and will only accelerate over the years ahead.
The energy consumption, and therefore the carbon emissions, at GRS are generated across four areas of activity that are the key levers for our decarbonisation journey:
Transport
The way we move materials from where they are sourced to where they are needed in construction, including the energy required.
Operations
In the way we process and handle materials such as washing, screening, bagging and loading, and the energy required in offices.
Materials
Our use of goods and materials, from aggregates and cement to packaging materials and everyday consumables.
Practices
The policies and practices that determine the decisions made by people, whether they are employees, customers or suppliers.
Developing our Net Zero Roadmap
Working with independent climate change consultants, GRS put together a senior team from across the business, representing every division, product line and function. This group came together to scrutinise every aspect of our business to identify the short, medium and long-term actions that could affect improvement in our greenhouse gas emissions.
These were then analysed to quantify the potential carbon savings and prioritised so they could be resourced and actioned. In turn, this enabled us to produce our Net Zero Roadmap, setting out a clear pathway to reduce emissions. Subsequently, we appointed a dedicated in-house resource to continue to help drive progress and enable effective monitoring of our activities.