one step closer: holcim uk reports significant progress against sustainable construction targets

One year on from Aggregate Industries’ rebrand to Holcim UK, the business has reported significant year‑on‑year progress across carbon reduction, circularity, nature restoration and social value - marking one of its strongest sustainability performance cycles to date.

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Today’s results demonstrate the tangible impact of bringing 25 long‑established brands under a single identity focused on decarbonisation, circularity, nature and innovation.

Verified results show a sharp cut in operational emissions, record volumes of recycled materials, extensive habitat creation and growing community impact. Together these milestones demonstrate accelerating momentum as the business moves one step closer to low‑carbon, circular and nature‑positive construction.

One step closer to net zero
Holcim UK has reduced its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 118 ktCO₂e year‑on‑year, contributing to a 594 ktCO₂e total reduction since 2020. Supported by the rollout of solar PV, low carbon fuels, efficiency technologies and material innovation, the company has also continued cutting emissions intensity across several product lines. This established momentum enables the next phase of action, including scaling low carbon concrete solutions, electrifying more vehicles and plant across its estate, and progressing carbon capture engineering design through the Peak Cluster initiative, taking the business one step closer to net zero.

One step closer to a nature positive future
Progress has also accelerated across Holcim UK’s nature‑positive commitments. The company has created a new 64‑hectare woodland, planting 105,000 trees to restore upland habitats, while freshwater efficiency improvements across our readymix division saved 59.5 million litres of water - equivalent to 24 Olympic swimming pools. With biodiversity baselines now established across all quarries and new restoration programmes underway, Holcim UK is moving one step closer to a nature‑positive future as it expands closed‑loop water systems, habitat creation and local ecology partnerships.

One step closer to circular construction becoming the norm
Holcim UK’s contribution to a circular construction economy has also grown significantly. In the last reporting cycle, the business processed over 400,000 tonnes more recycled material, reaching two million tonnes in total for the first time. A total of 39 UK sites are now independently certified to the ECOCycle® standard, enabling more products with at least 10% recycled content and unlocking greater use of reclaimed materials across aggregates, readymix and asphalt. Planned ECOCycle® capacity expansions and circular product innovation put the organisation one step closer to making circularity the default choice in construction.

One step closer to low carbon innovation at scale
Innovation continues to drive progress across the business. Solar installations at operational sites are generating 400 MWh of clean electricity annually, avoiding 87 tonnes of CO₂. Meanwhile, Holcim UK completed a UK‑first trial of carbon‑neutral asphalt on the M65, achieving net zero embodied carbon without offsetting by combining recycled planings, biogenic binders and carbon‑negative aggregates. This forms part of a wider innovation pipeline that is moving the company one step closer to low carbon innovation at scale.

One step closer to social value leadership
Holcim UK also continues to strengthen its positive impact on communities. Over the most recent year, 56,945 people benefited from its social value programmes, supported by 3,219 volunteering hours delivered by employees across the business. Investments in apprenticeships, skills development, community infrastructure and charitable partnerships will further expand the company’s social impact through the coming years, bringing it one step closer to social value leadership.

Lee Sleight, CEO, Holcim UK, said: “Our ambition is simple: to make sustainable construction a reality. Cutting 118 ktCO₂e in just one year - and nearly 600 ktCO₂e since 2020 - shows what happens when innovation is deployed at scale. From low‑carbon materials and renewable energy to electrification and carbon‑capture development, every part of our business is contributing to real, measurable change.

“Sustainability is our business. Every material we repurpose, every ecosystem we restore and every innovation we deploy reflects our commitment to engineering progress for people and the planet. The UK cannot build its future with yesterday’s systems, and we are determined to lead the shift.

“These achievements are steps, not the destination. With the expansion of our ECOCycle® offer, accelerated nature restoration and low‑carbon solutions moving into real‑world delivery, we’re building momentum and moving one step closer to a net zero, circular, nature‑positive built environment. The actions we take today reduce impact now and create positive outcomes for tomorrow; and the steps we take next will shape the future of construction across the UK.”

Hear more from Holcim UK’s people:

Rob Walsh, managing director of land recovery at Holcim UK, said: “I love the fact that we’re changing the mindset of people and individuals when it comes to sustainable construction and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with recycled materials in the sector. And it's not at the behest of losing out on primary sales; we're doing it as well as. And that's the exciting bit.”

Dr Cassandre Le Galliard, product manager for sustainable ready-mix construction, said: “Holcim by itself cannot solve these big industry issues and, while we are doing what we can, we need wider support from government, engineers, architects and contractors to bring new, more sustainable materials to market.”

Morgan Watson, Apprentice at Holcim UK, said: “I feel lucky to be working on projects that make a difference and being part of a company I’m proud of.”

For more information on Holcim UK’s sustainability commitments visit our dedicated sustainability pages.