Collaboration central to Ibstock Supply Chain Engagement Day

Company says supply chain collaboration is crucial in tackling global challenge of decarbonization

IBSTOCK plc, manufacturers of clay and concrete building products and solutions, say supply chain collaboration is crucial in helping to tackle the global challenge of decarbonization. To this end, the company brought together a cross-section of key suppliers to identify opportunities for accelerating change at its recent Supply Chain Engagement Day.

Building on the success of the inaugural event held in 2021, the Supply Chain Engagement Day was attended by 30 of Ibstock’s suppliers who have a significant material impact on the company’s Scope 3 carbon emissions, including CEMEX and Aggregate Industries.

The aim of the event was to support Ibstock in meeting some of the sustainability challenges faced by the construction sector; in particular, to get a better understanding of how Scope 3 emissions can be reduced and to identify opportunities for collaboration on carbon reduction initiatives.

With almost one-third of Ibstock’s carbon emissions falling under this category, it is important for the company to understand the challenges being faced across the industry and to bring the best minds together in order to tackle them. In doing so, its findings can be aligned with its ESG Strategy to 2030, and ambition of becoming a Net Zero business by 2040.

Addressing Climate Change is one of the three pillars of Ibstock’s ESG Strategy to 2030, which was launched earlier this year. Attendees were given an update on progress made towards the company’s decarbonization goals and invited to join in roundtable discussions, outlining how their businesses are approaching the journey to Net Zero. Participants also shared their own challenges, best practice, and offered examples of innovative solutions being implemented to reach their sustainability targets.

Ibstock say the findings and outcomes that arise from events like this will be crucial as they develop their pathway for reaching Net Zero and wider sustainability ambitions.

Darren Waters, chief operating officer at Ibstock plc, said: ‘We believe in the power of collaboration and partnership. With this in mind, we are keen to work with suppliers to develop new ideas and solutions to support our sustainability journey. It is why events like our Supply Chain Engagement Day are so important.

‘By understanding the challenges being faced, we can co-create solutions that will lead to more rapid and effective change. Reducing our Scope 3 emissions is a key priority for us as we seek to be a Net Zero business by 2040, and the findings of this event will help us deliver our carbon reduction strategy.’

Joe Fox, Ibstock’s group procurement manager, commented: ‘Coming together to discuss the sustainability challenges being faced across our supply chain is a crucial part of our shared decarbonization journey. We can only succeed by building a mutual understanding of the opportunities for change. It was great to have so many different people come together, providing inspiration and ideas that we can all turn into momentum for positive change.’

Ibstock plc’s group sustainability advisor, Emily Landsborough, said: ‘In the last few years the sustainability agenda has been completely changed. Net Zero is a huge challenge for businesses and requires transformation across all areas. Whilst we are accelerating our decarbonization journey, we don’t have all the answers, and we need to be willing to fail, learn, and try new approaches – our hope is that by working together with our suppliers we can get to the right solutions more quickly.’

The value of the Supply Chain Engagement Day was not only felt by Ibstock, but also by those who attended.

Attendee Luke Olly, energy and carbon manager at Aggregate Industries, said: ‘It’s been great to meet up with people in the same industry and find out what they are doing to reach Net Zero. We share many of the same challenges and it’s important that we are sharing best practice as we move towards our common goal.’