Association’s 2014 Sustainable Development Report highlights progress made and challenges ahead
THE Mineral Products Association (MPA) has published its latest Sustainable Development (SD) Report, which aims to further improve the quality and reporting of sustainability data to achieve more transparency and better communication of sustainability.
This summary of the industry’s sustainable development performance in 2013 is supplemented by commentaries which provide an indication of activities in 2014, including examples of areas where further action and progress is required.
Nigel Jackson, chief executive of the MPA, said: ‘We want to be transparent about our industry’s sustainability performance and the latest report updates a number of key indicators. The industry sustained its commitment to sustainability throughout the recession, but we acknowledge that, in a number of areas, such as emissions and engagement, performance declined in 2013 and we need to understand why this happened and to take the necessary action.
‘More positively, the 28% share of recycled materials in our aggregates markets is three times higher than the European average, CO2 emissions from cement manufacturing are 25% lower than the 1998 baseline per tonne of production, and we have now identified more than 6,700ha of land in site restoration plans which will be restored to support UK priority habitats and biodiversity.
‘I would also like to highlight the work that the Association and its members are doing to support public safety, including initiatives to improve road safety for vulnerable road users, such as cyclists, and to reduce the risk of accidents at active and disused quarry sites.
‘We know we have more progress to make in many areas, but we hope that the availability of this information indicates that we are committed to this course.’
Key highlights from the MPA SD Report:
- In addition to the summary MPA SD Report, the Association publishes more detailed industry information for cement, concrete, lime and marine-dredged aggregates.
- Market recovery started in mid-2013. Although focused on London and parts of south-east England, and housing markets, improvements are now evident throughout much of the UK.
- There is a cross-party commitment to increasing housing supply and the quality of UK infrastructure, bringing increasing demands for sustainable construction materials.
- 95% of recorded sales of aggregates, asphalt, cement and concrete are certified as responsibly sourced to BES 6001, highlighting the sustainability benefits of indigenous UK supply chains.
- Following the early achievement of the 2009–2014 safety Hard Target, MPA sets a new extremely challenging five-year target within the overall objective of Zero Harm.
- MPA and members continue to lead industry action to improve the safety of vulnerable road users, and MPA becomes a CLOCS champion.
- GB continues to lead Europe with recycled materials, having a 28% share in the aggregates market, three times higher than the European average.
- MPA Cement publishes a cement Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) covering 100% of domestically produced Portland cement.
- New analysis indicates CO2 emissions per tonne of production from all cement manufacturing sites are 25% lower than 1998.
- Asphalt industry works with partners to highlight opportunities for lower-temperature and more carbon-efficient asphalt mixes.
- MPA starts development of a water strategy and British Precast highlights contribution of concrete paving in Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) as part of an increasing focus on water.
- MPA identifies 6,706ha of future site restoration dedicated to the creation of priority habitats.
- MPA works to increase number of locations contributing to its National Nature Park.
A downloadable copy of the MPA SD Report 2014 is attached below.
