Aggregate Industries has rebranded to Holcim UK as part of a strategic shift to provide the highways sector with seamless access to the latest sustainable building solutions.
With over 200 sites and 4,000 employees across the UK, the organisation’s 25 brands* are uniting under Holcim UK to drive this growth. Building on trusted partnerships, the move is also set to provide customers with access to more seamless, enhanced services and sustainable solutions.
Holcim UK’s strategic focus centres around leading the mission to make sustainable construction a reality, focusing on decarbonisation, nature, circularity and innovation. Its aim is to achieve this through both its commitment to reducing its own impact on communities and the planet, in addition to driving positive change for the industry and customers through its expert teams and sustainable solutions.
The consolidation comes as the highways sector faces the challenge of reducing emissions produced by the maintenance and construction of highways, aligned with National Highways’ target of producing associated Net Zero emissions by 2040.
Alongside a target to accelerate green growth, Holcim UK is committed to expanding the uptake of sustainable building materials in the UK. Currently a third of its turnover comes from sustainable products and it is aiming to continue to increase this in the next five years.
Key to this will be circular product innovation through construction demolition materials (CDM), targeting an increase of CDM used in products from 2m tonnes to more than 5m tonnes by 2030.
Following 20 years as a UK-based subsidiary of Holcim Group, the new direction sees the business align more closely with its Swiss-based parent company, which operates across 70 countries and employs over 60,000 people worldwide. Holcim UK will leverage global insights, innovation and expertise in sustainable solutions from Holcim Group to enhance the business’s existing rich UK heritage and its understanding of the local market.
This presence in the UK market has already seen the launch of product ranges such as ECOPact low carbon readymix concrete, ECOPlanet range of low carbon cement, and its ECOCycle range of products, which are made from at least 10% recycled materials.
This focus on circularity is underpinned by continued investment, including recent acquisitions of CDM specialist companies Land Recovery and Sivyer, in addition to innovations such as neustark – the technology which permanently locks carbon removed from the atmosphere into processed demolished concrete for new products.
To support customers further, the business will also continue its focus on knowledge sharing and best practice through its trusted partnerships. This includes initiatives such as the Holcim Sustainable Construction Academy, which offers free CPD-certified courses on low-carbon, circular and regenerative design concepts, developed with top global institutions and architecture firms.
Speaking on the direction, Lee Sleight, CEO of Holcim UK, said: “Our evolution from Aggregate Industries to Holcim UK is much more than a rebrand. It represents a commitment to leading the sector towards a more sustainable future through a commitment to innovation and collaboration.
“By uniting under one coherent brand, we can focus on driving sustainable growth for our business and many customers and suppliers we have formed strong partnerships with over the years. With such growth, we can continue to invest in the people and solutions capable of making a positive difference to customers and communities. Key to this will be our ongoing prioritisation of people, purpose and performance to achieve our ambitious revenue and sustainability growth targets.
“Through taking on the global brand, we can leverage Holcim Group’s global presence and the innovative solutions it has brought to a variety of different markets. With our renewed strategic direction, we will not only be able to reduce our environmental impact and make positive change as a business, but be a trusted partner to our customers as they aim to do the same.
To mark the establishment of its new brand, Holcim UK has launched two initiatives to drive awareness for sustainability in construction and its strategic direction for making it a reality.
The first is the creation of its “Sustaina-billboard”, an environmentally-friendly billboard containing pollinating flowers, plants and seeds to support local wildlife, and a surrounding frame made from low carbon concrete and recycled aggregate materials.
Demonstrating its commitment to nature and biodiversity, the creation is designed to feed wildlife and insects around its Greenwich site, as well as highlighting the brand’s nature strategy which will see it creating dedicated spaces for nature across more than 200 sites by the end of the year.
Holcim UK has also identified the specific areas where the construction sector needs to focus its efforts to overcome pressing sustainability challenges in its new report Making Sustainable Construction a Reality. Exploring the areas of decarbonisation, circular economy and waste reduction, smart construction, people and communities, and nature and biodiversity, the organisation is aiming to provide the wider industry with a series of steps that should be taken to progress towards making sustainable construction a reality.
To read the report and find out more about the company’s new strategic direction, visit the Holcim UK website.
*Of the 25 brands, 18 will be migrating to Holcim UK, three additional brands will be endorsed by Holcim UK and two will continue operating under their own name, including Bradstone which will see two further brands migrate under its name.
