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Although HeidelbergCement does produce asphalt and construction aggregates as well as cement and concrete, the name change is recognition of cement’s marketing toxicity.
Cement and concrete are often described as the most environmentally destructive materials on earth; producers are on a mission to clean up their product as well as their own reputations.
“We are proud of our cement business, but the company's range of services goes far beyond cement. Today and even more in the future,“ said Dr Dominik von Achten, chairman of the managing board. “Our future is sustainable. Our future is digital. Customer demands, markets, and competitors are changing rapidly. Opportunities and challenges go beyond country borders, communication is becoming increasingly global. Differentiation opportunities arise. We will be the first company in the world to offer carbon-free cement at large scale as early as 2024. We are vigorously driving forward the scaling of our CCUS activities: by 2030, we will reduce our CO2 emissions by 10 million tonnes with the projects we have already launched.”
He added: “To take full advantage of our strengths as a global team, we must appear and act unified and speak with one voice. With our new and global brand Heidelberg Materials, we give our transformation a face and an anchor. We continue to drive the change in our industry towards sustainability and digitalisation – for the benefit of our customers, our employees, our shareholders, and the society we live in.”
From 2023 onwards, domestic and international subsidiaries, including Hanson UK, will gradually also be renamed Heidelberg Materials.
The parent company of Heidelberg Materials, however, remains HeidelbergCement AG.
Jon Morrish, member of the managing board responsible for the rebrand, said: “As a pioneer on the path to carbon neutrality and circular economy in the building materials industry, we offer our customers sustainable value: By 2030, we aim to generate half of our revenue with low-carbon products. Heidelberg Materials is a powerful brand that stands for our global quality and sustainability standards and combines the strengths of our countries with those of the entire group.”
Hanson UK chief executive Simon Willis said: “This is an exciting announcement and one which will allow us to take advantage of our strengths as a global company. For the time being it is business as usual for us and we remain Hanson UK but, in the future, our business – along with other international subsidiaries – will be rebranded and we are excited about the opportunities this will bring.”
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