Even by 2045, however, Kier expects to be still using offsetting to compensate for its carbon footprint.
Kier’s strategy document, called Building for a Sustainable World, states: “Our new sustainability targets include achieving Net Zero carbon across our own operations and supply chain by 2045, eliminating avoidable waste by 2035 and becoming single-use plastic free by 2030.”
The strategy is based on review, reduce, renew, rebalance: review existing processes to ascertain the baseline for reporting, reduce carbon emissions, adopt renewable energy and alternative fuels, and ‘rebalance’ by giving money to carbon offsetting agencies.
Each Kier business unit is responsible for developing its own strategies for delivering on the targets, although there will be coordination through group ‘sustainability leadership forums’.
Kier says that it will measure the success of its sustainability actions “not only through traditional volume metrics, but also through commercial performance indicators”.
It adds: “The purpose of applying a commercial lens is to ensure that sustainable action within Kier is driven through our core business decisions.”
Last month Willmott Dixon published a sustainable development strategy targeting becoming ‘net zero carbon in operation’ by 2030, without recourse to offsetting after that date. Willmott Dixon expects its entire supply chain to be net zero by 2040.
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