Member Article

NetZero Pledge by Roofing Giant

Burton headquartered Russell Roof Tiles has announced its commitment to becoming a Net-Zero business by 2040.

The pioneering pitched roof tile manufacturer recognises that as a leading sector player, the company has a responsibility to perform an important role in supporting the UK’s transition to Net-Zero. Russell Roof Tiles employs 140 people at two sites on Nicolson Way and Wetmore Lane in Burton, and one in Lochmaben (Scotland)

The company started its sustainability journey over 10 years ago and Russell Roof Tiles’ long-term ambition has always been to reduce emissions that damage the environment and improve its operational efficiency, whilst strengthening its wider communities.

As part of the commitment to Net-Zero 2040, its major focus will be direct emissions (Scope 1 & 2) and will be on the reduction of fossil fuel use, energy efficiency, maximising renewables and procuring green energy. This will be process of continual improvement and refinement with all its three manufacturing sites sharing knowledge and initiatives in its own internal ‘race to zero’.

Russell Roof Tiles is working with Planet Mark who will be verifying and measuring carbon and social data to reduce emissions. Its certification recognises continuous improvement, encourages action and builds an empowered community of like-minded individuals who make a difference.

It is also putting plans in place to support a significant reduction of emissions in its supply chain and downstream activities (Scope 3) and will issue further targets in this area once baseline data is established with Planet Mark.

Ultimately greenhouse gas emissions will become a key performance area within its supply chain, with delivery partners and in product design. Its Energy & Emissions strategy roadmap sets out key projects, targets, and milestones that it is working towards in order to achieve Net Zero.

Daniel Hancox, Business Support Manager at Russell Roof Tiles is currently heading the Net Zero task force. He comments “We are dedicated to reducing the impact we make on our environment. Our new Net Zero strategy has been developed in support of our existing Environmental & Responsible Sourcing Policies, to set a clear roadmap and define specific objectives that will minimise our contribution to climate change and our impact on the planet. It supplements our existing environmental objectives and enhances our ability to meet the expectations of all stakeholders.”

In the last five years the company has reduced its environmental impact already by investing significantly in terms of both time and money in changing policies and adopting new technologies as part of its sustainability commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.

It has worked hard to source materials locally and was the first British roof tile manufacturer to have achieved an “Excellent” rating for responsible supplier sourcing. RRT has now signed up to the SME Climate Hub, which is a government initiative aimed at getting SME businesses in the UK on the path to Net Zero. It also recently achieved gold status with the Supply Chain Sustainability School, which is a multi-award-winning initiative that represents a common approach to addressing sustainability within supply chains.

Andrew Hayward, Managing Director at Russell Roof Tiles add; “This is our most significant announcement on our commitment to sustainability, a journey which we started many years ago. We are pleased now to be able to give specifics on our Net Zero pledge and work with customers and suppliers to reduce our impact on the environment.”

Russell Roof Tiles is a leading independent pitched roof tile manufacturer supplying products for the top housebuilders and high-profile social housing and commercial projects. The company produces thousands of tiles every week that are used on roofs across the UK, for all of the UK’s premier housebuilders, architects and developers.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Kathryn Greenwood .