Ibstock Partnership to Improve Environmental Performance of Products

AS PART of its commitment to improving the environmental performance of its products, Ibstock has partnered with Earth Friendly Concrete (EFC) to create ultra-low carbon concrete products.

The partnership will support Ibstock’s ESG strategy to 2030 and its target to achieve 20% of sales turnover revenue from new sustainable products.

The manufacturer of clay and concrete building products says it is seeking to develop new solutions with improved environmental performance.

EFC is more sustainable than traditional concrete, with around 70% less embodied CO₂ saving 250kg of CO₂ per cubic metre poured. It is made from a binder consisting of industrial waste products, ground granulated blast furnace slag and pulverised fly ash with no Portland Cement.

Improved Environmental Performance

The partnership will see EFC’s ultra-low carbon, zero cement technology integrated into Ibstock’s portfolio of building products, including its range of products for the rail, infrastructure and UK housing markets.

The technology has performance advantages over ordinary Portland Cement-based products, including improved durability, lower shrinkage, higher flexural tensile strength and increased fire resistance. It is the only zero-cement concrete technology that has been proven at scale on real life commercial projects worldwide.

Darren Waters, Chief Operating Officer at Ibstock, said: “Our ambition is to be the most sustainable manufacturer of concrete products in the UK. Collaborating with EFC marks a significant step in achieving this goal as we collaborate and innovate to manufacture materials for life.

“More than ever, customers are looking for products which offer great functionality but also have robust sustainability credentials. In 2020, the Ibstock concrete division invested in a new concrete laboratory at its site in Anstone, Sheffield, to facilitate the development of sustainable concrete that features reduced embodied carbon and therefore has a lower environmental impact.

“At this advanced facility, we are already developing and testing innovative new concrete mixhat incorporate EFC to ensure we achieve our own sustainability goals, as well as contribute to those of the wider sector, without compromising on quality or performance.”

CO₂ Reductions

Since it was launched in 2020, EFC has saved around 2,000 tonnes of CO₂ across construction projects. It has been used in several high-profile projects including High Speed 2 (HS2) and Silvertown Tunnel.

EFC UK Regional Manager, Andy Izod, added: “We are delighted to strengthen our presence in the UK through this partnership with Ibstock. We will not only focus on introducing Earth Friendly Concrete into the wider construction market across a range of projects, regions, applications and supply chains but will also share our ground-breaking technology with partners like Ibstock, which will help them to achieve ultra-low carbon outcomes for their business.”

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