Investments Pay Off on Roof Tile Maker Net Zero Journey

ROOF TILE MAKER, Russell Roof Tiles, is seeing its investments pay off in measures to meet its 2040 net zero target.

Results from its sustainability report show continued reductions in carbon emissions for two consecutive years.

Since the company announced its ‘Race to Zero’ in 2022, it has made significant improvements to reduce its environmental impact which in the last 12 months has resulted in a 3.9% carbon emissions reduction overall.

Exceeded Targets

Russell Roof Tiles initially set a target of 2.5% reductions per year. But thanks to major upgrades and investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in excess of £500k at its 3 sites in Burton and Lochmaben, the manufacturer has exceeded these.

Originally announced two years ago, the company recognized that, as a leading sector player, it has a responsibility to support the UK’s transition to Net Zero. This resulted in the creation of key targets and milestones it would need to achieve them.

The roof tile manufacturer places a major focus on direct emissions (Scope 1 & 2) as well as fossil fuel reduction, energy efficiency, maximising renewables and procuring green energy.  Working closely with external accreditation agency Planet Mark it verifies and measures its carbon and social data to reduce emissions.

This external certification assures customers that the business is taking active steps forward to tackle climate change and reduce carbon emissions in the supply chain.

Investments Pay Off

Dan Hancox, Corporate Sustainability and Development Director, comments: “After verifying the data we’re pleased to report a significant reduction to our carbon emissions last year. Thanks to investments such as the new fleet of electric forklift trucks, switching to a renewable energy contract and continuous site upgrades, our market-based carbon footprint decreased by 22.4% as a result. With our sights set on being Net Zero by 2040, we’re integrating sustainability across all departments plus looking at ways to involve the supply chain.”

“Every year we are continuing to see large scale energy reduction which has been months and years in the planning. We’re now looking ahead following the launch of our first solar PV system, RussFast Solar.”

Strategic Investments

This is the latest in an extensive line of strategic investments the company has made and is set to continue to drive the business towards electrification and decarbonisation.

Andrew Hayward, Managing Director at Russell Roof Tiles

Andrew Hayward, Managing Director at Russell Roof Tiles said: “The results show we are taking significant steps in our sustainability journey. We’re focusing not just on our manufacturing impact but also the influence of our products which is why we are pleased to have brought RussFast Solar to market, which is an important part of our continued development in sustainability. These findings are a tangible demonstration of lead the market into lessening our impact on the environment.”

Russell Roof Tiles is currently constructing a £18.5m state-of-the-art plant at its Burton headquarters and main tile manufacturing site, which will double output and help to continue to increase efficiencies and capacity. This site expansion will also improve energy efficiency through its new state of the art curing facility (only the second of its type in the country) as well as the installation of solar panels, the first on its sites.

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