Heidelberg Materials

How Are Heidelberg Materials’ ANRAV and GOCO₂ Projects Advancing Europe’s Decarbonisation? At the 4th edition of the #ICMForum in Pau, France, Heidelberg Materials discussed the next steps in implementing the European Commission’s Strategy on #IndustrialCarbonManagement with key stakeholders. Our colleagues showcased some of our #CCUS projects that are designed to help achieve Europe’s decarbonisation goals. These include our EU-funded #ANRAV project, which aims to be the first complete CCUS value chain project in Eastern Europe. Once operational, it shall capture 7.8 million tonnes of CO₂ in its first decade, contributing to an 8.3% reduction in carbon emissions from Bulgarian industrial sources. We also highlighted our French #Airvault GOCO₂ project, part of the GOCO₂ initiative launched in July 2023. This project has been initiated to support decarbonisation efforts in the West of France with an estimated capture capacity of 1 million tonnes of CO₂ annually. With projects like ANRAV and Airvault GOCO₂, Heidelberg Materials aims to significantly reduce carbon emissions and support Europe’s decarbonisation ambition.

Protecting and Conserving Birds on the Move – Celebrating World Migratory Bird Day 🐦 Today, we join the global community in celebrating World Migratory Bird Day, a vital event dedicated to raising awareness of the need to consemigratory birds and their habitats. This day underscores the importance of protecting birds and insects, something we at Heidelberg Materials support especially within our active and inactive quarries. We recognise that quarries can offer a sanctuary for migratory birds, supporting their breeding and resting needs. Understanding and preserving these habitats is crucial for the well-being of these species. Part of our International Quarry Life Award 6th Edition is dedicated to enhancing the scientific understanding of bird behavior in quarries, contributing valuable insights that aid in their conservation. We will keep you updated on the progress and findings of this initiative. Remember, admissions for the Quarry Life Award close on the 18th November. Join us in our efforts to protect and celebrate these magnificent creatures. For more information on the Quarry Life Award, please visit: https://lnkd.in/eA9hyCE

Everyone knows first aiders, but ever heard of mental health first aiders? 🧠🧘 Yesterday’s World Mental Health Day was a crucial reminder of the importance of mental wellbeing in our professional lives. Raising awareness in the workplace is essential to creating a supportive and productive environment. Therefore, we have implemented initiatives worldwide to support our employees. In particular, our mental health first aiders, who are trained to initiate supportive conversations and reduce the stigma around mental health issues, can help. In the UK, we have already coached 300 colleagues across our sites. And there are similar programmes in the USA, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Germany and other countries. What other initiatives are you aware of in your working environment?

A Coffee with Katharina Beumelburg ☕ Curious to get to know Dr. Katharina Beumelburg, our new Chief Sustainability & New Technologies Officer at Heidelberg Materials? After her first days in the office, she joins us for a cup of coffee sharing her thoughts on decarbonising a hard-to-abate industry, her first impressions of Heidelberg Materials, and her vision for the future of our company. She also talks about her personal journey and the experience that led her to pursue a career in ESG & Innovation. What thoughts would you like to pass on to Katharina as she gets started?

Transforming Waste into Opportunity 🌱 At Heidelberg Materials, we’re driving circularity and low-carbon solutions. Most recently through our investment in EnviCore Inc., an innovative clean-tech startup developing low-carbon solutions based in Canada. Together with EnviCore we are looking into scaling-up their proprietary technology to reprocess recycled construction and demolition waste (CDW) into high-quality secondary cementitious materials (SCMs). SCMs are naturally-occurring and industrial by-product materials that can be used to replace part of the energy-intensive clinker in cement or concrete. This initiative aligns with our commitment to increase the use of recycled materials, aiming to offer circular alternatives for 50% of our concrete products by 2030. Together with EnviCore, we are dedicated to saving valuable resources and building a resilient future. More information: https://lnkd.in/eK7cMame

The potential of evoZero for modern data centre construction 💻 Everything we do online, every click we make, requires data storage capacity. But data centres are responsible for more than 1% of the world’s electricity consumption and the associated carbon emissions account for up to 4% of global emissions. Therefore, many big data companies are looking into measures to reduce their climate impact. One way to reduce the carbon footprint is to build #DataCentres with sustainability in mind by choosing appropriate materials. At this year’s #DCDConnect conference in London, Dr. Mubarik Chowdhry, Director of Heidelberg Materials’ Global Innovation Hub, presented #evoZero, our carbon-captured net-zero cement, to executives working on Europe’s largest data centre projects. With evoZero, Heidelberg Materials is leading the way in delivering net-zero cement at scale by 2025. Data centre operators can already secure their batches today to reduce their CO2 emissions in their future construction projects.

Days of impact and joy 🌟 A few days ago, we hosted two remarkable events: our Volunteering Day and our Kids Day. First, our dedicated colleagues at the Heidelberg headquarters participated in the #VolunteeringDay, organised by our X.PLORE trainees. Under the inspiring motto “Wir schaffen was” (“We create something”), we joined forces to contribute to various projects across the Rhine-Neckar region. The day was a resounding success, strengthening not only our community but also our team spirit. Following this, we celebrated our #KidsDay at the headquarters. Colleagues had the opportunity to bring their families, show their workplace, and enjoy a day filled with fun activities. From a magician show to a performance by our house band, the Concrete Rockers, the event was packed with excitement. The highlight for many was the hands-on experience at the lab stations, where children could explore our materials and even wear their own lab coats and goggles. Seeing the joy and curiosity in their eyes was priceless. These events underscore our belief that companies play a crucial role in society and that supporting our employees and their families is paramount. We look forward to continuing to drive positive change together in the future. Have you participated in similar events at your workplace? We’d love to hear your experiences!

Welcome on board, Katharina! 👋 Please join us in warmly welcoming Dr. Katharina Beumelburg, our new member of the Managing Board and Chief Sustainability & New Technologies Officer. Katharina joins Heidelberg Materials from SLB and brings extensive experience in carbon capture & storage and a wealth of expert knowledge in developing partnerships across sectors. You’ll hear about her first impressions and thoughts on how to take our sustainability strategy to the next level shortly.

One million working hours at Brevik CCS 🎉 Our #CCS project in #Brevik, Norway recently reached a new milestone by surpassing 1,000,000 hours of work with a great safety record, marking a significant achievement as the project progresses on schedule. We wish our Norwegian colleagues all the best on their final mile to mechanical completion of the facility by the end of the year.

The CCS debate in Germany is finally turning ↩️   How can we capture and store hard-to-abate CO₂ in our home market of Germany in the future? Robert Habeck, Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs & Climate Action, gave a speech in the German parliament on the technology and described the turnaround in the handling of #CCS. He made it clear that CCS is a technology we need to use now, as it is tested, mature, safe, and will soon be ready for use. This is an industrial policy #milestone and the basis for our innovative projects to become a reality in Germany. We look forward to the necessary legislation now being put in place.