Telford-based company commits to ambitious sustainability mission with rebrand to Holcim UK

The move will see Besblock’s site in Telford adopting the Holcim UK name, reflecting the organisation’s strategy to target significant growth in sales and sustainability – with particular focus on decarbonisation, circularity and nature – aiming to facilitate continued investment in its people and solutions across the local area and beyond.

Alongside a target to accelerate green growth, Holcim UK is committed to expanding the uptake of sustainable building materials in the UK. Currently a third of its turnover comes from sustainable products and it is aiming to continue to increase this in the next five years.

Key to this will be circular product innovation through construction demolition materials (CDM), targeting an increase of CDM used in products from 2m tonnes to more than 5m tonnes by 2030.

Aggregate Industries and Besblock’s sites in Telford and across Shropshire and the Midlands are some of over 200 in the UK, across which it employs over 4,000 people and one of the organisation's 25 brands* uniting under Holcim UK to drive this sustainable growth. Building on trusted partnerships, the move is also set to provide customers with access to more seamless, enhanced services and sustainable solutions.

The consolidation comes as the UK construction industry faces increasing pressure to deliver more homes and buildings in line with emissions reduction and environmental policy, amid predicted growth of up to 10% by 20261. To support customers with delivering projects quickly and sustainably, the new unified Holcim UK is focused on developing strategic partnerships that provide customers with access to all product ranges for their projects across the UK.

Following 20 years as a UK-based subsidiary of Holcim Group, the new direction sees the business align more closely with its Swiss-based parent company, which operates across 70 countries and employs over 60,000 people worldwide.

Its presence in the UK market has already seen the launch of product ranges such as ECOPact low carbon readymix concrete, ECOPlanet range of low carbon cement, and its ECOCycle range of products, which are made from at least 10% recycled materials.

This focus on circularity is underpinned by continued investment, including recent acquisitions of CDM specialist companies Land Recovery and Sivyer, in addition to innovations such as neustark – the technology which permanently locks carbon removed from the atmosphere into processed demolished concrete for new products.

Holcim UK’s strategy centres around its mission to make sustainable construction a reality, focusing on decarbonisation, nature, circularity and innovation. Its aim is to achieve this through both its commitment to reducing its own impact on communities and the planet.

Speaking on the direction, Lee Sleight, CEO of Holcim UK, said: “Our evolution from Aggregate Industries to Holcim UK is much more than a rebrand. It represents a commitment to leading the construction sector towards a more sustainable future through a commitment to innovation and collaboration, while delivering the same trusted service as we always have.

“By uniting under one coherent brand, we can focus on driving sustainable growth for our business and many customers and suppliers we have formed strong partnerships with over the years. With such growth, we can continue to invest in the people and solutions capable of making a positive difference to customers and communities.”

To mark the establishment of its new brand and drive awareness for sustainability in construction, Holcim UK has launched its “Sustaina-billboard”, an environmentally-friendly billboard containing pollinating flowers, plants and seeds to support local wildlife, and a surrounding frame made from low carbon concrete and recycled aggregate materials. 

Demonstrating its commitment to nature and biodiversity, the creation is designed to feed wildlife and insects around its Greenwich site, as well as highlighting the brand’s nature strategy which will see it creating dedicated spaces for nature across more than 200 sites by the end of the year.