In its fourth annual ‘Planet Passionate’ sustainability report Kingspan has announced a 65% absolute reduction in scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions since 2020.
In 2023, the company achieved a further 40% absolute reduction in scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions since its base year, accelerated by the introduction of its business-wide internal carbon price in January 2023.
The report also shows that 49.6% of all wholly-owned Kingspan sites had solar PV systems installed by year-end, a marked boost to the company’s on-site renewable energy generation capacity.
In addition to these operational achievements, in 2023, Kingspan made important headway in its innovation journey to reduce the embodied carbon of its product offering, introducing three lower-embodied carbon products – QuadCore LEC insulated panels, RMG600+ raised access floor panels and the Tate Grid LEC structural ceiling solution – to some of its markets. The company also launched its bio-based HemKor range in November 2023, marking the first time a major insulation manufacturer has launched a product made largely of hemp.
Other key developments highlighted
- A 33% reduction in waste to landfill since 2020
- 800 forklifts, 42% of Kingspan’s forklift fleet are now electric
- 475 employee vehicles were converted to electric in 2023
- On-site electricity generation capacity increased by 6.8MW in 2023 through the installation and expansion of solar PV systems, bringing the total solar power capacity to 42MW
- A total of €63.5m invested in R&D in 2023, ensuring the company can continue to lead the market with innovative energy- and resource-efficient systems and solutions
- 57 million litres of rainwater were harvested in 2023, with nine million litres of additional capacity added during the year
Kingspan’s 10-year Planet Passionate sustainability programme is the driving force behind its efforts to decarbonise its operations, product offering and supply chain, prioritising absolute emissions reductions. The company has committed to challenging science-based targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) covering scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions, including achieving a 90% absolute reduction in greenhouse gas emissions within its operations and a 42% absolute reduction in scope 3 GHG emissions from its 2020 base year. These targets are aligned with the IPCC’s goal to limit global temperature rise to 1.5⁰C by the end of this century.
Bianca Wong, Global Head of Sustainability at Kingspan Group, said: “We are acutely aware that as the climate crisis intensifies, our mission to help accelerate a net-zero emissions built environment has never been more important. To play our part in keeping global temperature rises within the 1.5°C limit, we committed to absolute emissions reductions and focused on making tangible progress in the short- to medium-term through our Planet Passionate programme.
“In a business like Kingspan, that is only possible with significant structural and time investment and an unwavering dedication to delivering real results. Our global team of more than 100 people has completed over 300 projects across our business since 2020 to help realise our targets. With the majority of Kingspan’s value chain emissions coming from our upstream supply chain, we are working closely with our key supply partners to reduce the carbon intensity of our key raw materials. This work has enabled us to bring new lower embodied carbon products to market in 2023. We still have a lot of work to do and must continue to refocus and respond as the business grows and evolves, but I am incredibly proud of what our team has achieved in just four years and look forward to further progress towards our targets as Planet Passionate enters its fifth year.”
The launch of Kingspan’s 2023 Planet Passionate report follows the recent announcement that the company was included on the globally-recognised CDP Climate Change A List, which recognises environmental leadership through transparency and meaningful climate action. Kingspan was one of just 346 companies to make the 2023 CDP Climate Change A List, of the 21,000 companies scored by CDP. In addition, CDP has also named Kingspan as a 2023 Supplier Engagement Leader in recognition of the company’s effectiveness in engaging with suppliers on climate change.