Better world

Reducing carbon

Climate change is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges facing the planet today and we know we have a role to play in reducing carbon emissions, as a business.

For Marshalls, that means putting in place different initiatives that will have a demonstrable reduction on our carbon footprint – like installing solar panels and having approved science-based targets, developing EPDs (Environmental Product Declarations) for our products and getting 74% of our electricity from renewable sources.

We’re serious about climate action and we’re proud to be the first pre-cast concrete manufacturer in the UK to use CarbonCure Technologies – permanently locking waste carbon in our concrete bricks. Whether we’re trialling different mixes in our concrete blocks to reduce cement content or producing our first batch of cement-free concrete paving, we continue to innovate to make real progress.

Read this news article to learn more about some of the work we're doing.

Biodiversity action

As a company operating quarries, we have a clear responsibility to look after the natural environment. Whether it's restoring a quarry after use or planting more trees in our open spaces, we adhere to minerals planning legislation and work collaboratively with partners and local communities. In 2022 we celebrated the Queen's Green Canopy by planting over 2,800 trees at our Brookfoot site in West Yorkshire, and we planted a further 2,500 saplings at three of our West Yorkshire quarries in 2023.

We also use our expertise to encourage customers to include more biodiversity in their landscape designs, for both public and private spaces. This includes creating wildlife-friendly garden designs for homeowners and working with architects and specifiers to ensure our materials are used in a way that facilitates more green spaces in the public realm.

Find out more about our work in our Sustainability Report.

Our key achievements

• Between 2008 and 2022, our corporate carbon footprint has reduced by just over 50%
• We permanently lock away 30,000kg of waste carbon per year in our facing bricks and we’re reducing cement in our concrete by up to 60% compared with traditional concrete mixes
• We manufacture our products using responsibly sourced raw materials and 74% of the electricity we consume as a group is sourced from renewable sources
• Based on tonnage, 96.9% of our total products are made in Britain
• We've installed solar arrays at three manufacturing sites (five sites in total)
• We restore our quarries and plant trees across our sites
• 15-year partnership with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
• We've been recognised as one of 600 Climate Leaders in Europe for the third time by the Financial Times

Our priorities

• Investigating different types of renewable energy
• Focus on biodiversity action plans
• Euro 6 standard for fleet
• Environmental risk assessments
• Water harvesting and recycling at sites
• We’re continually exploring circular economy opportunities and have an ultimate goal of zero waste to landfill