The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has approved Royal Heijmans N.V.’s emission-reduction targets. Heijmans is aiming to reduce its CO2 emissions to zero, making it the first Dutch construction firm aiming to be net-zero as early as 2040. This is ten years earlier than many other companies and the European Union’s ambition expressed in its Climate Law. The construction company based in Rosmalen is thus fulfilling its own sustainability ambitions.
The SBTi’s approval confirms that Heijmans’ sustainability ambitions are in line with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to one and a half degrees Celsius. An SBTi assessment is one of the few ways to plausibly demonstrate that a company’s plans are actually science based.
Importance of SBTi approval
The SBTi tests companies’ ambitions against strict international guidelines to ensure that they actually contribute to the realisation of global climate goals. For Heijmans, this confirms that its CO2 reduction plans are not only ambitious, but also feasible and effective in the fight against global warming.
Targets
The SBTi verified Heijmans’ science-based net-zero targets for 2030 and 2040. Heijmans wants to reduce its own CO2 emissions (Scope 1 and Scope 2) to zero by 2030. By 2040, the company is aiming to have zero CO2 emissions (including Scope 3) from its supply chain and manufactured products.
Heijmans is already investing in the realisation of all these components. In recent years, Heijmans has invested an average of € 12 million a year in emission-free equipment, such as electric rollers, excavators and pile-driving machines. Until it achieves its net-zero targets, Heijmans will offset direct emissions in full via CO2 credits.
Heijmans reports its CO2 emissions annually in its annual report and on its website.
Sustainable initiatives
Heijmans also focuses on building climate-neutral homes. From its own factory in Heerenveen, Heijmans has already produced hundreds of sustainable timber-frame homes this year. Next year, these will be fitted with insulation material based on hemp fibre, a bio-based raw material that absorbs CO2.
Heijmans is also experimenting with new types of asphalt and concrete, which traditionally produce a lot of CO2 emissions. Heijmans is already using hollow concrete piles, self-healing concrete and geopolymer concrete in both infrastructure works and residential and non-residential construction projects. To reduce CO2 emissions from asphalt, Heijmans is investing in a new, sustainable asphalt plant in the Utrecht region.
