Xella commits to an ambitious, science-based target for CO2 emissions reduction

Company launches its Sustainability Report for 2022

Duisburg, 4 April 2023 – Xella Group, a leading European building materials provider of sustainable, efficient, and affordable walling solutions, publishes its 2022 sustainability report today. In addition, Xella announces it has submitted its 2030 CO² emission reduction targets to the Science Based Targets initiative for validation. With this commitment, Xella aims to ensure that its reduction pathway, including emissions from its supply chain, is in line with the robust pathway recognized by climate scientists to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 °C (Paris Agreement).

Xella´s ESG strategy is based on three pillars: reducing CO² emissions across all operations and more globally along the full value chain, developing the circularity of its materials, and ensuring a safe, diverse and inclusive workplace. The latest sustainability report highlights continued progress in all three pillars of Xella’s ESG strategy.

Emissions significantly reduced.
In 2022, Xella has reduced its CO² market-based emissions by 8 percent vs 2021, thanks to the deployment of its energy efficiency actions. In addition, Scope 3[1] CO² emissions have been assessed precisely in 2022, representing 84 percent of Xella’s total[2] CO² emissions. When Xella completes the process of setting up a science-based target, it will also add an absolute reduction target for its Scope 3 emissions, beyond a more ambitious target for scope 1 and 2 emissions. Xella is committed to working with suppliers to find ways to decrease CO² emissions in some categories of raw materials in the years ahead.

Xella aims to drive circularity.
Xella used 4 percent less input materials in 2022, and sand consumption decreased thanks to an increased use of crushed return material from production. This is aligned with Xella’s commitment to stop putting production leftovers to landfill by 2025 and is the first step of its strategy. Xella is dedicated to further enhance the circularity of its products and production. This includes decreasing scraps generated by production and investigating new ways to use leftovers, sort-clean cuts-off, and processed waste from demolition in Xella’s production rather than virgin raw material. It also includes rolling out digital services such as Xella’s blue.sprint digital solution, which contributes to decrease mistakes and optimizes the use of its products.

Xella can rely on its own research & development facility Xella Technologie- und Forschungsgesellschaft mbH (T&F), to develop new methods and formulas to make its production more sustainable.

Safe & diverse workplace.
In 2022, Xella spent €4.1 million in health and safety improvements. This included capital investments such as safer machinery or protection fences. The company invested in training, including the further roll out of a Total Safety Leadership Program (TSL), a Xella-wide program dedicated to empowering individuals to take personal responsibility on safety.
Xella is also progressing on gender diversity, with the proportion of female managers across the Group rising to 20% in 2022.

Cécile Fages, Chief Sustainability and Communications Officer of Xella, comments: “We are very proud of the progress we made in 2022 in terms of our ESG efforts and the increasing commitment of our employees in this area. However, we strive to achieve even more. As one of Europe’s leading building materials providers, we have the means and responsibility to accelerate the reduction of CO² emissions and a more efficient use of resources as the world is highly impacted by climate change. Xella is and will be able to provide the right solutions to answer the sustainability challenges of the construction industry.”

The sustainability report has been prepared in reference to GRI Standards 2021 and part of the content is assured by independent external auditors (PwC) with limited assurance.

Further information is also available on the Xella Group website:
www.xella.com/sustainability

[1] Scope 3 emissions encompass emissions that are not produced by the company itself, and not the result of activities from assets owned or controlled by them, but by those that it’s indirectly responsible for, up and down its value chain.
[2] Total emissions mean scope 1 & 2 (emissions owned or controlled by the company) & scope 3 emissions

About Xella Group
The Xella Group is a European provider of efficient and sustainable walling solutions for the entire house shell. Xella is home of well-known brands such as Ytong, Silka, Hebel and Multipor and a pioneer in digitally supported construction processes. Our high-performing products based on natural raw materials address the need for efficient construction and the demand for sustainable building solutions. The group drives innovation along the entire value chain from planning to production and installation. Xella improves the sustainability of buildings throughout their entire lifecycle and contributes to a low carbon industry compatible with a circular economy. Headquartered in Duisburg, Germany, the Xella Group employs more than 5,200 employees.

For more information on Xella Group, visit: www.xella.com

Contact
Xella International GmbH
Cécile Fages
Chief Sustainability and Communications Officer
Düsseldorfer Landstraße 395
47259 Duisburg, Germany
Phone: +49 (0)203 60880 5500
E-Mail: cecile.fages@xella.com