Russell Roof Tiles has announced its commitment to becoming a net-zero business by 2040.

The roof tile manufacturer recognises it has a responsibility to take a role in supporting the UK’s transition to net-zero carbon emissions.

The company started its sustainability journey over 10 years ago and Russell Roof Tiles’ long-term ambition has always been to reduce emissions and improve its operational efficiency, whilst strengthening its wider communities.

As part of the commitment to net-zero 2040, its major focus will be direct emissions (Scope 1 & 2) and the reduction of fossil fuel use, energy efficiency, maximising renewables, and procuring green energy. The company's three manufacturing sites will share knowledge and initiatives in their own internal ‘race to zero’.

Russell Roof Tiles is working with Planet Mark, which will be verifying and measuring carbon and social data, providing certification.

It is also putting plans in place to support a significant reduction of emissions in its supply chain and downstream activities (Scope 3), and will issue further targets in this area once baseline data is established with Planet Mark.

Ultimately greenhouse gas emissions will become a key performance area within the business' supply chain, with delivery partners and in product design. Its Energy & Emissions strategy roadmap sets out key projects, targets, and milestones to achieve net-zero emissions.

Daniel Hancox, Business Support Manager at Russell Roof Tiles, who is currently heading the Net Zero task force, commented: “We are dedicated to reducing the impact we make on our environment. Our new Net Zero strategy has been developed in support of our existing Environmental & Responsible Sourcing Policies, to set a clear roadmap and define specific objectives that will minimise our contribution to climate change and our impact on the planet. It supplements our existing environmental objectives and enhances our ability to meet the expectations of all stakeholders.”

In the last five years the company has reduced its environmental impact already by investing significantly in terms of both time and money in changing policies and adopting new technologies as part of its sustainability commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.

It has worked hard to source materials locally and was the first British roof tile manufacturer to have achieved an “Excellent” rating for responsible supplier sourcing. RRT has now signed up to the SME Climate Hub, which is a government initiative aimed at getting SME businesses in the UK on the path to net-zero. It also recently achieved gold status with the Supply Chain Sustainability School, which is a multi-award-winning initiative that represents a common approach to addressing sustainability within supply chains. 

Andrew Hayward, Managing Director at Russell Roof Tiles, added: “This is our most significant announcement on our commitment to sustainability, a journey which we started many years ago.  We are pleased now to be able to give specifics on our Net Zero pledge and work with customers and suppliers to reduce our impact on the environment.”