Holcim subsidiary Aggregate Industries names new sustainability head

Aggregate Industries, a UK building materials supplier that’s part of the Holcim Group, has named Anna Baker to head its sustainability strategy.

As Sustainability Director and member of the company’s executive committee, Baker will be tasked with developing and implementing a strategy to deliver on Aggregate Industries’ target to reach net zero emissions by 2050. She replaces Kirstin McCarthy, who left in December 2023 after more than two years in the role to become the sustainability lead at Sandals Resort International.

Baker joins from construction and property firm Kier Group, where she was Head of Sustainability for the past year and half. Before that, she led sustainability efforts at civil engineering companies Careys and Sir Robert McAlpine. Overall, Baker brings with 20 years of sustainability expertise in the construction sector to her new role.

Aggregate Industries net zero goals

Aggregate Industries launched its first sustainability strategy in 2022, and has since broken down its net zero target into near-term objectives aligned to its parent company Holcim’s SBTi validated net zero roadmap.

By 2025, it aims to reduce its emissions intensity to less than 500 kg per tonne of cementitious, cut Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 37%, from a 2020 baseline and reduce downstream transport carbon intensity by 5% and use 100% zero carbon electricity at its sites, prioritising onsite renewable energy generation.

In 2022, carbon intensity reached just over 557 kg of CO2 per tonne of cementitious, down from 611 kg in 2020. According to a 2023 interview of the company’s previous Sustainability Director, this reduction helped Scope 1 and 2 emissions drop from 1 million tonnes in 2020 to 778,000 tonnes two years later. 

CEO Dragan Maksimovic commented: “Decarbonising our operations and the wider industry is central to our vision and strategy as a company. So it is great to have Anna joining us at this exciting time. She has an established track record in sustainability within a construction setting and understands the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. We look forward to her continuing to take us forward on our journey.”