THE UN'S 17 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

For development with a focus on sustainability

THE 17 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS AND CONSTRUCTION

OUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE UN’S SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

By placing sustainability at the core of modern construction, we support the fulfilment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We have embedded sustainability at the heart of our business strategy, culture and building solutions. This approach is fundamental to meeting the growing focus on sustainable projects and to achieving our long-term business vision.

There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals that together address the global challenges facing society. Although CRH supports all 17 goals, we have identified seven where we believe we can make the greatest contribution. These seven encompass Sustainable Development Goals that are aligned with the three global challenges for the built environment — decarbonisation, circularity and water — together with other sustainability priorities for our business.

We have a long track record of setting and achieving ambitious targets that help us deliver long-term value and growth — including with a focus on sustainability. These ambitions and targets reflect the areas and global trends where we believe CRH can drive the greatest change and support global efforts such as the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

No. 5 Gender Equality

We are taking concrete steps to promote a more inclusive and diverse working environment, including increasing the representation of women at all levels in a traditionally male-dominated industry. In addition, we have signed the Gender Diversity Pledge from the Confederation of Danish Industry.

No. 6 Clean Water and Sanitation

We help to address the challenges facing global water supplies by conserving water in our own operations and by offering water infrastructure solutions that enable access to clean water, water reuse, wastewater management and flood resilience.

No. 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Minimising concrete consumption in a construction project requires all parties involved to invest time and effort in design optimisation from the very start of the project. By being brought into the design optimisation process early on, we have the opportunity to find new solutions and develop them in collaboration with our clients. We need to provide consultancy on individual projects, so that we are not simply delivering standard solutions to the construction industry. In the design phase, we are capable of so much more than 18 cm thick concrete walls.

No. 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

The focus is on safe housing built with respect for the world’s natural heritage. Making optimal use of resources is a daily goal for us, and this naturally applies to housing projects as well. Here it is important to be able to construct safe and affordable housing for people. This also requires investment in the right types of housing, more green public spaces and sharp urban planning.

No. 12 Responsible Consumption and Production

By optimising construction, we use less concrete and less reinforcement without compromising on safety, and we bring this mindset into every project we are involved in. This is also felt at the other end of the production process, where we both reduce the amount of waste and at the same time increase the prioritisation of concrete reuse. We also bring an understanding of responsible practices into the office itself. A lower level of consumption and less waste are already part of our everyday agenda.

No. 13 Climate Action

We have set industry-leading targets and are accelerating our decarbonisation efforts to meet our ambition of achieving net zero by 2050. We are also innovating the low-carbon solutions necessary to decarbonise the built environment, including those that enable energy-efficient buildings.

No. 15 Life on Land

We are committed to improving our company’s environmental footprint by reducing potential negative impacts and amplifying the positive ones, including the role we play in accelerating the nature-positive economy and preserving biodiversity.

CSR REPORTS

EMBEDDING SUSTAINABILITY IN OUR STRATEGY, CULTURE AND SOLUTIONS

Find out more about what we do to promote sustainability across our business and to innovate sustainable solutions for our clients. Our sustainability ambitions and targets support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

Read more in our CSR reports