Reduce emissions! We developed our transport plan to manage the #environmental impact of our transportation activity https://t.co/nRspVr3eTm pic.twitter.com/O5toKlbKTx— Aggregate Industries (@AggregateUK) May 4, 2017
We all want to Reduce emissions! But how well is AI itself doing? We've posted on AI's record before; here, here and here. AI has recently released its carbon emission figures for 2016 in its Sustainability Report and on its new website; both report and website still trot out the same old claims:
At Aggregate Industries we’ll continue our mission to cut our net CO2 emissions of all products.
What this mission is, whether it’s actually going anywhere, or whether it’s any more than hopeful words on a page, is anybody’s guess. But if the graph below is AI’s idea of cutting emissions, we’d be better off without it:
A jump in process emissions may be explained away by AI taking on two cement plants, but look at transport emissions to see the result of the company's effort on climate change. On this front AI claims:
But wanting to reduce CO2 emissions is different from actually doing something about it. Is AI serious about climate change? In the past, AI has said:
2006: climate change… we have a clear message: it’s happening and we have to take action now.
2012: Controlling and reducing carbon emissions is central to a responsible environmental policy. At Aggregate Industries we have understood the impacts of our carbon emissions for some time…
In 2017, AI still claims:
But if that were true, why is AI currently proposing a 2.5 million mile haulage scheme between Straitgate Farm and Uffculme? If that were true, why does AI’s longer term record on CO2 emissions look like this?
François Petry, AI's CEO, says:
Looking ahead, we will continue to look for innovative ways for Aggregate Industries to contribute to solving some of the UK’s sustainability challenges, as we believe we are equipped to effect a real change
Fine words. But 10 years ago another AI CEO said much the same thing - and look what real change has been effected in the meantime. For AI, action on climate change is clearly a task for others.
AI's Sustainability Report says: "We would welcome your comments, suggestions and thoughts on this report by emailing sustainability@aggregate.com". We would encourage any reader so inclined to do so, mentioning of course the multi-million mile CO2 belching scheme planned for this corner of Devon.
