In the pot calling the kettle black, Aggregate Industries is 'urging local authorities to be more eco-friendly'. It's a call that has been taken up by the aggregates press.
It's rich, coming from a company that can’t even reduce its own emissions – as we posted in Climate emergency? Not at Aggregate Industries. CO2 emissions increase again – emissions that have increased more than five-fold over the last 20 years, now nearly 1.3 million tonnes of CO2 per year.
Aggregate Industries says "local authorities, highways agencies and other contractors must take action now", to buy its lower temperature asphalt Superlow which can cut CO2 emissions "by up to 15%". The Head of Research & Development and Technical Services at Aggregate Industries argues:
After all, with the government’s recent pledge to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, if we are to successfully transition to a low carbon society, we will all need to do ‘our bit’.
Here, here. And now that Aggregate Industries recognises the need to do its bit, and "with the industry under increasing pressure to use #sustainable materials", the company will surely ditch its nonsense diesel-guzzling plan for Straitgate – with its 2.5 million mile haulage scheme; won't it?
Or doesn't that count? Would all the CO2 from this scheme somehow be different? Is Aggregate Industries just urging others, whilst merrily carrying on as normal? Is it fine for local authorities et al. to do their bit as long as that doesn’t curtail the economic activities of a multinational cement conglomerate?
With the industry under increasing pressure to use #sustainable materials in road #construction, we have launched Superlow, a low temperature #asphalt which meets the performance characteristics and specification of equivalent hot mix asphalt https://t.co/Pqa9QARglA pic.twitter.com/l4VMPbZico— Aggregate Industries (@AggregateUK) August 27, 2019
