Every organisation has an impact on the world around it. Being a responsible business means being transparent about these impacts, measuring them accurately and acting to minimise them. We are dedicated to a sustainable future, reducing our carbon footprint and adopting practices with minimal environmental impact. Our Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) journey has continually developed and grown more robust as we’ve progressed. Today, it permeates every facet of our business through our three pillars: People, Planet, and Product. As outlined below, we have aligned these pillars with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Our ESG Pillars are linked to UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Health, Safety & Wellbeing, Diversity & Inclusion, Learning & Development, Communities
Carbon Reduction, Energy, Biodiversity, Waste
Circular Economy, Quality, Digitalisation, Innovation
At PJ Hegarty, our people are at the core of our business. We take pride in fostering a workplace that cares about and values its people, and we are committed to being a safe, diverse, and inclusive employer. We actively invest in the wellbeing and professional growth of all our staff, leading to greater retention of our exceptional people.
We recognise the importance of the wellbeing of our staff and supply chain, and across our sites and offices, we regularly engage in initiatives that enhance our staff’s wellbeing. Safety is a cornerstone of our business, and we are very proud of our robust safety systems and culture.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and we recognise the many benefits that diversity brings to our teams, projects, and community. Our commitment to nurturing an inclusive workplace has been recognised with the Silver Investors in Diversity award from the Irish Centre for Diversity.
Engaging with our community through school and third-level outreach and support for local charities is a staple of PJ Hegarty’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy. These initiatives enable us to contribute positively to our society by nurturing future talent and addressing vital community needs.
We are committed to building a sustainable environment for current and future generations. We are actively engaged in reducing our carbon footprint annually through innovative practices and diligent project management throughout the design and construction phase, as building high-quality construction projects contributes to a sustainable built environment.
We have aligned our carbon reduction targets with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). PJ Hegarty has set 2019 as our baseline year. As we calculate and analyse our carbon footprint each year, we will work with our clients and supply chain partners to reduce our carbon intensity through innovation.
Construction is an energy-intensive industry, and we are working and innovating with our supply chain to reduce this impact. All PJ Hegarty sites have comprehensive energy management systems in place. This allows us to monitor and control our project energy use. Significant savings have been achieved in the past two years as we control energy systems on site and focus our investment on areas needing improvement.
Biodiversity and climate change are intertwined, and climate change remains a principal driver of biodiversity loss. To avoid further biodiversity loss, we complete our projects in conjunction with our clients to reduce or eliminate the impact of new developments on biodiversity in that location. Along with mitigating these effects, we actively engage in initiatives fostering biodiversity.
We are committed to enhancing our project’s sustainability credentials through the deployment of products which significantly lower our carbon footprint. This reduction in CO2 emissions is realised through both the deployment of innovative digital technology and products we use throughout the duration of the project.
By embracing digital construction technology, PJ Hegarty can directly improve a project’s sustainability performance during the construction phase by optimising the use of resources, enhancing safety and worker wellbeing, reducing construction waste, and promoting green construction techniques. How we create, communicate, and consume information directly impacts the sustainable delivery of our projects.
PJ Hegarty has mandated the use of HVO across suitable plants, plant yards, and offices. This initiative is not just a policy change but a reflection of our unwavering dedication to reducing environmental impact in the construction industry. By integrating HVO, a renewable, sustainable fuel, we are achieving a reduction in carbon emissions of our construction plant by 90%.This is another positive step on our carbon reduction journey.
Circularity represents a significant growth opportunity within our industry, and we are actively exploring innovative solutions to minimise waste production by integrating the principles of circular economy. We are focused on increasing the use of Ground Granulated Blast-furnace Slag (GGBS) in our concrete mix designs. GGBS, an industrial by-product, is instrumental in reducing the carbon intensity associated with concrete. Additionally, we have implemented sustainability criteria for the procurement of rebar. All rebar purchased must be certified, ensuring it is manufactured with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) not exceeding 500kg of CO2 per tonne.
With 2019 as our baseline year, we calculate our carbon footprint annually, reviewing our Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. In 2022, we achieved a 27% reduction in our carbon footprint. With targets aligned with the SBTi initiative, we aim to reduce our Scope 1 and 2 CO2 emissions by 47.5% and Scope 3 emissions by 33.5% by 2030. We also target a 90% reduction in Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions by 2050.
We continuously analyse energy usage data across all our sites, and this helps guide our policy-making to ensure maximum energy conservation. In 2023, we achieved a 25% reduction in energy use through these monitoring and managing exercises.
We continuously look for opportunities to partake in the circular economy model. In conjunction with a multinational client and the Irish Green Building Council circular economy platform CMEx, we recently conserved bricks from a building façade to repurpose on other construction projects.
We actively engage with the local communities where we have projects based within. We challenge our teams to help out where possible and improve the communities where we work through initiatives such as street cleaning, local volunteer groups, and primary and secondary school outreach.
Concrete is a carbon-intensive material, and we continuously work with our clients and design teams to maximise the use of GGBS, a by-product material. On a recent project, we achieved a saving of more than 1,000 tCO2 by using GGBS, equivalent to the yearly carbon absorbed by 6,000 trees.
As Irish Green Building Council members, we form part of Ireland’s construction industry network, collectively striving for continuous sustainability progress within our built environment. This pursuit is steered by dedication to spearheading innovation, fostering knowledge through research and education, and contributing strategic insights to national and regional policy-making bodies.
PJ Hegarty has set emissions reduction targets through the Science Based Targets initiative, with levels required to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. The targets covering greenhouse gas emissions from PJ Hegarty’s operations (Scope 1, 2 and 3) are consistent with reductions required to keep warming to 1.5°C, the most ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement.
