Supply chain collaboration is helping Ibstock plc, a leading manufacturer of clay and concrete building products and solutions, to tackle the global challenge of decarbonisation. The company brought together a cross section of key suppliers to identify opportunities for accelerating change at its recent Supply Chain Engagement Day. Building on the success of the inaugural event held in 2021, the Supply Chain Engagement Day was attended by 30 of Ibstock’s suppliers who have a significant material impact on its Scope 3 carbon emissions, including CEMEX, Aggregate Industries, Linde H, RS Components and Berry. The aim of the event was to support Ibstock in meeting some of the sustainability challenges faced by the construction sector, in particular getting a better understanding of how Scope 3 emissions can be reduced and identifying opportunities for collaboration on carbon reduction initiatives. With almost one third of Ibstock’s carbon emissions falling under this category, it is important for Ibstock to understand the challenges being faced across the industry and to bring the best minds together in order to tackle them. In doing so, its findings can be aligned with its ESG Strategy to 2030, and ambition of becoming a Net Zero business by 2040.   ESG Strategy update Addressing Climate Change is one of the three pillars of Ibstock’s ESG Strategy to 2030, which was launched earlier this year. Attendees were given an update on progress made towards Ibstock’s decarbonisation goals and invited to join in roundtable discussions, outlining how their businesses are approaching the journey to Net Zero. Participants were also shared their own challenges, best practice and offered examples of innovative solutions being implemented to reach their sustainability targets. The findings and outcomes that arise from events like this will be crucial as Ibstock develops its pathway for reaching Net Zero and wider sustainability ambitions.   “Power of collaboration and partnership” Darren Waters, Chief Operating Officer at Ibstock plc, said: “We believe in the power of collaboration and partnership. With this in mind we are keen to work with suppliers to develop new ideas and solutions to support our sustainability journey. It is why events like our Supply Chain Engagement Day are so important. By understanding the challenges being faced, we can co-create solutions that will lead to more rapid and effective change. Reducing our Scope 3 emissions is a key priority for us as we seek to be a Net Zero business by 2040, and the findings of this event will help us deliver our carbon reduction strategy.” Joe Fox, Ibstock’s Group Procurement Manager, commented: “Coming together to discuss the sustainability challenges being faced across our supply chain is a crucial part of our shared decarbonisation journey. We can only succeed by building a mutual understanding of the opportunities for change. It was great to have so many different people come together, providing inspiration and ideas that we can all turn into momentum for positive change.” Ibstock plc’s Group Sustainability Advisor Emily Landsborough commented: “In the last few years the sustainability agenda has been completely changed. Net Zero is a huge challenge for businesses and requires transformation across all areas. Whilst we are accelerating our decarbonisation journey, we don’t have all the answers, and we need to be willing to fail, learn and try new approaches – our hope is that by working together with our suppliers we can get to the right solutions more quickly.” The value of the Supply Chain Engagement Day was not only felt by Ibstock but also by those who attended. Attendee Luke Olly, Energy and Carbon Manager at Aggregate Industries said: “It’s been great to meet up with people in the same industry and find out what they are doing to reach Net Zero. We share many of the same challenges and it’s important that we are sharing best practice as we move towards our common goal.” Alex Hacking, an Account Manager at Eclipse Packing, said: “It’s been really enlightening to be here and learn about other companies’ challenges and success stories as they progress to Net Zero. We all want to be in business in 10 years’ time, and businesses who don’t address their sustainability impact won’t be here in the future. Events like this bring us one step forward to reaching our goals, and it’s inspired me to think about how Eclipse Packing approaches our own downstream supply chain emissions.”

Chesterfield is ready to do business and willing to make sound investments to ensure the local economy achieves its growth ambitions. That was the message at the 2022 Chesterfield Investment Summit (28 September).

Speaking at the annual summit organised by Destination Chesterfield and Derbyshire Economic Partnership, Dr Huw Bowen, Chief Executive of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “Our record of investment and delivery, with a whole range of partners, shows that the council is willing to invest and provide support to bring projects forward that will help the borough grow and deliver jobs and opportunities to the people that live here.”

A number of new development sites are now set to be opened up for future commercial, industrial, office and residential investment, adding to the current £2billion growth programme already underway across Chesterfield town centre and the borough.

Hartington Industrial Park, a new 75,000 sqm industrial and warehouse development located on the site of the former Coalite Plant in Staveley, aims to build on the success of Markham Vale. Job numbers created by businesses who are based at Markham Vale are now beyond that of when the site operated as a colliery.

Huw added: “Markham Vale has been a tremendous success with demand for commercial space outstripping supply. Chesterfield’s industrial past has opened up a number of investment sites which have the potential to be as successful as Markham Vale in terms of job opportunities and growth in key areas of the borough.”

Alongside industrial sites, Chesterfield Borough Council has also made significant investment in town centre office accommodation, meeting the post pandemic demand for high quality, flexible workspace. 

Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre, which opened in July earlier this year, already boasts more than 50% occupancy with 17 of the 32 offices now tenanted. Later this year, Chesterfield will gain Grade A, large footplate offices following the completion of One Waterside Place as part of the £320 million Chesterfield Waterside regeneration scheme. Already tenants have been secured for a number of the floors in the six-storey office block located next to the train station.

Office interiors expert Amy Revell, co-founder and director of We Are Spaces Limited, who spoke at the summit, said: “Chesterfield is an exciting place to be right now. Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre and One Waterside Place have given us Grade ‘A’ office space for people to work in. These workspaces are comparable to those in bigger cities like Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester which deliver the connectivity for hybrid working for a better work/life balance.”

In addition to One Waterside Place, residential and leisure development sites are also being brought forward in the Chesterfield Waterside with the scheme developers, Bolsterstone Group, in talks with hotel and carpark operators as well as investors in a number of Build to Rent apartments.

Confident that investment in the borough will continue at pace, Councillor Tricia Gilby leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “While the current financial climate is a concern, Chesterfield is very resilient and has consistently come out of national crises stronger than it went into them. In the last recession we established Destination Chesterfield, and this has reaped rewards. We also resolved as a council and with all our partners, to come out of the pandemic fighting and as a result a number of developments came out of the ground, including One Waterside Place and the Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre. 

“Chesterfield Brough Council and our partners will now work together with inward investors to ensure the next five years are as good as, if not better, than the last five years.”

Work has already begun on the town’s ambitious HS2 Station Masterplan which saw the recent demolition of the Chesterfield Hotel, opening up a further development site for investment.

Councillor Gilby added: “Chesterfield’s geographical location and connectivity are key to attracting investment and new residents. Chesterfield is perfectly positioned making major cities very accessible for post Covid working trends, which combine home and office working and we now have a market-leading portfolio of office space to capitalise on this.”

The 2022 Chesterfield Investment Summit was supported by the European Regional Development Fund. The annual free-to-attend event was held at Casa Hotel. It showcased investment activity in the town and was attended by more than 200 people.