10 October 2007

Third SD Report Offers Snapshot of Modern Quarrying Industry

The Quarry Products Association, the principal trade association for the sector, has launched its third sustainable development (SD) report. The report once again offers an insight into how the industry performs across a broad spectrum of activities, from health and safety to carbon reduction. With reporting now entering its third year, the QPA's SD strategy has grown into an important tool for regulators, opinion-formers and operators alike.

The latest document features operational data from 2006, bringing the reporting schedule up to date. The results are based on data from over 1800 industry locations across the UK, which maintains coverage at around 70% of total industry output (up from 64% for the 2004 data). In addition to covering a high proportion of the industry, the data quality has improved over the three surveys making the latest results the most representative yet. The QPA's aim is to continue to increase the quality and coverage of data in future reports.

Headlines from the latest report include:

• In 2006, 229 million tonnes of primary aggregates were used in the UK construction industry. Another 26mt were used for a variety of industrial, environmental and agricultural applications.
• The use of recycled and secondary materials has reached 70 million tonnes, accounting for 26% of the total aggregates market, more than three times higher than the European average of 8%.
• Health and safety performance continued to improve, with members recording a further 23% decline in HSE Reportable Injuries towards the zero injuries target.
• Average carbon dioxide emissions per tonne of output of aggregates and value added products were 7.71 kg per tonne. On-site emissions in the aggregates sector accounted for 0.52% of the UK total. QPA has issued its carbon reduction Statement of Intent to generate further reductions.
• Over 86,000 jobs were dependent on the industry, including 36,000 people directly employed.
• Over 35 million tonnes of aggregates were moved by rail and water, with road delivery distances for aggregates averaging 29 miles, for asphalt 26 miles and ready-mixed concrete less than 6 miles.
  
  

The QPA is again welcoming feedback on the new document, which will be circulated widely to industry stakeholders. In a repeat of the launch of the original SD Report in 2006, the QPA organised a stakeholder discussion focusing on the new data. Facilitated by the Environment Council, it brought together representatives from government departments, NGOs and other organisations to review the strategy so far. The industry's SD initiative was praised and was seen as a positive means of identifying sustainability information and issues.

Commenting on the release of the latest SD Report, QPA Director General Simon van der Byl said: "I'm delighted that commitment to this reporting process remains positive amongst our membership. This document further refines and builds upon the data we collected for our first and second reports, and we continue to gain meaningful insight into how we operate as a sector."

The third Sustainable Development Report is available as a PDF download click here.

ENDS


QPA Contact: Tim Parry - 020 7963 8000.