What is the Science-Based Targets Initiative?

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is a global, collaborative initiative involving organisations including the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute and the World Wide Fund for Nature. It’s aim is to boost innovation and drive sustainable growth by setting ambitious, science-based emissions reduction targets. It develops standards, tools and guidance which allow companies to set greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets in line with what’s needed to keep global heating below catastrophic levels.

In 2024, Marshalls announced that, after extensive efforts working alongside our partners at the Carbon Trust, our near and long-term carbon reduction and net-zero targets have been validated by the SBTi.

Our net-zero targets and science-based reduction pathways highlight our bold commitment to reach net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across all scopes by 2050.

Here, we speak to Mike Edwards, our Group Head of Sustainability, and Allan Sandilands, our Group Sustainability Manager, to delve into why it was important for Marshalls to make this commitment, share more about the rigorous process involved, and what we hope to see from the industry in the future as we move towards a net-zero future.

Marshalls’ commitment

In September, the SBTi approved our near-term targets, which are to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 50.5% by 2030 and reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions by 37.5% by 2033. Our long-term net-zero targets, to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by at least 90% by 2040 and reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions by at least 90% by 2050, have also been validated. So that’s net-zero as a business by 2050.

But why was it important for us to take this step?

“This is about market leadership,” Mike said. “We have a reputation for leading in the field when it comes to sustainability, so having transparency around our ambitions and having our targets externally validated is a clear sign to the industry that we mean what we say.”

Allan said: “There is also an expectation that we will continue to lead from the front from our stakeholders, including the country’s leading clients, specifiers and contractors who we supply. They want to see us demonstrating how our activities, processes, systems and the management of our supply chain will help us achieve net-zero.”

Mike added: “The SBTi is the gold standard when it comes to carbon net-zero targets; it’s recognised around the world as the body to be acknowledged by if you want to be taken seriously. It’s a clear demonstration of our absolute commitment to becoming a more sustainable business, which is something that’s incredibly important to us at Marshalls.”

A rigorous process

In 2019, Marshalls became one of the first businesses in its sector in the UK to make an initial commitment to the SBTi standard, publishing our original set of targets, which were validated in 2020. However, it was always our intention to build on those initial, near-term targets and our significant growth in 2022 provided the ideal opportunity to do just that. Our recently updated targets, therefore, are based on a recalculation of our group footprint following our acquisition of roofing specialist Marley in 2022. They also encompass the SBTi requirement that any net-zero target must include a company’s scope 3 emissions, meaning all direct and indirect emissions in the value chain have been accounted for in their decarbonisation journey.

Following the lengthy process, Mike believes the dedication to get to this point says a lot about the business.

“It’s a brave step to take,” he said. “Lots of companies want to explore it, but it’s a lengthy and onerous undertaking requiring significant time, effort, resources and data insight, so it’s not something you can do without a great deal of thought. However, at Marshalls we felt that if we didn’t willingly opt to go down this route, we could ultimately damage our reputation as a market leader and people might question what we truly stand for.”

Allan said: “Since sharing the news about validation, a lot of customers have reached out asking for advice about the process. They know they need to do it too, but navigating it in reality can seem overwhelming. Now that we’re experienced in it, we are happy to offer advice on the right steps to take based on our experience.”

“There are a lot of decarbonisation target-setting standards that you can work towards, and there’s always numerous third-party ‘stamps of approval’ coming through the pipeline, but the reality is that nothing is as rigorous or robust as the process you go through with the SBTi,” Mike said. “We’re proud to say we’re validated and aligned with what we believe to be the most credible target-setting methodology out there.”

A call out to the industry

To achieve our targets, we’ll work closely with our suppliers – particularly those who supply cement to us, to explore the technologies and innovations available to decarbonise our supply chain. We’re also developing an extensive library of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) across all product ranges, which allow us to demonstrate how our net-zero commitment is manifesting itself at a product level, giving our customers the power to make informed, sustainable choices.

However, there is much work to be done across the industry to begin making a true difference to the wider supply chain, say Mike and Allan.

“Achieving validation of our targets will go on to influence and drive our future product development, investment and innovation, ensuring we meet customer sustainability needs and remain competitive in a market increasingly focused on environmental responsibility,” Mike said.

“It also gives customers the reassurance that we’re moving in the same direction of travel as they are; they won’t face any resistance on sustainability when they work with us, our door is open, and we want to support them to deliver lower carbon, more sustainable projects.”

Allan added, “What we want to see is a greater focus on embodied carbon at an industry level. Operational carbon has been explored extensively and is generally well understood. We need to take learnings from that experience to ensure embodied carbon performance achieves the same level of understanding, and that the two go hand in hand when it comes to decision making.”

“More also needs to be done in terms of specification and design services across the industry, to ensure businesses are using the correct quantities and appropriate specifications of materials and systems to minimise wastage and reduce embodied carbon and we’re willing to be an active part of that change,” Mike said.

“The industry is definitely heading in the right direction – people are getting the message about why corporate carbon reduction and, specifically, third-party target validation is so important; it just needs accelerating,” he added. “We can’t get to net-zero without everyone else playing their part, and our customers can’t do it unless we take that bold step first. Everyone needs to be on the same ride together – that’s the only way we’re going to change our future.”

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Written By

Mike Edwards

Mike Edwards is the Group Head of Sustainability and has worked at Marshalls for the past 25 years. Originally qualified as a Civil Engineer, Mike started working for Marshalls in a technical role within the commercial team, before leading the Materials Development team for years, looking at concrete mix design optimisation and specifically at reducing embodied carbon within our products. In his current role, Mike heads up the Group Sustainability Team, ensuring the group deliver on both their net-zero and broader Sustainability Strategy.