Page 62 - CFA_SG25

ADHESIVES AND ACCESSORIES MANUFACTURERS’ VIEW

Strategic partnerships promoting sustainability

We spoke to Hannah Wowk, Sustainability times. It is important to continue to work with
and Quality Manager, Kerakoll UK Ltd. about the partners to review and refine the strategy
the partnerships Kerakoll is forming to help over time to identify further ways of improving,
drive forward its work on sustainability. rather than treating it as a one-off exercise.
There are very few people who would deny Partnerships with research institutions
the need to act to help improve the impact can also play a big role in improving the
that the construction industry has on the sustainability of products and business
environment. According to the UK Green practices. The choice of research partner
Building Council, cement production alone is obviously depends on the aim of the project.
responsible for 8% of global carbon emissions. In the UK, we picked the University of
It may seem very difficult for one company to Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research
make a huge difference to this but working Centre (AMRC) to help assess the efficiency
together we can all contribute to turning the of the machines at the Kerakoll UK plant,
situation around. with a view to minimising waste. Running
One of the ways to do this is by carefully parallel to this, AMRC is helping us to design
picking strategic partners for your supply our new UK plant in such a way as to reduce
chain and other operators allowing you the environmental impact and maximise the process of continuous improvement in ESG
to work together on initiatives that impact potential social impact for staff and the local issues, allowing you to be sure that you are
sustainability and the circular economy. community. working with a company that has the same
To make a difference, these strategic An area which also works well for us is values and aims as you.
partnerships need to be formed for the partnering with various universities proposing An example from Italy is CO2alizione
medium to long term, allowing everyone research projects for graduate students which is a platform for companies committed
to invest time and effort into developing working on their theses. The students spend to working towards carbon neutrality. This
production and logistics solutions that can between 2 and 6 months at the company and platform offers the chance to participate in
have a positive effect on the sector. are supported with tests on their research workshops on topics such as strategies for
At Kerakoll, these partnerships can be projects. These partnerships allow our decarbonisation, green logistics, procurement
for up to 30 years. To give one example, researchers to work with people at the cutting and packaging, as well as forge links with
the transport of raw materials is one of the edge of research into sustainable products, other businesses working towards the same
main contributors of CO2 emissions in the developing new formulas and finding ends.
manufacturing supply chain. The development alternative materials. Making sustainability central to your
of intermodal transport using road, rail and Another way to collaborate and find business strategy is a huge challenge that
62 maritime shipping, in conjunction with our potential partners is to become part of a has to be faced especially in the construction
Italian and UK suppliers has significantly network of companies. B Corp is one such industry. Working with carefully chosen
reduced these emissions, by 30% in the UK network, as companies that commit to the partners will facilitate this process and allow
alone, as well as ensuring faster delivery certification process are also committed to a your company to overcome the challenge.

CFA Guide to Sustainability 2025/26