In Australia, Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon emissions have followed a general downward trend, with a 56% decrease compared to the base year FY 2006. This decrease is supported by an investment of over $400 million, and is attributable to:

• Efficiencies gained from alternative fuels,
• Manufacturing consolidation
• Equipment upgrades, and
• Operational improvements

This is underpinned by our stretch target for a 10% increase in gas efficiency at Austral Brick plants by 2030.

Plant 2 received significant upgrades over the last couple of years. This facility, now has the capacity to manufacture 130 million bricks per year, is the most advanced brick plant in the world, delivering best in its class fuel efficiency, and setting a new standard for brick manufacturing. This has resulted in a 57% improvement in energy intensity and 40% improvement in greenhouse gas intensity compared to the FY2018 performance of this plant.

In FY24 approximately 21% of recycled content was used in replace of raw materials in Australia, which means:

• Lowered amount of mined materials required.

Using local materials means less carbon miles associated with transporting long distances. We have a strong focus on local manufacturing.

During FY24, Brickworks progressively rehabilitated 19,800 m2 of land in Australia. 141,276 m2 of land was progressively rehabilitated in North America.

In FY24, alternative biofuels made up 11% of Brickworks Australian energy mix. Biofuel sources include landfill gas and sawdust.
Brickworks has been progressing against our existing carbon transition target, to invest into developing feasible renewable biomethane opportunities and investment in the transition to the hydrogen fuel economy.

Brickworks is proud to be Australia’s first clay brick and paver manufacturer to achieve carbon neutral certification through Climate Active for our operation in Longford Tasmania.
Brickworks' Climate Active carbon neutral range is also available for all Austral products on an Opt in basis.

We are proud to have celebrated over 10 years of our Longford operation being certified carbon neutral.

• Over 70,000 tonnes of carbon emissions avoided over 10 years through the use of renewable fuels.
• Over 50,000 tonnes of carbon emissions offset over 10 years.

We are cutting Scope 3 emissions through low-carbon concrete trials and exploring supplementary materials for premium products. Partnerships and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) help refine our emissions profile and drive sustainability in concrete production.

Transport accounts for 29% of our Scope 3 emissions, including raw material deliveries and product distribution. We are optimizing logistics, streamlining transportation, and using AI-powered route planning to cut emissions and improve Transport Efficiency.

As an industry leader using 11% bioenergy in manufacturing in Australia, we understand the critical role renewable bioenergy can have in producing low-carbon products. We’re investing into developing feasible renewable biomethane opportunities and our sustainable product innovation strategies.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency estimates bioenergy could make up 33% of industrial heat processing requirements by 2030.

The durability of bricks means they are inherently sustainable resource - they can be recycled into products such as road base and into the manufacture of new brick.

Upfront embodied energy is only one part of the equation. Building with a durable, resilient and low maintenance material such as brick reduces the need for expensive upkeep. Other materials like lightweight cladding require ongoing upkeep and will contribute to additional carbon emissions with maintenance and replacement.

Bricks are inherently sustainable because they are designed to last. Unlike other materials:

• Bricks are low maintenance
• Bricks are fireproof
• Bricks are recyclable.
• Bricks come with a colourfast and durability warranty of up to 100 years.

Our UrbanStone Australian granite, Bowral Brick, Nubrik and Austral Bricks Rochedale, Longford for Austral Bricks and Daniel Robertson Products have a Declare label, classifying them as red list free products. This means they:

• Do not contain any ingredients on the Living Building Challenge's Red List and has disclosed all intentionally added ingredients.

Bricks reduce heating and cooling demands. Bricks provide thermal comfort. Bricks have higher thermal mass, meaning they have an ability to effectively absorb and store heat energy keeping your home cooler in summer and warmer in winter. This is something lightweight materials cannot do.

10-20% of total energy used in the manufacturing of masonry products at our Oakdale East Masonry and Rockhampton site is solar energy.
Brickworks has added 1.2 MW of rooftop solar across multiple sites, generating 934 MWh annually. Upcoming installations include 3 MW in Western Sydney plant set to cover 19% of its electricity needs, equivalent to powering 442 Sydney households annually.

We are pleased to announce we have developed a new carbon target:

• To achieve a 15% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, from baseline FY22, across combined Australian and North American operations.
• This is complemented by continued investment into developing feasible renewable biomethane opportunities and our sustainable product innovation strategies.

We are driving projects to even further reduce the embodied energy content of our products, including:

• Continued reduction in carbon emissions through the upgrading of our plants and equipment.
• Continued use of biofuels in our Australian energy mix which is 11% in FY24.

The thermal performance of brick is superior to lightweight construction materials, and can lead to reduced operational carbon emissions over a building’s lifetime. The energy efficiency of buildings is measured on more than just manufacturing processes, it’s how it performs as a lived-in home. Building with bricks:

• Can reduce energy consumption, and therefore, reduce operational carbon emissions.

Results from over 8 years of independent research proves that, compared to lightweight cladding:

• Brick homes are more energy efficient.
• The thermal mass of bricks save lifetime operational carbon emissions

This research is based on ‘A Study of the Thermal Performance of Australian Housing, University of Newcastle, 2011-2017, and is currently being updated to changes contained in the National Construction Code 2022 residential energy efficiency provisions including an increase in the thermal performance of homes to the equivalent of a 7 star energy rating.

A building is long term – if you only focus on reducing upfront carbon, you aren’t truly addressing sustainability. Any net zero carbon strategy requires focus on both:

• Embodied carbon maintaining a building over its lifetime significally adds to the total embodied energy requirement of building materials. This means that when considering embodied carbon, you must look at the entire sum over the lifetime of a building.
• Operational carbon which contributes to a significant proportion of a building’s carbon footprint.

Building with a durable, resilient and low maintenance material