Wienerberger : Biodiversity Action Plan | PDF 4 MB

I M P R I N T

Wienerberger AG

A-1100 Vienna,

Wienerbergerplatz 1

Mr. Mark van Loon Ms. Rena De Mey

E-mail address : biodiversity@wienerberger.com

Telephone number: +32 479 88 38 76

Biodiversity loss is racing up the agendas of governments, financial institutions, businesses and local initiatives. Nature is no longer only a concern for ecologists. There is a growing realization that companies, economies, and our whole society depends on the thriving of nature and biodiversity1. Nature-based solutions should make cities greener, healthier and more climate resilient2. Wienerberger, a leading international provider of building material and infrastructure solutions, has a responsibility in creating a more sustainable environment and is making every effort to contribute to a healthy global ecosystem.

This is why Wienerberger has expanded its activities on biodiversity.

“The loss of biodiversity over the past 40 years has been unprecedented, and we are determined to counteract this development with our Biodiversity Program.”

Heimo Scheuch

CEO Wienerberger

All intellectual property rights belong to Wienerberger. Nothing in this publication may be reproduced, stored in an automated database, or made public, in any form or by any means, whether electronic, mechanical, by photocopies, recordings or any other means without the prior written consent of Wienerberger.

Expanding on biodiversity

The importance of nature was central at the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26, Glasgow). It was emphasized that climate change and biodiversity loss are twin challenges: the one cannot be solved without the other3. In order to help governments and businesses align their efforts on biodiversity, the world needs a Global Goal for Nature. A growing movement of corporates, financial institutions, NGO’s and multiple citizen organisations

is pushing for a convincing Global Goal for Nature to be adopted during the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in 2022: Zero Net Loss of Nature from 2020, Net Positive by 2030, and Full Recovery by 20504. The proposed 3-30- 300 rule5 provides concrete direction for the greening of cities: 3 trees visible from every home, 30% tree coverage in every neighbourhood, and green spaces within 300m.

“With our Biodiversity Program, we actively contribute towards ensuring that future generations have the same opportunities as we have today.”

Heimo Scheuch

CEO Wienerberger

In Wienerberger’s Sustainability Program 2020-2023,biodiversity is recognized as a topic of strategic importance to the company where Biodiversity & Environment is outlined as one of the five core topics of its Sustainability Management:

Sustainability Program 2020 - 2023

The five core topics of Wienerberger’s Sustainability Program 2020-2023

Extracting resources

Wienerberger owns over 200 quarries throughout Europe, North-America and India and holds a long track record of monitoring and conserving biodiversity in its clay pits. The subsequent use of a depleted clay pit is, as a rule, defined by the competent public authority. Wienerberger recultivates and renatures clay extraction sites or makes them available for this subsequent use. As depleted clay pits provide ideal conditions to attract rare plants and animals, Wienerberger usually restores them to biodiversity-rich nature areas, like the Orchard Farm clay mining site and the ecological restoration along the Dutch rivers.

Production process and sites

When it comes to Wienerberger’s own production sites, ongoing activities benefitting biodiversity include avoid­ ing hazardous waste in the production process and partnerships for enhancing biodiversity and restorative measures on its assets (since 2002).

By 2023, we will implement a biodiversity action plan at all Wienerberger production sites.

This new commitment to integrate biodiversity into the management of all its 197 urban production locations is the focus of this brochure. It contributes to Wienerberger’s goal to have a biodiversity neutral footprint by 2030. Based on the success of 6 pilots in 2021, 50 Biodiversity Action Plans will be drafted in 2022, and around 150 more in 2023. Implementation of the first Biodiversity Action Plans will start from 2022 onwards.

Enhancing biodiversity towards customers

Related to the downstream side of its value chain, Wienerberger is developing biodiversity-enhancing products (such as nesting boxes and water permeable paving).

Steps towards the vision of a biodiversity neutral footprint by 2030 onwards

Partnership projects

Urban Biodiversity Action Plans

Partnership for enhancing biodiversity

Products designed to benefit biodiversity

Avoidance of hazardous waste in production process

Recultivating and renaturing of depleted clay pits

Wienerberger’s actions for biodiversity

“At ODDO BHF AM, our ac­ tive ownership strategy focuses on the climate, ecological and just transition. We continuously analyze, monitor and engage with portfolio companies, and the broader market, to identify corporate best in class biodiversity policies, practices and processes.

We congratulate Wienerberger on the completion of its bio­ diversity action plan. It provides a nature-based concept and concrete actions on how to green and rewild our cities supporting

Nature-based solutions are a fundamental concept to enable the protection, preservation and restoration of the biological ecosystem on which our planet, our society, our species and ultimately our global economies and financial markets directly depend.”

Martina Macpherson

Head of ESG Strategy ODDO BHF

Asset Management GmbH

This brochure provides information for local communities, neighbours, investors, policymakers and other stakeholders with whom Wienerberger cooperates. It explains its approach to the creation of biodiversity action plans for its urban production locations. Part 1 outlines the six-step- process through which the biodiversity action plans are

created. Part 2 focuses on the central design principles for enhancing urban biodiversity on production sites and Part 3 gives an overview of some of the concrete measures Wienerberger uses. In Part 4, future steps are presented to look forward.

a nature-positive, regenerative and climate resilient transition.

Wienerberger follows a six-step approach to drafting Bio- diversity Action Plans for its urban production locations. To start with, the terrain elements on the site are mapped using GIS. Secondly, the actual green infrastructure is outlined. Together with the support of Wienerberger’s biodiversity specialists, the maximum biodiversity potential is drafted on top of these maps. Taking into account budgetary and practical considerations, the feasible bio- diverse action plan is approved by the local management team, ensuring true commitment. Implementations of these biodiversity measures can start hereafter, together with a local (ecological) garden maintenance company.

The last step in the process is to analyze the effectiveness of the applied measures through monitoring. For it to be scientifically rigorous, a baseline monitoring is carried out in step 2 by Wienerberger’s biodiversity specialists togeth­ er with an independent, ecological partner. The species and the quantities of birds, butterflies and bees/bumblebees/ hoverflies are recorded. These groups of species are a good proxy indicator for habitat quality and allow easy and pragmatic monitoring. Once the biodiversity measures have been implemented, trained employees repeat the monitoring of the species and quantities of birds, butterflies and bees/bumblebees/hoverflies three times a year.

By involving these employees as biodiversity ambassadors, the biodiversity action plan becomes a story which can be shared within Wienerberger and with local communities.

This six-step process is the company’s standard for draft­ ing Biodiversity Action Plans and allows Wienerberger to enrich its locations and deliver biodiversity measures in a consistent way. The Biodiversity Action Plans offer

a pragmatic contribution to increasing the number of species of flora and fauna on these urban production sites. This brings Wienerberger one step closer to the vision of achieving a neutral biodiversity footprint.

The last step in the process is to analyze the effectiveness of the applied measures through monitoring.