Xella sets science-based targets as part of ambitious sustainability roadmap / Comprehensive action to adapt to macroeconomic environment (FOTO)

Duisburg (ots) - Xella Group, a leading European provider of sustainable,
efficient, and affordable walling solutions, made significant progress in its
sustainability initiatives in the previous year and is on track to reach its
sustainability goals for 2030. As a major milestone in 2023, its targets to
reduce scope 1, 2 and 3[1] carbon dioxide emissions have been approved by the
Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).

The company aims to reduce its market-based[2] CO2 emissions in scope 1 and 2 by
42 percent by the end of the decade[3]. Furthermore, scope 3 emissions
(representing 85 percent of global CO2e emissions) from purchased goods and
services will be reduced by 25 percent by 2030.The first target will be achieved
through an increasingly energy-efficient production, a growing use of renewable
energies and the phasing out of coal in Xella's plants. The second target will
be achieved through the deepening of partnerships with Xella's key suppliers,
the optimisation of recipes, and the development of the circularity of Xella's
materials.

Additionally, Xella Group is committed to the goal of not disposing any
production leftovers in landfills, aiming to stop landfill of any AAC or CSU
residues by 2030. To further develop the recyclability of its products, Xella is
optimising its value chain to receive secondary materials from recycling
companies and is developing new products based on crushed and milled AAC coarse
material and lighter materials with the support of its own research &
development facility Xella Technologie- und Forschungsgesellschaft mbH (T&F).

Investments in safety and compliance

Xella has also improved on its social targets, especially regarding the safety
of its employees. In the past year, accidents dropped by 36 percent. Moreover,
Xella hired Radmila Petrovic to join the Executive Committee as Chief Legal and
Compliance Officer, to further anchor governance and compliance in the top ranks
of the company.

Christophe Clemente, Chief Executive Officer at Xella Group, says:

"The construction industry is key to achieving the climate goals in Europe. At
Xella, we have made significant progress in driving energy and resource
efficiency and are working tirelessly to enhance circularity principles
throughout the lifecycle of our sustainable products."

Cécile Fages, Chief Sustainability and Communications Officer at Xella Group,
says: "At Xella, we know that we have major societal and environmental
responsibilities. I am therefore particularly proud that Xella's decarbonization
path for 2030 has been approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative. This
will help Xella achieve its business targets by providing low CO2 building
materials."

Xella's sustainability efforts were also recognized by external ESG experts. In
July 2023, the company was honoured as a leader in its industry by
Sustainalytics, an independent ESG rating agency. With a score of 17.5 and a low
risk profile, Xella ranked second among 142 construction materials companies
worldwide.

Successful adaptation to the macroeconomic conditions

2023 was a challenging year for the new residential construction market in
Europe, which as a whole experienced unprecedented declines by a third. The
Group generated a total revenue of more than 1 billion euros (compared to 1.4
billion euros the previous year). The normalised EBITDA amounted to about 205
million euros (compared to 291 million euros in 2022).

Over the past year, the Group has launched numerous initiatives to improve its
production network, reduce its fixed costs, and successfully adapt to the
challenging macroeconomic situation while still adhering to its ambitious
sustainability roadmap.

With these initiatives and the expectation for market recovery, the Group is
confident to grow beyond pre-crisis levels in the mid-term.

Further information is also available on the Xella Group website:
https://www.xella.com/en_US/sustainability-report-2023

[1] Scope 3 emissions encompass emissions that are not produced by the company
itself and are not the result of activities from assets owned or controlled by
them, but by those that it's indirectly responsible for, up and down its value
chain.

[2] A market-based method for scope 2 CO2 emissions reflects emissions from
electricity that companies have purposefully chosen.

[3] Compared to the year 2021.

Contact:

Xella International GmbH
Cécile Fages
Chief Sustainability and Communications Officer
Düsseldorfer Landstraße 395
47259 Duisburg, Germany

Mobile: [phone]
E-Mail: mailto:[e-mail]

Additional content: http://presseportal.de/pm/162398/5745077
OTS: Xella International GmbH