Heidelberg Materials and BirdLife International renew partnership

Heidelberg Materials and BirdLife International, the world’s largest network of nature conservation organisations, have extended their longstanding partnership. On 21 February, the partners signed a memorandum of understanding covering the next three years and setting the course for continued long-term collaboration. Since 2011, Heidelberg Materials and BirdLife have been working together to enhance biodiversity in and around the company's quarries, to minimise negative environmental impacts, and to promote best practice in biodiversity management.

“We are committed to contributing to a nature positive future, which means protecting and promoting a rich biodiversity across the areas in which we operate – both within our active quarries and during after-use”, said Dr Nicola Kimm, chief sustainability officer and member of the managing board of Heidelberg Materials. “Over the years, working with BirdLife has been instrumental in this effort. This continued partnership will now enable us to maximise our biodiversity potential and work alongside BirdLife towards our 2030 nature targets.”

As part of its sustainability commitments, Heidelberg Materials aims for 100% of its active quarries to contribute to the global goal of nature positive by 2030, with 15% space for nature.

“BirdLife has been delighted to work with Heidelberg Materials for more than a decade to improve wildlife across all its operations. We need businesses to not only set high standards but also help influence positive change, which is why it has been so heartening that Heidelberg Materials continues to champion stronger laws to protect and restore nature. We look forward to continuing to work with and learn from each other while saving more nature together over the next three years”, said Martin Harper, CEO of BirdLife international.

Understanding that real actions are required for nature to recover, the renewed partnership will focus on opportunities for scalable habitat restoration. More than 40 biodiversity projects have been initiated worldwide since the start of the cooperation. BirdLife International and its national partner organisations support the implementation of Heidelberg Materials’ sustainability strategy by imparting knowledge and working on the ground with the operational staff to engage and empower them. Studies and assessments carried out by BirdLife provide the company with valuable insights and enable it to prioritise sites based on their potential impact, ensuring the most effective allocation of resources.

Joint advocacy efforts within the sector and at EU level have played a crucial role in shaping policy and fostering a network for biodiversity conservation. As part of their educational initiatives, BirdLife and Heidelberg Materials work to raise broad public awareness of the value of biodiversity and, in particular, among young people.