EQS-News: Wienerberger AG: Wienerberger commits to forward-looking and sustainable energy management across the Group

EQS-News: Wienerberger AG / Key word(s): Strategic Company Decision
Wienerberger AG: Wienerberger commits to forward-looking and sustainable
energy management across the Group

11.01.2023 / 10:00 CET/CEST
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Wienerberger commits to forward-looking and sustainable energy management
across the Group

• Wienerberger provides future-oriented applications and system
solutions to reduce emissions and save resources
• Innovative solutions for new build and renovation promote
net-zero-emission buildings and support decarbonization in residential
construction
• Transition to low-emission energy sources: Renewable energy accounts
for more than half of the Group’s electricity consumption

Vienna, January 11, 2023 – Fighting the climate crisis is one of the
greatest challenges of our time. As a standard-setter in modern building
construction and sustainable housing, Wienerberger is developing modern,
innovative system solutions in order to reduce emissions and save natural
resources. With its sustainability strategy, Wienerberger has for years
been pursuing a consistent path, setting itself ambitious goals for
decarbonization and the reduction of CO2 emissions. Over the past ten
years, the company has therefore repositioned itself completely in
strategic terms and evolved into a full-range provider of
energy-efficient, forward-looking, and sustainable renovation, new-build,
and water-management solutions.

Commenting on this development, Heimo Scheuch, Chairman of the Managing
Board of Wienerberger AG, says, “Our long-term goal is to implement the
European Green Deal: By 2050 at the latest, we want to be climate-neutral.
To this end, we are pursuing a clear strategy set out in our
Sustainability Program. We are committed to enhancing energy efficiency in
production and transport. In the interest of our customers, we have
developed an innovative and sustainable portfolio and are employing new,
future-oriented technologies.”

Wienerberger has also set itself ambitious short-term targets, with all
its corporate activities being subject to clearly defined and demanding
ESG criteria: By 2023, the company’s CO2 emissions are to be reduced by
15% and new products are to be fully recyclable or reusable. Sustainable
energy management based on the use of renewable sources of energy is the
key to the achievement of these targets.

Making buildings energy-efficient

The biggest lever in energy management is the building sector. Overall,
40% of energy consumption and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions are
accounted for by buildings. This comprises the entire life cycle of
buildings, from construction to occupancy to renovation and demolition.
The renovation of existing buildings alone would reduce total energy
consumption in the EU by up to 6% and CO2 emission by roughly 5%.
Moreover, smart solutions and energy-efficient materials are required for
the construction of new buildings. Wienerberger provides system solutions
for new build and renovation, thus promoting net-zero-emission buildings
and advancing decarbonization in residential construction. A great variety
of solutions is available, ranging from sustainable products for the
building envelope to in-house energy generation, low-energy heating and
cooling systems, solar panels and heat pumps. Wienerberger’s portfolio
includes clay blocks filled with insulating material, new facing brick
formats for double-shell exterior walls, or energy-saving upon-rafter
insulation for pitched roofs. Owing to their low heat conductivity, these
products and systems significantly reduce energy consumption.

Climate-friendly brick production

Another lever to reduce energy consumption is production, given that
drying and firing bricks is an energy-intensive process. Wienerberger is
undertaking a continuous effort to make it more climate-friendly, for
instance by employing heat-pump technology to enhance the energy
efficiency of the drying process or a highly efficient, novel kiln
technology based on green electricity. The latter is being used for the
production of climate-neutral thin bricks at Wienerberger’s Kortemark
production site in Belgium.

At the Uttendorf site in Austria, a high-efficiency kiln powered by green
electricity is currently being tested for the production of Porotherm clay
blocks with a 90% lower carbon footprint. Moreover, further measures taken
by Wienerberger aim to reduce material input and recover energy, the
objective being to produce lighter clay block that require less energy but
meet the same quality standard, on the one hand, and to recover energy
from the drying process by means of an innovative compression heat pump,
on the other. This offers significant advantages in terms of climate,
costs, and transport.

Renewable energy is gaining ground

Across the Group, Wienerberger is driving the transition to low-emission
energy sources for CO2-neutral production. Depending on the location, the
company uses purchased or self-generated green electricity from solar and
wind power as well as biogas. Renewable energy sources thus account for
more than half of Wienerberger’s consumption of electrical energy.

Flexible pipe solutions from Pipelife

At the same time, the European Commission intends to advance the
production of green hydrogen in Europe, the objective being to reach a
volume of 20 megatons per year by 2030. This requires a pan-European
infrastructure. The existing natural gas infrastructure will have to be
retrofitted and a dedicated hydrogen transport infrastructure needs to be
created. Wienerberger’s subsidiary Pipelife provides innovative pipe
solutions for the transport of hydrogen to the end users, consisting of
flexible compound plastic pipe systems for high-pressure transport and
polyethylene pipelines for applications at lower pressure.

Wienerberger Group
The Wienerberger Group is a leading international provider of smart
solutions for the entire building envelope and for infrastructure.
Wienerberger is the world’s largest producer of bricks (Porotherm, Terca)
and the market leader in clay roof tiles (Koramic, Tondach) in Europe as
well as concrete pavers (Semmelrock) in Eastern Europe. In pipe systems
(Steinzeug-Keramo ceramic pipes and Pipelife plastic pipes), the company
is one of the leading suppliers in Europe. By acquiring Meridian Brick,
Wienerberger further strengthened its position as a leading supplier of
facade products in North America. With its total of 216 production sites,
the Wienerberger Group generated revenues of € 4.0 billion and EBITDA LFL
of € 671 million in 2021. 

For further information, please contact:
Claudia Hajdinyak, Head of Corporate Communications Wienerberger AG
t +43 664 828 31 83 | claudia.hajdinyak@wienerberger.com

══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

11.01.2023 CET/CEST This Corporate News was distributed by EQS Group AG.
www.eqs.com

══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Language: English
Company: Wienerberger AG
Wienerbergerplatz 1
1100 Wien
Austria
Phone: +43 1 60 192-0
Fax: +43 1 60 192-10159
E-mail: office@wienerberger.com
Internet: www.wienerberger.com
ISIN: AT0000831706
Listed: Vienna Stock Exchange (Official Market)
EQS News ID: 1531983

 
End of News EQS News Service

1531983  11.01.2023 CET/CEST

OTS-ORIGINALTEXT PRESSEAUSSENDUNG UNTER AUSSCHLIESSLICHER INHALTLICHER VERANTWORTUNG DES AUSSENDERS. www.ots.at
© Copyright APA-OTS Originaltext-Service GmbH und der jeweilige Aussender