Peel Ports Group - Experts & Thought Leaders

Peel Ports Group has become the first UK port operator to join the Construction Leadership Council’s Co2nstructZero programme. The move marks a major step for the Group as it scales up its efforts to support the construction industry on its decarbonisation journey. Co2nstructZero is the sector’s response to the Government’s 10-point plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, which was announced in 2020. Genuinely greener operations The framework brings together leading businesses to accelerate progress towards the 2050 decarbonisation target, ensuring a collaborative approach to yield genuinely greener operations. Peel Ports Group aims to help the industry cut emissions by facilitating greener, more sustainable supply chain processes, including importing materials closer to their end destinations. Its involvement demonstrates a continued commitment to working with the sector to find practical solutions that will reduce the carbon impact of major construction projects. Dedicated construction consolidation The port operator has also launched its Sustainable Construction Partner programme, an initiative aimed at connecting materials and logistics suppliers with end users. The initiative is already helping to create greener, more efficient supply chains for its founding partners, which include Ecocem, Hercules, Bretts, Holcim, Mibau Stema and Peel Ports Group customers. The programme will enable the opportunity to develop dedicated construction consolidation hubs at every Peel Ports Group location in the UK. This follows the success of pilot hubs at the Port of London Medway and Port of East Anglia in Great Yarmouth, which will support major infrastructure projects such as Sizewell C, the Lower Thames Crossing, and the Heathrow Airport expansion. Greener construction propositions Alongside bringing sustainable materials closer to the point of use, the partnership will allow large volumes of materials to move cost-effectively by rail or water, supporting Government targets to shift freight to lower-carbon transport. David Huck, Chief Operations Officer at Peel Ports Group, said: “As decarbonisation deadlines approach, the demand for greener construction propositions is rising fast. The construction industry has made good progress in reducing building emissions, but there remains a big opportunity to cut carbon earlier through smarter sourcing and logistics.” “Our ports play a key role in the construction supply chain, so it’s fantastic that the CLC have welcomed us onto the Co2nstructZero framework. We’re leading the way with greener logistics management by rethinking how materials enter and move around the UK. We’re confident this approach will lower costs and emissions, while delivering these hugely needed infrastructure projects.”

Peel Ports Group has achieved a 48% reduction in operational greenhouse gas emissions in the last five years, putting the UK’s second-largest port group on track to realise its ambitious goal of becoming net-zero across its port operations by 2040. The Group’s third annual ESG and Sustainability report, which covers the 2025 financial year (FY25 – the 12 months ending 31 March 2025), details its progress against various ESG (environmental, social, and governance) goals, with ambitious targets set around sustainability, health and safety, employee development, and community impact. Reduced Scope 1 & Scope 2 emissions The independently verified figures confirm the group has reduced Scope 1 & Scope 2 emissions across its UK port operations by a total of 48%, against its 2020 baseline and using a location-based accounting approach. It comes as the port group’s achievements in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions were marked at the Mersey Maritime Awards in Liverpool on Thursday evening, with the operator announced as the Net Zero Champion. Achievements for FY25 In addition to the substantial emissions reduction, the Group has also reported the following achievements for FY25: A 6.8% reduction in electricity consumption, with a 2.8% reduction in overall energy use, compared to FY24 125 apprenticeships underway, up from 85 in FY24 A 44% reduction in all injury rates since FY23 66,528 hours of training delivered across the Group, with an average of 33.6 training hours per employee. Broader pipeline of renewables projects Earlier this year, the Group acquired five wind turbines at the Port of Liverpool, where its operations are headquartered. The turbines are expected to generate around 6 GWh of clean electricity annually, which will contribute to powering the port’s operations. The turbines are part of a broader pipeline of renewables projects scheduled over the next 12 to 18 months, which are collectively expected to bring the proportion of Group-wide operations powered by renewable electricity to a third (33%). Group’s new technology and automation plan FY25 also saw the launch of TECH365, the Group’s new technology and automation plan, bolstered by the appointment of Gavin Laybourne as the Group’s first Chief Information and Technology Officer (CTIO). The Group has committed several million over the coming years to deliver the plan, which will optimise existing systems, as well as embracing emerging innovations. Targets for improving on this progress While the report celebrates progress made to date, importantly, it also features bold targets for improving on this progress in the coming years, outlining the Group’s intention to: Achieve net-zero value chain (Scope 3) emissions by 2050, with a range of short-term deliverables to be implemented by 2030. Ensure that 50% of the energy provided to its ports and port tenants is renewable by 2030 Create a climate adaptation plan for each port by 2028 (a plan has already been created for the Port of Liverpool) Invest £40k annually towards scientific research focused on the protection, conservation, and enhancement of marine biodiversity Achieve zero pollution incidents across port activities by 2028 Achieve ‘zero harm’ (in relation to personal injuries) across operations by 2028. Regional economic growth Claudio Veritiero, Chief Executive Officer at Peel Ports Group, said: "We take immense pride in the vital role we play in feeding, powering, and building the nation, but our responsibility extends far beyond this. We’re equally focused on operating responsibly and investing sustainably – to further support UK trade and stimulate regional economic growth and job creation, all while lessening our environmental footprint." "We’re encouraged by having achieved a remarkable 48% reduction in operational carbon emissions over the last five years, and we’re well-placed to make more positive progress in the years to come." Reducing environmental impact  Lewis McIntyre, Managing Director, Port Services at Peel Ports Group, said: "Our drive to grow our business sustainably, while reducing our environmental impact and supporting our people, has not been without its challenges, but it is a goal which every one of our teams has fully taken on board." Lewis McIntyre adds, "Along with the £1.5bn we have invested in sustainable infrastructure over the last decade, we continue to get closer to achieving that goal every day by working together responsibly. Being recognised as the Net Zero Champion at the Mersey Maritime Awards is a strong endorsement of the progress we have made and a testament to the great work of our teams."

Peel Ports Group has achieved a 48% reduction in operational greenhouse gas emissions in the last five years, putting the UK’s second-largest port group on track to realise its ambitious goal of becoming net-zero across its port operations by 2040. The Group’s third annual ESG and Sustainability report, which covers the 2025 financial year (FY25 – the 12 months ending 31 March 2025), details its progress against various ESG (environmental,  social, and governance) goals, with ambitious targets set around sustainability, health and safety, employee development, and community impact. The independently verified figures confirm the group has reduced Scope 1 & Scope 2 emissions across its UK port operations by a total of 48%, against its 2020 baseline and using a location-based accounting approach. Achievements for FY25 It comes as the port group’s achievements in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions were marked at the Mersey Maritime Awards in Liverpool on Thursday evening, with the operator announced as the Net Zero Champion.  In addition to the substantial emissions reduction, the Group has also reported the following achievements for FY25: A 6.8% reduction in electricity consumption, with a 2.8% reduction in overall energy use, compared to FY24 125 apprenticeships underway, up from 85 in FY24 A 44% reduction in all injury rates since FY23 66,528 hours of training delivered across the Group, with an average of 33.6 training hours per employee. Earlier this year the Group acquired five wind turbines at the Port of Liverpool, where its operations are headquartered. The turbines are expected to generate around 6GWh of clean electricity annually which will contribute to powering the port’s operations. The turbines are part of a broader pipeline of renewables projects scheduled over the next 12 to 18 months, which are collectively expected to bring the proportion of Group-wide operations powered by renewable electricity to a third (33%). Launch of TECH365 FY25 also saw the launch of TECH365, the Group’s new technology and automation plan, bolstered by the appointment of Gavin Laybourne as the Group’s first Chief Information and Technology Officer (CTIO). The Group has committed several million over the coming years to deliver the plan, which will optimise existing systems, as well as embracing emerging innovations. While the report celebrates progress made to date, importantly it also features bold targets for improving on this progress in the coming years, outlining the Group’s intention to: Achieve net-zero value chain (Scope 3) emissions by 2050, with a range of short-term deliverables to be implemented by 2030. Ensure that 50% of the energy provided to its ports, and port tenants, is renewable by 2030 Create a climate adaptation plan for each port by 2028 (a plan has already been created for the Port of Liverpool,) Invest £40k annually towards scientific research focused on the protection, conservation and enhancement of marine biodiversity Achieve zero pollution incidents across port activities by 2028  Achieve ‘zero harm’ (in relation to personal injuries) across operations by 2028. Building the nation Claudio Veritiero, Chief Executive Officer at Peel Ports Group said: “We take immense pride in the vital role we play in feeding, powering, and building the nation, but our responsibility extends far beyond this.” “We’re equally focused on operating responsibly and investing sustainably – to further support UK trade and stimulate regional economic growth and job creation, all while lessening our environmental footprint.” “We’re encouraged by having achieved a remarkable 48% reduction in operational carbon emissions over the last five years, and we’re well-placed to make more positive progress in the years to come.” Substantial growth Lewis McIntyre, Managing Director, Port Services at Peel Ports Group said: “Our drive to grow our business sustainably, while reducing our environmental impact and supporting our people, has not been without its challenges, but it is a goal which every one of our teams has fully taken on board.” “Along with the £1.5bn we have invested in sustainable infrastructure over the last decade, we continue to get closer to achieving that goal every day by working together responsibly. Being recognised as the Net Zero Champion at the Mersey Maritime Awards is a strong endorsement of the progress we have made and a testament to the great work of our teams."