Roadstone – Becoming the First Company in Ireland to Achieve Level 5 on the CO2 Performance Ladder

Introduction

Roadstone Ltd, one of Ireland’s leading supplier of construction materials, has become the first company in Ireland and the UK to achieve a company-wide Level 5 certification on the CO₂ Performance Ladder. This landmark achievement cements Roadstone’s position as a sustainability leader and signals a major step forward for carbon governance and innovation in Ireland’s built environment.

Roadstone provides aggregates, concrete, asphalt, and sustainable construction solutions supported by a national contracting and road services division. The company plays a central role in Ireland’s infrastructure delivery and thus recognises the need for a transparent, structured carbon management framework that matches the scale of its ambition.

Why Roadstone Adopted the CO₂ Performance Ladder

Roadstone was introduced to the Ladder through the TII pilot project on the M7 High Speed Framework, which first embedded the Ladder as a Green Public Procurement (GPP) tool in Ireland. The company was inspired by the Ladder’s alignment with public tendering and the robustness of its governance structure. Competitiveness in public procurement was a strong motivator, but equally important was the opportunity to better showcase the depth of the company’s decarbonisation work.

Starting from a Strong Foundation

Before beginning its certification journey with the Ladder, Roadstone already had an advanced carbon management structure. Roadstone has an established partnership with SEAI, underpinned by a mature ISO 50001 energy management programme that was in place before CO₂ Performance Ladder certification. This strong foundation supports a disciplined approach to energy performance, which is continually enhanced through SEAI programmes such as EXEED and the Industry Decarbonisation Partnership to deliver targeted emissions reductions.

This existing maturity positioned the company well to aim directly for Level 5 on the Ladder. The Ladder offered a structured, externally validated framework that could consolidate existing initiatives, harmonise carbon KPIs across sites and processes, and demonstrate leadership to clients and stakeholders.

The Certification Journey

Roadstone opted for a company-wide certification allowing the organisation to embed sustainability across all business units, teams and decision-making layers. After an intensive auditing period, final certification was achieved in November 2025.

Innovations Driven by the Ladder

One of Roadstone’s most visible achievements driven by the Ladder is the commissioning of a 4 MWh solar array at Belgard, a major step in the company’s long-term clean energy strategy. In addition to aiding a reduction in the embodied carbon of the products produced at the facility, the Belgard solar array is also used to charge Roadstone’s first ready-mix concrete EV truck.

The Ladder also supports the company’s progress in circular construction. A standout example is the N52 low-carbon road trial, which integrates lower-emission asphalt technologies with circularity principles, including optimised material use and, where feasible, recycled content in pavement layers.

Roadstone also continues to expand its CEVO low-carbon concrete and asphalt ranges alongside infrastructure innovations, offering lower-clinker or lower virgin bitumen mixes that support both carbon reduction and circularity. The Ladder provided the governance framework needed to scale these innovations and ensure alignment across the organisation.

The Ladder’s impact on supply chain engagement is equally important. Upstream materials, particularly cement and bitumen, are Roadstone’s largest emissions sources, making supplier collaboration critical. The Ladder has enabled more consistent carbon tracking and collaboration across Roadstone’s value chain.

Supply chain collaboration

Achieving Level 5 under the CO₂ Performance Ladder required strong collaboration across the supply chain. Roadstone worked closely with key material providers to improve carbon data transparency, increase the use of low‑carbon materials, and align on shared reduction ambitions, while also supporting suppliers to identify and deliver energy and emissions reductions. This joined‑up approach ensures carbon management is embedded across the value chain, enabling measurable and sustained emissions reduction beyond the company’s own operations.

Long-Term Ambition

The Ladder has strengthened accountability, transparency, and cross-team communication at Roadstone. Carbon and energy performance are now integrated more deeply into procurement, project delivery, and long-term investment planning. The Ladder will play an increasingly important role as Roadstone advances toward its net-zero pathway beyond 2030.

Roadstone highlights several lessons from the certification process with the CO₂ Performance Ladder. Firstly, it emphasises the importance of early CO₂PerformanceLadder platform registration to help define organisational boundaries, data requirements, and reporting expectations. This avoids rework later in the process and ensures alignment with CO₂ Performance Ladder requirements from the beginning.

Secondly, the need for continuous internal communication is crucial to keep teams aligned, ensure accurate data capture, and embed carbon management into everyday operations.

And finally, Roadstone recognises that carbon management cannot be treated as an add-on, but must be woven into the core of operations, culture, and strategy.

“Our advice to Irish companies: embrace it early – it helps unlock operational savings, supports tendering, and drives cultural change.” William Willson, Sustainability Manager, Roadstone

As Roadstone continues to expand its sustainability ambitions, the company sees the CO₂ Performance Ladder as a long-term framework that will guide decarbonisation, strengthen circularity, and deepen supplier and client engagement across the sector. It encourages other Irish businesses to consider adopting the Ladder early.

Roadstone is proud to be part of the growing CO₂ Performance Ladder community. They believe the tool will play a transformative role in unlocking the Irish construction sector’s full decarbonisation potential.

If you want to know more about the Ladder, get in touch with Marianne.