Dave Manley, Head of Sustainability at Forterra, shared insights into the company’s evolution, current trends, and sustainability strategy. With over 30 years at the business, Manley oversees production at Forterra, a leading UK manufacturer of bricks and concrete products, including London Brick, Butterley Bricks, Bison and Thermalite.
At the Measham plant, Forterra produces soft mud bricks designed to replicate handmade bricks. Clay is sourced from an on-site quarry, processed, moulded, dried, and fired in kilns, reflecting centuries-old techniques adapted for modern efficiency. The company’s product range is primarily distributed within the UK, with limited exports to Ireland, and standardisation across sites reduces transport emissions.
Emerging technologies, particularly Building Information Modelling (BIM), play a key role in supporting environmental transparency, allowing precise calculation of building carbon footprints. Despite widespread supply chain challenges in manufacturing, Forterra benefits from its own quarries, ensuring stable raw material availability.
Sustainability is central to Forterra’s strategy, with net-zero ambitions driving experimentation with hydrogen. Pilot kilns have successfully operated with 20–25% hydrogen blends, and full-scale hydrogen kilns are planned for the early 2030s. While energy costs and government funding present challenges, the company mitigates these through hedging and strategic planning.
Forterra also focuses on nurturing talent through apprenticeships and graduate programmes, addressing the sector’s ageing workforce and fostering STEM skills.
Looking ahead, the company aims for process improvements and gradual adoption of hydrogen as a primary fuel, while keeping an eye on carbon capture technologies. Manley emphasizes that sustainability is a long-term journey—Forterra’s experience demonstrates that early action, ongoing innovation, and strategic investment are essential to building a resilient, environmentally responsible manufacturing future.
