Ibstock Brick: Building sustainability leadership

Sustainability communications strategy builds Ibstock Brick’s profile as industry leader

With 20 factories, Ibstock Brick is no ordinary manufacturing business. Part of Ibstock plc, it has the largest production capacity of any brick manufacturer in the UK.

Content Coms has taken care of Ibstock Brick’s industry media relations for over a year. We felt that the company – and its sustainability team – deserved widespread recognition of their extraordinary achievements in terms of energy efficiency, corporate social responsibility and positive environmental impacts.

Working closely with the Ibstock plc’s Group Sustainability Manager Michael McGowan, we devised a strategy that would deliver high-level acknowledgement of Ibstock Brick’s position as a sustainability leader.

Our approach is delivering results that most campaign strategists can only wish for.

First, we uncovered the core of Ibstock Brick’s sustainability strategy: it is one that is people-focused. This helped us differentiate the company from its peers and form the backbone of our messaging. Once captured, we’ve told their story to a receptive audience through high-profile industry awards and viewpoint editorials.

The results are impressive:

• Major interviews & editorials with MEUC, EIBI & BMN
• Business Green Leaders Awards 2018 – Highly Commended
• edie Sustainability Leaders Awards 2019 – Energy Efficiency – Winner
• edie Sustainability Leaders Awards 2019 – Energy Management Leader of the Year – Finalist
• Ibstock plc 2017 Sustainability Report – board level inputs and messaging
• Eclipse Factory Launch – sustainability messaging for Ministerial visit

This is the start of a long-term programme of activity. In December 2018, we began work on Ibstock plc’s CSR Roadmap.