The new year is well underway, and we are all focused on our key objectives for the coming year. Whilst the economic conditions remain uncertain for 2025, we can be certain our sector and profession remain critical to the UK’s prosperity moving forward. This progress must, however, be achieved within the broader context of the challenges and opportunities posed by the sustainability agenda.
Recent data shows that 2024 saw the global climate pass the 1.50C threshold, further reinforcing the need to increase efforts in all sectors to reduce emissions. For our industry, this means preparing for challenges such as severe weather events and related flooding, which increasingly have an affect our operations in the coming years.
I am pleased to say the Institute is continuing its commitment to the environmental and sustainability agenda throughout the year. As part of the five-year strategy we are working towards aligning the relevant UN sustainable development goals with our core activities. This alignment reinforces our commitment as the membership body for our sector, that we are all committed to delivering better outcomes and support key issues such as decarbonisation, the circular economy and biodiversity net gain.
Through development with the centre of excellence at the National Stone Centre (NSC), we are actively engaging with the new regional authority to ensure the skills agenda to support our commitment is fully understood and supported, enabling us to build greater resilience for our sector.
In addition to our strategic plans, we remain committed to supporting members through practical actions. In 2025, as part of the redevelopment of the environmental handbook, we will provide two new guidance documents. These will focus on environmental management systems and environmental explosives, building on the landscape and visual guidance released in 2024.
The Institute will continue to recognise the good work and ideas already being developed by members through the Emerald Challenge, which has been launched ready to receive entries for 2025. The scheme provides members the opportunity to access a £5000 grant to support and develop their ideas or research, delivering more sustainable outcomes for their organisation or the wider industry.
We are also enhancing member support with training and resources in crucial areas such as carbon literacy and biodiversity. These offerings aim to equip members with practical tools to integrate sustainability into their day-to-day lives.
For over a century, we have been at the forefront of positive change within our sector. As President, I am committed to building on this proud tradition, ensuring that we continue to advance our profession and industry in line with our founding objectives. Together, we can meet the challenges ahead and drive progress for a sustainable future.
