Climate Lobbying Overview: CRH appears to take a mixed approach to climate change policy, albeit with limited engagement on specific climate regulations. The company’s positions have become more positive between 2018 and 2022, in its top-line messaging. The organization supports the energy transition and the need to reduce GHG emissions, but takes more negative positions on several key climate policies.

Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: CRH appears to take a broadly positive position on climate policy in its top-line messaging. The company supported pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C in a 2022 Climate Advocacy Review, published in March 2022. In its 2021 Annual Report, CRH recognized the need for a “supportive climate policy environment” and supported public policy to deliver a net-zero built environment. In its 2022 Climate Advocacy Review, the company supported carbon pricing with the caveat that it must protect against carbon leakage and protect competitiveness. On its corporate website in November 2020, CRH supported the UN Paris Agreement.

Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: CRH appears to have limited but negative engagement with specific climate regulations. In its 2022 Climate Advocacy Review, the company supported emissions trading systems which protect against carbon leakage, meaning that they should include compensatory measures such as the free allocation of emissions allowances or compensate costs, which could weaken the price signal of a cap-and-trade policy. However, in the same review, CRH broadly supported carbon border adjustment mechanisms to create a level playing field between importers and domestic producers. In its 20-F disclosure in 2020, CRH did not seem to support increasing the EU’s 2030 GHG target to 55%, stating that it would “represent a significant extra constraint on cement operations in Europe.” However, its subsidiary Tarmac stated support for product and buildings standards to encourage the uptake of low-carbon concrete in a blog in November 2021.

Positioning on Energy Transition: CRH seems to broadly support the energy transition. In its 2021 Annual Report, published in March 2022, the company supported policy measures to support low-carbon cement production. It also advocated for policies to support breakthrough technologies to decarbonize the cement industry including biomass and alternative fuels in its 2022 Climate Advocacy Review. Its subsidiary, Tarmac, voiced support for an electric charging and hydrogen refueling network for transport, but did not state a position on the decarbonization of hydrogen, in a blog published in November 2021.

Industry Association Governance: CRH disclosed a list of some industry associations in its Climate Advocacy Review, published in March 2022, with some disclosure of the company’s role and the climate policy positions of the associations. Senior executives hold influential positions in key industry associations, such as the National Association of Manufacturers and CEMBUREAU, which are lobbying climate policy with negative engagement in the US and Europe respectively.

A detailed assessment of the company's corporate review on climate policy engagement can be found on InfluenceMap's CA100+ Investor Hub here.

InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q4 2022.