CDP Ireland Report 2024 - Stories of a new responder

Ken Mulkerrins Group Head of Innovation & Sustainability

Founded in 1964 by the late Patrick McKeown in the village of Kilsaran in County Louth, Kilsaran has grown considerably to become Ireland’s largest independent manufacturer of a range of building materials.
Since our foundation, the business has been synonymous with innovative concrete, mortar and asphalt products and award-winning design in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
This family-owned and run business is quite literally Irish from the ground up, mining raw materials from its own quarries and manufacturing end products at its various manufacturing plants across Ireland. Kilsaran specialises in making superior quality paving and walling, road surfacing materials, pre-mixed dry mortars, renders, screeds and, of course, ready-mixed concrete and blocks.
The supply of standard, unique and bespoke product solutions to both the commercial and domestic market is centred on a continuous commitment to manufacturing excellence and technical expertise.
At Kilsaran, we are trusted by businesses and contractors alike to produce quality construction materials that are fundamental in the creation of our national infrastructure. These include large commercial buildings, domestic and agricultural construction, office blocks and major road networks.
As far back as 2001, we were providing a greener alternative as the first independent concrete producer in Ireland supplying ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) into our concrete. Initiatives like this have lead us to be at put us at the cutting edge of research and innovation. As a result we are able to offer numerous new solutions to the industry.
2022 marked a pivotal moment for our Group where we have embarked on creating a structured, documented and functional ESG model centred around the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This strategy will help shape and accelerate a new era of growth for us that is both sustainable and inclusive.

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​Governments have a leading role in terms of linking climate, macroeconomic, industrial, labour and regional policies. Business and trade unions play a direct role in shaping the transition within the workplace, along with civil society organisations in the wider community. At Kilsaran, we embrace this transition and aim to provide our staff, customers and stakeholders the assistance they need in the transition to a greener economy.
We are committed to working with our customers and our suppliers, in a fair and equal manner, to reduce any negative impact our products and services have on our environment and the communities operating within our wider supply chain.
The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) requires companies to disclose information on risks and opportunities related to ESG issues, with a particular focus on the impact of their activities on people and the planet. At Kilsaran we will be required to report in 2026, on our 2025 data. We will have to report annually in line with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).
Prior to the implementation of the regulatory directives we, as a company, were keen to demonstrate, to all our stakeholders, our commitment to ESG and the overall impact our activities have on the planet. From the outset we were cognisant of providing clear, and transparent validated metrics to all interested parties. This is when we looked towards the CDP Network.
As an international, not-for-profit organisation known and trusted globally, we see the CDP Network as a fantastic platform to demonstrate our and our Planet, People, Solutions and Performance credentials. We submitted our first company disclosure in 2023 and were absolutely delighted to have achieved a B – rating! In addition to this, the summary report clearly illustrated areas we were strong in and areas where we could improve.
We are looking forward to participating in the CDP Network for many years to come, building on our initial score and continuing to provide all our stakeholders with clear validated data on our ESG performance.