As a global manufacturer of safety-critical fasteners, we operate in a sector with a heavy environmental footprint and intense scrutiny. That places us at the frontline of responsibility: with global supply chains under strain, regulations tightening, and climate impacts accelerating, companies like ours can’t afford to treat sustainability as an afterthought.
At CTB Group, we recognise that reality. We work with energy-intensive processes, complex logistics, and long-value-chain products. That puts us in a high-impact, high-scrutiny position, which is a responsibility that we take seriously. We see it as both a duty and an opportunity: to reduce risks, build resilience, and lead progress toward a more sustainable future.
That’s why we’ve committed to the United Nations Global Compact: the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. It’s a voluntary pledge to operate responsibly, transparently, and with integrity across areas like human rights, labour practices, environmental protection, and anti-corruption.
We want to raise the bar for ourselves, our industry, and the communities we operate in, and the UN Global Compact provides a strong framework to help us do that.
What is the UN Global Compact?
The UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability platform, and it’s much more than just a symbol of good intentions.
It’s a framework for businesses to operate responsibly by aligning with ten universal principles across four key areas: Human Rights, Labour, Environment and Anti-Corruption.
Over 20,000 companies across 160+ countries have signed up, creating a global network of organisations working toward a more sustainable and ethical way of doing business.
Being part of the Global Compact means actively and publicly reporting on your progress each year. It means setting clear goals, measuring progress, and staying accountable - all of which reflect CTB Group’s commitment to fair and future-focused business.
Why CTB Group Signed Up
As a global manufacturer with operations across multiple regions, we recognise that our responsibility doesn’t stop at our factory doors. From environmental performance to labour practices and supply chain ethics, our impact extends far beyond our immediate business, and that means the standards we hold ourselves to must reflect that scale.
Joining the UN Global Compact was a deliberate step in aligning our operations with our long-term targets:
- Improving accountability and transparency
- Reducing our carbon footprint
- Building and maintaining stakeholder trust
It also reflects the momentum already underway at CTB Group, as we embed stronger governance and take a more proactive approach to managing sustainability risks across our supply chain.
There’s a strong business case behind these actions, too. The Global Compact supports our efforts to stay ahead of regulatory shifts. It also helps reinforce the resilience of our supply chain and makes us a more attractive partner for customers, investors, and future talent who expect serious, measurable action.
Key Goals We’re Working Towards
Our sustainability strategy is built around clear, measurable outcomes - with progress tracked and shared openly.
Here’s where we’re focusing our efforts:
- Cutting Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 50% by 2032
A key milestone on our path to decarbonisation, supported by site-level energy efficiency initiatives and technology upgrades. - Reaching net zero by 2050
A long-term target that requires sustained action across our entire value chain, including work already underway to measure and manage Scope 3 emissions. - Keeping our accident rate below 2.5 per 200,000 hours worked
Safety remains a core priority. We’ve put in place a group-wide EHS model that goes beyond regulatory compliance to drive down incident rates. - Publishing ESG performance annually
We’ve committed to ongoing governance through our annual ESG report - sharing where we’ve made progress, and where more work is needed. - Achieving zero waste to landfill
We’re working toward waste reduction across all sites, with specific actions in place to increase reuse, recycling, and recovery. - Maintaining external carbon footprint verification
Our data is independently verified by third-party specialists, giving stakeholders confidence in the integrity of our reporting.
These targets shape how we make operational decisions, improve site performance, and demonstrate responsible governance to our customers, partners, and workforce.
Embedding Accountability into Our Work
Taking part in the UN Global Compact goes beyond signing a pledge. It requires us to document progress year after year through a Communication on Progress (CoP), published publicly and reviewed against key sustainability areas.
At CTB Group, we’ve built this oversight into how we operate:
- The next report on our ESG progress is due for release in autumn 2025.
- Our emissions data is independently audited to ensure reporting integrity.
- We actively engage with stakeholders across our operations and supply chain to identify risks and set improvement targets.
- Our internal structures - including formal ESG oversight - ensure this isn’t an isolated initiative, but part of day-to-day business decision-making.
This process gives our teams, partners, and customers a clear view of where we stand and where we’re heading next.
Looking Ahead
Our pledge to the UN Global Compact reflects who we are as a business: one that values clarity, takes its responsibilities seriously, and believes in making steady, measurable progress over time.
We know that meaningful change doesn’t happen overnight. But by setting defined goals, holding ourselves accountable, and staying engaged with the communities and industries we’re part of, we’re building a culture that prioritises integrity, progress and long-term impact.
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