To demonstrate its green credentials and commitment to sustainability, Murphy has constructed a carbon-negative carpark at its new One Murphy Hub depot in Golborne,
ACLA was added to the asphalt that was used to construct the car park, its first application in north-west England.
ACLA is an innovative, carbon negative aggregate used as a partial replacement for traditional components in asphalt. Designed to reduce the carbon footprint, it works by capturing and permanently storing carbon dioxide, enabling meaningful decarbonisation at the material level while contributing to improved environmental outcomes.
The ACLA solution has been developed over the past 18 months through close collaboration between Huyton Asphalt, Tarmac and Low Carbon Materials – the developer of ACLA. The move reflects the strength of collaboration across Murphy’s supply chain.
Rob Burgess, project director at Murphy, said: “This innovation positions Murphy at the forefront of low carbon infrastructure delivery.
“We were very pleased to be able to incorporate ACLA into our new office and depot project in Golborne – we are not only reducing embodied carbon, but actively removing it, helping create more sustainable assets and leaving a positive environmental legacy as we seek to improve life by delivering world-class infrastructure.”
Lian Hutchings, head of growth at Low Carbon Materials, added: “The use of ACLA delivers significant and measurable carbon benefits.
“For every tonne of ACLA produced, approximately 800kg of CO₂e is permanently removed. Since its launch in March 2024, the material has already contributed to the removal of around 820,000kg of CO₂e.
“At Golborne, its application has gone a step further, enabling the delivery of a carbon negative car park surface – a tangible example of how innovative materials can transform project outcomes.”
“Huyton Asphalt has been providing clients with lower-carbon surfacing solutions since 2020 and continues to invest in innovative materials that support decarbonisation across the highways sector,” said Sophie Colleran, sustainability manager at Huyton Asphalt.
“Having proactively introduced ACLA to the project team, we are proud to have worked collaboratively with Murphy, Tarmac and Low Carbon Materials to successfully bring this innovative material into live project delivery.
“This project demonstrates how supply chain collaboration can accelerate the adoption of practical, scalable low-carbon solutions that deliver measurable environmental benefits.”
Tarmac’s Megan Thompson, technical product support manager for the North, added: “Tarmac’s sustainability journey is ever evolving, and it is critical that collaboration continues across the supply chain to ensure scalable and industry-wide adoption of sustainable materials.
“At Tarmac we are always exploring how we can use our supply chain to support our customers – a collaborative approach is vital to ensure that the targets we have as businesses as well as those that are set by the government for net zero, are achieved.”