The self-imposed targets for reducing dust and NOx emissions have been met, and Holcim says it remains a leader in the industry with the lowest CO2 emissions per tonne of cement produced.
For CEO Bernard Fontana, sustainable development is very important, with the highest priority being occupational health and safety.
“The safety of Holcim employees and the employees of suppliers and subcontractors is critical to the success of the business. Holcim has improved the lost-time injury frequency rate by 79% since 2004, and aims to achieve a further reduction of 8% by the end of 2013,” says the group.
“Holcim is committed to engaging with all stakeholders, including trade unions, to drive safety performance in the company and sector-wide.
“The reduction of CO2 emissions and increasing energy efficiency remains an important area of focus. Since 1990, net CO2 emissions per tonne of cement produced have been reduced by 21.8%, which puts the group on track to meet the target to reduce specific net CO2 emissions by 2015 by 25% below the 1990 benchmark.”
Looking at the growing global focus on maintaining biodiversity and handling important water resources properly, Holcim, in conjunction with
A water management system, including a specific Water Directive, binding for all group companies, was approved at the end of 2011.
“Recognising that building constructive relationships based on trust with communities in which Holcim operates is imperative, group companies will have community engagement plans in place by the end of 2012.
“Holcim recently issued a Contract Workers Directive, formalising the obligation of group companies to comply with not only all applicable national regulations, but also meet the requirements of the UN Global Compact and those of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the core convention of which Holcim has long supported.”
In January 2012, Holcim issued a new Anti-Bribery and Corruption Directive as part of the more stringent company code of conduct. The message in the report is clear: violations of the code of conduct will not be tolerated under any circumstances. The directive also mandates that each Holcim Group company must have a whistleblowing process in place.
“An international panel of external experts reviewed the Corporate Sustainable Development Report and has formed an opinion on the sustainable development performance and reporting of Holcim. The recommendations of the panel are included in a panel statement in a separate section of the report,” added Holcim.
