COP21 Conference: LafargeHolcim’s commitments for climate

11.27.2015

At LafargeHolcim, we want to lead in sustainability and set new standards. Therefore, we played an active role in the COP 21 climate conference, which took place in Paris in December: we announced our Group CO2 emissions targets, but we mobilized our entire industry, as we believe the construction sector can offer efficient solutions to the climate change challenge. Read on to discover LafargeHolcim’s commitments and actions for climate and CO2 emissions reduction.

 
 
 
 

LafargeHolcim driving climate change actions in the building industry 

LafargeHolcim’s view on climate policy

Download LafargeHolcim climate leaflet

The COP21 conference, starting in Paris on November 30th, aims to achieve a new ground-breaking international climate agreement with the objective of limiting global warming to below 2°C, boosting the transition towards resilient, low-carbon societies and economies. As the leading innovation and solutions provider in the building materials sector, LafargeHolcim is an active participant at COP21.

We believe climate change requires an industry-wide response. Concrete is critical to the development of sustainable buildings and the creation of infrastructure for smarter cities. Therefore, during the COP21 event, we will be using our experience in sustainability to drive the cement, concrete and construction players to work together in order to continue our efforts on carbon emissions reductions and to address some of our planet’s issues. LafargeHolcim has a very active role through the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Low Carbon Technology Partnerships initiatives (LCTPi). 

To this end, we will support the launch of the “Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction” during COP21’s Building Day. This initiative, currently led by France and UNEP, aims at mobilizing stakeholders (State and non-State actors) to collaborate beyond COP21 to achieve a greater scale of actions in the buildings and construction sectors.

 

Our objectives to cut carbon emissions all along the construction chain

In addition to our collective sectorial action, we are also making our own commitments, in order to contribute to meeting the 2°C threshold. On the occasion of COP21, we announce the carbon emission objectives we have set ourselves.

 

We will continue with our mission to cut our net CO2 emissions by 40% per ton of cement by 2030 (vs 1990).

By doing this, we will lead the way as the world’s most carbon-efficient international cement producer. We will find solutions to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions at all stages of the production process through things like:

  • Process mastery
  • Energy efficiency measures
  • Reduction of clinker content in cement
  • Use of alternative energy sources

Beyond our own operations, we strongly believe that energy efficiency of buildings is paramount to reduce carbon emissions. This requires an integrated design and collaboration along the entire construction life cycle, addressing:

  • Awareness, making the need for and ways to achieve energy efficiency known to all stakeholders
  • Workforce capacity, developing  holistic thinking and enhancing skills among construction professionals
  • Policy & Regulation, as far as codes, labelling and incentives are concerned
  • Finance & Investing, finding adequate financing models and creating transparency on the business case.
 

We will continue to develop and market innovative products and services to prevent 10 million tons of 
CO2 being released every year from buildings and infrastructure.

There is great potential to reduce carbon emissions throughout a building’s lifecycle. We’ve already made a lot of progress.

LafargeHolcim’s innovative products and solutions don’t just offer us a strong business opportunity, they also provide a way to make the construction value chain less carbon-intensive.

Today, customers all over the world can purchase a range of low-carbon products:

  • Low-carbon cements, produced from recovered resources
  • Innovative low-carbon products like Solidia, Optimo and Aether
  • High-performance insulating concretes like Thermedia and Ecoterm
 

We want to set new benchmarks for sustainability, not only for our sector, but for business more widely. To achieve this, our objectives, including those on CO2, must go beyond regular business towards the transformation required for the future low-carbon, sustainable society. This approach has been integral in our work building up to and during COP21, which is fully aligned with the ground-breaking international climate agreement which is sought from the event.

 

LafargeHolcim part of the French Business Climate Pledge

LafargeHolcim, represented by co-chairman of the Board Bruno Lafont, made a firm commitment to combat climate change by including its carbon emission objectives in the French Business Climate Pledge. This document was signed by 39 major French companies as part of their efforts and concrete actions to contribute to making COP21 a success and to limiting the warming of the Earth to 2°C.

 
  • Read LafargeHolcim’s contribution to the French Business Climate Pledge (pdf, 462.49 KB)
  • Read the media release (pdf, 233.46 KB)
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