How we aim to minimize our environmental footprint
Water management
Today we are shifting our focus to consider our total impact on water resources in the communities where we operate, particularly in water risk areas. We optimize and prevent the use of fresh water as well as reduce the risk of depletion or pollution by measuring our operational water footprint, reducing freshwater withdrawal, assessing water risks, engaging with stakeholders on sharing water and providing more water to communities.
Air emissions
We expect that all our cement sites measure and manage air emissions. In 2020, we monitored dust, NOx and SO2 emissions from 97% of the clinker we produced; 85% of clinker production is monitored continuously. The vast majority of LafargeHolcim plants operate within best practice emission ranges and some are among the best in the sector.In 2020 Group dust emissions per ton of clinker reduced by 13.0%, as well as NOx by 0.3%. Our SO2 emissions increased by 8.5%, mainly due to local constraints in accessing low sulphur raw materials, but we continue to be one of the best performers in the sector.
Environmental management systems
To ensure compliance with stringent company requirements we expect all our cement plants to have an environmental management system in place. In 2020, 89% of our cement plants had an environmental management system equivalent to ISO 14001 in place.