Sustainable development
Resources conservation
The production of cement and aggregates depends on long-term access to raw materials acquired through quarrying. We plan our raw material extraction, management and reporting according to a defined process that assesses our impacts at each stage of quarry operation. We are also aware of the importance of water as a natural resource and acknowledge that its growing scarcity in many locations is a key issue.
Conserving the ecosystem and biodiversity
Rehabilitation guidelines and plans are implemented by almost all cement quarries, resulting in many conservation and restoration projects. Previous quarry sites now host habitats such as wetlands, forests and natural grasslands.
We recognize that quarrying activity has an impact on biodiversity and are committed to conducting environmental and social impact assessments (ESIA) following WBCSD CSI guidelines. Our partnership with IUCN, aimed at developing new standards for biodiversity conservation, extends and builds on our efforts. See the right hand navigation for case studies on biodiversity action plans and the El Puente quarry in Spain.
Managing water resources
We aim for efficient water use in all our operations. In cement production, water is used for cooling heavy equipment and hot exhaust gases, for dust control and for preparing slurries in wet process kilns. Our aggregates and other construction materials businesses also require significant quantities of water (see data below).
Feedback from stakeholders has emphasized the importance of improving our performance in managing water resources, especially in areas where water is in short supply. We have taken note of stakeholder concerns and are developing a water management scheme for all business units, which we intend to implement by the end of 2013.A case study on local water management in India can be found in the right hand navigation.
Global agreement with the International Union for Conservation of Nature
Through our global agreement with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), signed in 2007, and extended in 2010, Holcim has forged strong links with this leading organization. One of the key activities of our partnership was the convening of an Independent Expert Panel (IEP), consisting of five well-respected biodiversity specialists and chaired by Dr Christoph Imboden, an ecologist and biodiversity conservation expert.
Biographies of the panel members can be found at this link.
The IEP's role is to advise Holcim on developing a biodiversity management framework, including overarching policies and practical toolkits to enable "on the ground" management of biodiversity. The panel has conducted visits to Group companies in Belgium, China, Spain, Hungary, Indonesia, the UK and the USA to learn about the company and its operations. The visits allowed the panel to experience the diversity in
size, geography, maturity, outputs, issues and different regulatory landscapes of Holcim operations.
Find out more about the ongoing cooperation activities with IUCN here:
Other environmental performance data for cement, aggregates and ready-mix concrete - Water, quarry management and rehabilitation
| Water, quarry management and rehabilitation | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cement | Aggregates | Ready-Mix | |||||||
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
| Water | |||||||||
| Water consumption l/t | 320 | 360 | 300 | 621 | 643 | 686 | 230 l/m3 | 238 l/m3 | 243 l/m3 |
| Total million m3/a | 47 | 49 | 42 | 91 | 86 | 107 | 10 | 9 | 11 |
| Water recyclings systems | n/a | 78% | 82% | 45% | 45% | 54% | 72% | 72% | 82% |
| Quarry management and rehabilitation | |||||||||
| Number of sites operating in high biodiversity value areas | n/a | 62 | 45 | 14 | 98 | 94 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| % of sites in high biodiversity areas with Biodiversity Action Plans in place | n/a | 53% | 44% | n/a | 53% | 65% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| % Ready- mix sites operating in environmentally sensitive areas. | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 8% | 4% | 5% |
| Approved mining plans by local authorities | 95% | 97% | 100% | 83% | 95% | 94% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Rehabilitation plans in place | 91% | 91% | 100% | 82% | 95% | 96% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
 | "As an owner of landholdings all over the world, Holcim recognizes the principle of good land stewardship - that is, to be responsible not only for the resources below ground but also for the ecosystems, habitats and species above ground. Impacts on biodiversity will inevitably arise from the extraction of mineral resources, but these can be mitigated in many different ways through targeted management actions. Ultimately, this could sometimes even lead to biodiversity enhancements - as Holcim has already shown in places such as the El Puente aggregate quarry in Spain." Christoph Imboden, Chair of the Independent Expert Panel of the Holcim-IUCN Partnership. |
