Displaying items by tag: Sustainability

Switzerland: Holcim has announced a strategy to become ‘nature-positive’ by restoring and preserving biodiversity and water. It will also undertake measures to bring more nature into cities. The strategy is based on transformative rehabilitation plans and measured by a science-based methodology developed in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Holcim aims to replenish freshwater in water-risk areas while lowering water intensity across all its product lines. It will also accelerate the deployment of solutions such as Hydromedia and green roof systems for more liveable urban environments. The group says that its nature-positive strategy places it among the top 1% of the 500 largest global companies with science-driven biodiversity targets.

Chief Sustainability and Innovation Officer Magali Anderson said, “With nature at the heart of everything we do, I am pleased that we are taking significant steps to improve our biodiversity and water stewardship in a measurable and science-driven way. Building on our Net Zero commitment, our nature-based solutions play a vital role in reducing the impact of climate change and increasing our business resilience. Becoming nature-positive plays a critical role in our vision to build progress for people and the planet.”

India: Ambuja Cement has saved 70Ml of water since the beginning of 2020 through the installation of rooftop rainwater harvesting systems at 268 construction sites across India.

Neeraj Akhoury, the chief executive officer of Ambuja Cement, said "The scope and opportunities for creating a sustainable future are immense. As part of the global organisation, Holcim, Ambuja Cement's ambition is to be a part of the solution to the sustainability challenges faced today. I am pleased with the progress that we have made through our efforts, and we will continue to put into action bolder plans for emission reduction, resource optimisation and water conservation to build a sustainable India."

Philippines: Holcim Philippines has appointed Zoe Sibala Senior Vice President of Sustainability and expanded the role of Richard Cruz, Vice President of Health, Safety and Security to include the environment portfolio.

Sibala was Vice President of Strategy from 2017. She held management roles in finance, strategy and business development in Lafarge Philippines’ aggregates unit, which was acquired by Holcim in 2015. She holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from De La Salle University and a degree in economics from the University of the Philippines.

Cruz was appointed Vice President for Health, Safety and Security in 2018. Prior to this, he held management roles in the department. He joined Holcim Philippines' waste management unit Geocycle as laboratory engineer in 2008 and helped it attain an Integrated Management System certification (Quality, H&S and Environment). A graduate of the Central Luzon State University, Cruz is a licensed chemist and a certified security professional. He holds certifications in health and safety from accrediting organisations such as the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health and the International Safety Rating System.

Belgium: Holcim Belgium is hosting a public meeting as a preliminary step towards applying for a permit to install a new kiln line at its Obourg cement plant in Mons. The line is intended to replace the existing kiln line as it reaches the end of its operational life. The subsidiary of Switzerland-based Holcim has called the proposed project Go4Zero. The new kiln will be designed to concentrate CO₂ emissions to allow for capture and recovery. Limestone for the plant will be extracted from a quarry at Tournaisis and transported to the plant by railway.

Japan: Sumitomo Osaka Cement has joined the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Decisions (TCFD) Consortium. The consortium is committed to facilitating effective and efficient disclosure of climate-related corporate information and their use by financial institutions. As a member, Sumitomo Osaka Cement will conduct scenario analysis on the climate change impacts of all its businesses. This includes its cement business, which the company says accounts for the majority of its CO₂ emissions.

South Korea: Sampyo Group has announced a planned investment of US$171m before 2030 to reduce Scope 1 and 2 CO₂ emissions by 35% over the period from an August 2021 baseline. The parent company of Sampyo Cement plans to achieve this in the first phase by increased its use of alternative fuels, improving energy efficiency, introducing low-carbon raw materials such as fly ash and developing sustainable products. The company is targeting net zero CO₂ production by 2050.

India: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) India have signed a memorandum of understanding to accelerate sustainable development of cement and concrete sectors. Under the agreement, TERI will provide its domain expertise and knowledge to support GCCA India's work to achieve sustainability in the Indian cement and concrete sector, according to the Press Trust of India. The collaboration will see TERI's involvement in GCCA India work programs while GCCA India and its members will support TERI's projects on technology innovation, energy efficiency enhancement, and resource efficiency implementation.

"The demand for cement and concrete will only increase in the decades to come due to population growth and urbanisation. Therefore, reducing CO₂ emissions in the cement and concrete industry is critically important,” said Mahendra Singhi, chairman of GCCA India. He added that working with stakeholders across sectors and with civil society would be essential to reaching the association’s sustainability goals.

Denmark: 29 consortium members, including Aalborg Portland Cement, Aker Carbon Capture and INEOS, have signed up to phase two of the Greensand carbon capture and storage pilot project. Proof of concept planning is now underway with a potential start date of around late 2021 subject to securing funding from the government’s Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program. If successful an offshore injection pilot is scheduled for late 2022.

A majority of the Danish Parliament decided in December 2020 to set aside a special funding pool to support a CO2 storage pilot project, aiming to investigate the reservoir-CO₂ interaction in the Danish North Sea. This pilot project, if designed correctly, could form the basis for a decision, to enable CO₂ storage by 2025.

Mads Weng Gade, Head of Country, Denmark and Commercial Director INEOS Energy said, “We are taking this step by step. We now have the consortium in place, and if we are successful in receiving ongoing support from the Danish Government and advisory board, Greensand will be able to take another important step forward in supporting the Danish Climate Strategy.”

Germany: Holcim Deutschland says it has joined Madaster, an online registry for materials and products. Under the scheme, buildings are registered, including the materials and products that were used in their construction. This is intended to make the reuse or recycling of the materials easier, to encourage ‘smart’ design and to eliminate waste. Thorsten Hahn, the chief executive officer of Holcim Deutschland said “The use of alternative raw materials and the closing of product cycles are among the greatest challenges in the construction industry. We owe it to future generations to use the resources that are available to us responsibly and sensibly.”

India: Holcim subsidiary ACC has signed the Business Ambition for 1.5°C pledge and joined the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Race to Zero campaign. The producer partnered with CDP India’s Science-Based Targets (SBT) Incubator programme to develop its targets. It has committed to reduce its cement’s Scope 1 emissions by 21% to 409kg/t from 511kg/t and its Scope 2 emissions by 48% per tonne between 2018 and 2030. In 2020, the Scope 1 emissions of ACC’s cement were 493kg/t.

CDP India executive director Shankar Venkateswaran said, “CDP India’s SBT Incubator supports companies in India to align with these targets. By committing to science-based emissions reduction targets, ACC has positioned itself as an industry leader, showing the way for the sector’s transformation to a low carbon sustainable future. We believe that this will encourage more companies on their Net Zero Journey.”