Group Statement
Sustainable development – Key to performance, and at the heart of our values
For many years, Lafarge’s strategy and culture has incorporated the three main aspects of sustainable development – economic, social and environment issues. We firmly believe that there can be no sustainable economic performance without dialog, social progress and protection of the environment, and our commitment to sustainable development dates back many years.
Our industry plays a key role in development: concrete is the second most widely consumed substance in the world after water and is used in all infrastructure projects that are essential to communities’ economic and social development. It serves man’s fundamental needs of housing, health, education and mobility in the form of roads, schools, hospitals and water supply infrastructures, to give just a few examples. We are fully aware of our responsibilities and hence develop solutions to ensure that this development does not damage the environment or people’s quality of life, but rather that it helps to improve the world in which we live.
On the economic side, optimizing our use of non-renewable resources allows us save rare resources and reduce our production costs. This is achieved primarily through responsible use of recycled materials and alternative fuels, as well as using alternative raw materials and sub-products from other industries, such as fly ash and slag from the coal and steel-manufacturing industries. Due to their similar hydraulic qualities, these materials can be used in place of binders in the cement industry and also help to reduce our CO2 emissions.
On the social side, openness to society, active dialogue and the creation of ambitious partnerships with our stakeholders, NGOs, local communities and local government enable us to integrate our activities into the local economy in close collaboration with the communities living around our plants and quarries. We set up healthcare, housing, education and local development programs in the areas in which we operate in less developed countries, allowing us to help to improve local living and economic conditions.
On the environmental side, our commitment to reduce our CO2 emissions has prompted us to seek out innovative technical solutions in terms of both procedures and products. Furthermore, successful quarry rehabilitation projects ensure the optimal integration of our operations into the landscape and the preservation of biodiversity in the areas in which we operate.
over the last few years, our research teams have developed a number of new products and services offering high environmental and social added-value: for example, the new self-placing concretes in our Agilia range significantly reduce the disruption caused by building sites by preventing noise and vibrations and decreasing the duration and difficulty of works.
Last but not least, we want to promote the use of building techniques that respect the environment and mankind in terms of both building sites – which can be better integrated, more efficient, faster and safer – and the choice of materials and systems, so as to minimize the overall ecological impact of buildings.
Dialog and partnership with the civil society:
Over the last few years, Lafarge has developed an ambitious and increasingly active strategy of forming partnerships with the different members of society so that activities that are vital to community development become part of a true modern-day society project. At Group level, we have been working with the WWF for five years to improve our environmental performance. We are also involved in improving health in developing countries in partnership with Care, particularly in the area of HIV/Aids in Africa. The many partnerships developed locally by our business units build on this approach and make use of our strong local presence.
