Multilocal initiatives & partnerships

Lafarge's operations are local because the raw materials are extracted locally and the products, which are bulky and difficult to transport over long distances, are manufactured on-site.

To ensure its products are suited to the needs of local markets and to work with load communities, Lafarge:

• encourages local initiative,
• shares its experience and best practises,
• encourages dialog between local teams and Business Unit managers.

Lafarge works closely with local populations to promote environmental, economic and social development around its sites.

The Group acts at 2 different levels:

• at a global level, Lafarge develops partnerships to exchange opinions and expertise, establish a framework of local projects and improve the Group's performance. Lafarge has partnerships with:
  • WWF International, the global conservation organization, for environmental and biodiversity protection,
  • CARE, an organization involved in the fight against H.I.V./Aids.
  
  

• at a local level, the Group initiates programs with local NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) and implements practical solutions to meet the needs of communities, for example by granting scholarships in Zimbabwe, implementing in health education project in Benin, supporting a microcredit program in Indonesia or financing dispensaries in India.

Lafarge seeks to intensify local economic development and participate in community activities wherever it operates.