Public positions

We are developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy contributing to the overall objective of limiting the Earth's temperature increase to a maximum 2°C.

We believe that the fight against climate change is about fundamentally reshaping our economy, from the way electricity is generated and products are manufactured, to how we design buildings and cities and live and work.

We are already committed, worldwide, in the transition to this new sustainable economy. All our operations are engaged in CO2 emission reduction and we are making significant improvements.

We are changing our consumption behavior as a company, addressing the training and education needed for new skills and competencies, and encouraging innovation with low carbon solutions contributing to energy efficiency in buildings.

We believe Governments have a key role to play in accelerating and facilitating this transition to a new sustainable economy. We look forward to an international legally binding agreement on climate change.

But since the starting points differ from one country to another, intermediate actions (such as "Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions") and sectoral approaches are the most pragmatic solutions to be implemented today.

The sectoral approach promoted by the Cement Sustainability Initiative within the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, which comprises a combination of market based mechanisms and adapted supporting policies (use of biomass, waste, alternative cementitious materials, norms and standards), is the one delivering the largest CO2 emission reductions.

In 2010, critical decisions governing aspects of Phase 3 (2013-2020) of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme Directive were adopted; they covered allocations, benchmarks and auctioning rules. We welcome these decisions, even if implementation will be challenging for us. We will pursue our CO2 emissions reduction efforts in our EU operations as in all other countries where we operate.

We believe that, in our industry, the most appropriate and efficient approach to CO2 emission reductions, in advanced economies, is a cap and trade* system with benchmarks based on clinker.

In emerging economies, we support mechanisms which are based on sectoral intensity goals, policies enabling waste and biomass sourcing and harmonizing standards for cement and concrete.

We consider that climate change policy should not be limited to targets on CO2 emissions reduction. Policies to encourage energy efficiency, innovation in the value chain (notably in buildings), promote renewable energies, and incentivize research and development should be the current priority and will deliver potentially more CO2 emission reduction.

* The "cap" is the maximum - and decreasing - amount of carbon to be emitted and the "trade" is the possibility given to carbon emitters to freely trade carbon permits amongst themselves.

Limestone, chalk, sand, clay, aggregates and gypsum provide the mineral resource base for our products. Our use of these resources can affect biodiversity and ecosystems, directly or indirectly throughout the life cycle of a quarry. We consider that our extractive activities are compatible with biodiversity protection; we believe that, with proper planning and rehabilitation, we can in some places make a net positive contribution to biodiversity conservation and ecosystems management, and thus protect our long term resources.

Local access to resources is critical; producing materials close to the point of use minimizes environmental and economic impacts such as CO2 emissions, noise and cost. Therefore the planning framework for mineral extraction must be comprehensive. We believe that there need to be simplified and coordinated regional, national and local planning procedures to ensure the sustainable supply of resources. We support a "one stop shop" system for applying for authorization, with all environmental aspects assessed in a single process as has been proposed at European level.

Efficient use of resources

Mainstreaming ecosystem considerations into business is increasingly important as a way of addressing the challenges of a resource-constrained world; we are contributing to further development of effective tools for valuing ecosystem services.

Our industry supports efficient management of natural resources and the use of recycled resources; its use of alternative fuels and raw materials has been recognized as best practice by the European Commission. But we do need access to materials which can be recycled, recovered or reused from other industries, such as construction and demolition waste. We also believe that greater use of recycled resources could be achieved if product standards were defined with recycling in mind.

We believe that building partnerships with non-governmental organizations, working with conservation bodies and engaging with local or global stakeholders allows us to develop more responsive and comprehensive biodiversity and habitat rehabilitation plans; these actions contribute to Lafarge's credibility in the local community. This in turn enables us to operate effectively in a sector which depends on sustainable use of resources.

The business role in biodiversity

At international level the role of business in addressing biodiversity loss and ecosystems degradation has been fully recognized. So there is a need for our industry to work (either directly or indirectly through trade associations) with governments; this work should seek to secure consistent policy frameworks and legislation, clear long-term signals and a level playing field.

The outcome of the Convention on Biological Diversity held in Nagoya in December 2010 led to the adoption of targets on reducing the loss of biodiversity and commitments to restore degraded areas. We are committed to the restoration of habitats, so as the targets are translated into national biodiversity action plans over the next two years. We will contribute to these goals.

In 2011, the EU will set a new target to halt the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services by 2020, and restore them as much as is feasible, while stepping up the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss. It is our view that the integration of biodiversity and ecosystem concerns into other policies will be essential to the achievement of these aims. Because of the nature of our activities, we are often faced with difficult situations where we must balance competing interests of many parties. We must listen to our stakeholders and respond to them.