Sustainable Development

Since 2000, Lafarge and the W.W.F. have cooperated at international and local levels. Their commitments relate to tackling climate change, respecting biodiversity and sustainable construction.

The 2 partners have worked together to establish 8 performance indicators:

• environmental audits of sites,

• quarry rehabilitation plans,
• greenhouse gas emissions,
• water consumption,
• energy and raw material consumption,
• waste production,
• energy recycling,
• dust control.

The results of these indicators are published annually.

The Sustainability Ambitions 2012 program establishes new, quantifiable objectives with clear deadlines:

• each of Lafarge's 2,000 sites must undergo an environmental audit every 4 years,
• 85% of quarries must have a rehabilitation plan (a rate of 100% is not feasible on a permanent basis because of the ongoing acquisition of new quarries and the complexity of the process).

Lafarge provides materials and volunteer staff to build or renovate housing for underprivileged families in 25 countries.

The Eco-City project, in South Africa, mobilized the W.W.F. (World Wide Fund for Nature), Lafarge and local N.G.Os. to build environmentally-friendly housing at an affordable price.

The poor neighborhood of Midrand, in the suburbs of Johannesburg, suffers from a housing shortage. Lafarge donated 300 tons of cement and 70 m³ of concrete to construct 30 houses which use renewable solar energy. The result is a reduction in the consumption of coal, responsible for respiratory diseases among 30% of children.

The Group provides material, financial and human support for similar projects in Romania. It supplied plasterboard and other materials for the construction of houses in four cities: Beius, Pitesti, Radauti and Cluj. Employees donated their time to help with the work.

Lafarge works alongside Care in the fight against H.I.V./Aids by implementing prevention, screening and treatment programs.

The Group, present in 10 of the sub-Saharan African countries most afflicted by the pandemic, has a policy of forming partnerships with the public sector, N.G.Os. and the medical sector. Lafarge and Care have defined priority actions: education and prevention, screening programs, and treatment and assistance for victims. Lafarge employees who volunteer to be "peer educators" receive training so that they can raise awareness among their colleagues about how H.I.V./Aids is transmitted and distribute condoms.

A Health Committee for the African region has also been set up to establish indicators, coordinate actions and share best practices. The Committee is made up of a health coordinator from each subsidiary, a Group representative, a Care representative and a medical adviser.