Sustainable Development

Before opening a new quarry, Lafarge:

• develops dialog with local residents, associations and experts to identify the best location for quarrying,
• performs an environmental impact study which pays close attention to biodiversity at each stage of the quarry's life (from extraction to rehabilitation).

If a project turns out to be dangerous for the environment, it is put on hold or special measures are taken. These could include:

• transferring fragile species to a safe place,
• closing part of the site,
• designating the site as a nature reserve.

The quarry rehabilitation policy was been developed in partnership with the WWF in 2001.

It is designed to limit the traces of extraction and bring life back to the area. For example, a quarry could be transformed into a nature reserve or a leisure zone.

At the end of 2009, 79% of the Group's quarries benefited from a rehabilitation plan established according to the methodology defined with the WWF.

The Sustainability Ambitions 2012 program aims to establish a rehabilitation plan for 85% of quarries by 2010. It should be pointed out that 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.

Extraction operations cause disturbances at a local level, such as noise, vibrations, changes to the landscape and traffic transporting materials from the quarry to the work site.

Lafarge constantly seeks to reduce these impacts even as it responds to local and national needs for building materials. The Group has developed solutions to:

• reduce dust emissions,
• limit noise and vibration in quarries and surrounding areas.

Although the Group strives to keep disturbances to a minimum, the development of a quarry can generate hostile reactions and opposition.

Lafarge strives to communicate with local communities and to demonstrate its capacity to preserve the environment (for example, by explaining how quarries are rehabilitated).