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At Lafarge, environmental policy is based on the concept of sustainable development and revolves around the following main themes:
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Sparing use of natural resources
This objective is a major thrust of Lafarge's "efforts". Actions include a policy of reuse of by-products and residual wastes as substitutes for natural raw materials and fossil fuels, as well as energy-efficient production processes. |
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Environmental know-how and expertise
The Group's efforts in the
area of research and innovation are directed at every phase of the product life cycle (extraction, processing, distribution, use and disposal or reuse). To cover these various phases, the Group devotes a
substantial share of its technical resources to advance its expertise in clean technologies, and pollution abatement.
Demanding "Lafarge Standards"
Intent on staying ahead of local regulations on the five continents on which it operates, Lafarge defines its own environmental standards, which it applies to all new units and major plant upgrades. In every case, Lafarge standards are at least as stringent as international regulations.
Innovative products
Lafarge develops innovative and durable construction materials that enhance our daily lives by bringing improvements in comfort, safety and aesthetic appeal.
Environmental integration and risk
prevention
Lafarge takes special care to ensure that its facilities and sites blend smoothly into their natural or urban environment. Moreover, potential hazards and the risk of accidental pollution are systematically assessed at every installation in order for effective preventive measures to be designed.
Training and evaluation
In addition to training and awareness programs directed at its employees, Lafarge defines special action plans to conduct regular reviews of environmental performance and measure the progress achieved. Objectives in the area of environmental
protection are established for various levels of site management personnel, and their success in attaining those objectives is taken into account during individual performance reviews.
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Lafarge is the first industrial group with
whom WWF, the conservation organization,
has signed a partnership agreement the
aims of which are, simultaneously, to
incorporate biodiversity into its strategy
for restoration of the Group's quarries;
reinforce its environmental policy; and
support the WWF "Forests Reborn"
programme for the restoration of forest
ecosystems around the world.
This agreement is part of the WWF "Conservation Partner" programme,
of which Lafarge has now become a "Founding Member."
What is the WWF "Conservation Partner" programme?
WWF launched this programme as a means of supporting efforts to preserve biodiversity through strategic alliances formed with
businesses. Confined to a limited and select group of companies of international repute, it is the most prestigious of the WWF
programmes. This "Club" will eventually count about twelve corporate members.
How will we reinforce our environmental policy?
Our environmental policy will be reinforced through the two aspects of the partnership:
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an environmental aspect, based on defining
a strategy for quarry
restoration projects at the Group level
which takes the preservation of
biodiversity into account, and which
addresses the issue of global warming and
identifies the most relevant indicators of
environmental performance, |
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and a communications aspect, using information and awareness drives
directed at the partners and employees of Lafarge to build awareness,
among the widest possible audience, of the crucial importance of preserving biodiversity. |
Why is biodiversity so important?
The term "biodiversity" is a contraction of "biological diversity". Preserving biodiversity means protecting the variety of existing plant and animal species. Each time part of an ecosystem disappears, the product of millions of years of evolution disappears with it. Not only does this destroy our heritage, but it poses a threat to our very future as well. Preserving biodiversity means helping to slow the
rate of climate change, enhancing the safety and balance of the planet's ecosystems, improving the water supply to certain regions and perhaps someday developing new medicines from plants containing untapped substances, or discovering new sources of food.
What determined the choice of the "Forests Reborn"
programme?
By supporting the restoration of forest
ecosystems, we are contributing to the
preservation of biodiversity: 90% of the
earth's biodiversity is located in
woodlands. Despite the known importance of
these ecosystems to the survival of life
on earth, forests are increasingly
fragmented and degraded. This is the
reason behind the Group's decision to back
the WWF "Forests Reborn"
programme.
What is the "Forests Reborn" programme and how are we going to
support it?
Within the framework of its forest policy, WWF launched the
"Forests Reborn" programme to encourage the development of strategies
for restoring forest ecosystems. Lafarge is committing substantial financial backing to the development of "Forests Reborn" project sites all around the world. Currently, programme efforts are concentrated in the lower Mekong basin (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam); the United Kingdom (Scotland); France (New Caledonia); the Mediterranean basin, the lower Danube basin (Bulgaria); Central America and India. The Group will be contributing a total of EUR 1.1 million annually to back WWF's efforts to preserve biodiversity.
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