Challenges

The cement and aggregates industries are marked by certain special characteristics. For one thing, by their very nature both sectors are bound to the locations where they operate — in other words, their facilities need to be very close to raw material deposits. Both of them are also raw-material intensive industries — which is why resource conservation plays such a key role in their business operations.

Other characteristic features include a high level of capital and the high energy consumption associated with cement manufacturing. The enhancement of our energy efficiency is therefore crucial from both an economical and an ecological perspective. Occupational safety is also a top priority as far as we are concerned. In fact, it is a daily challenge for the entire management team, particularly given the fact that we operate at so many international locations.

As one of the world’s leading building materials manufacturers, HeidelbergCement thus faces a series of global sustainability challenges.

Securing raw materials
Our business operations are based on having long-term local access to mineral-based raw materials. Such resources are finite, and their exploitation often leads to conflicts of interest that sometimes extend beyond the local level. We therefore view the proper securing of raw materials as a central strategic task, and we place great value on long-term planning, sustainable quarrying and subsequent utilisation of extraction sites and the use of alternative raw materials. We seek to achieve continual efficiency improvements along the entire production process chain as a means of offsetting the sharp increases in the prices of fuels — such as coal and gas — electricity, raw materials, transportation, spare parts and machines.

Nature conservation and species protection
Our raw material extraction and quarrying activities temporarily disrupt the surrounding landscapes. Although we are unable to fully compensate in the short term for many of these encroachments, which affect water supplies, land, flora and fauna, we can outweigh them over the medium and long term.
We consider it important to make sure that the subsequent use of our quarries is in line with nature conservation principles and has been planned in consultation with local stakeholders.

Energy efficiency and climate protection
Cement production is a very energy-intensive process that results by its very nature in a high level of CO2 emissions. We have succeeded in lowering our CO2 emissions continually and will continue to implement the measures necessary for ensuring further progress in this area. For this reason, we support international targets and initiatives aimed at reducing CO2 emissions and combating global warming — as long as they create a level playing field for all building material producers and do not lead to carbon leakage.

Occupational safety
Occupational health and safety is a top priority at HeidelbergCement — not just in relation to our employees but also for visitors and staff from outside companies. Most of the accidents at our business locations and throughout the industry are caused
by inattentiveness or incorrect behaviour. Our goal is thus to clarify the most frequent causes of accidents and maximise employee awareness regarding hazards in the workplace.