ESG contributions and commitments
our contribution to the UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
As partners of the UN Global Compact, we are active across all 17 SDGs. We have identified the nine goals that are most closely linked with our business, and we focus our efforts into making a bigger impact in these areas.
Click on the graphic below to see our actions for each SDG.
Our actions
Through sustainable building solutions, we enable cost-effective and durable construction to protect people from the effects of natural disasters and climate change. We also provide affordable housing, fair and safe work, and we purchase goods and services from national markets to boost each country’s GDP.
Our actions
Holcim helps boost local workers’ income through our sustainable agriculture projects and procurement of residual agricultural biomass as an alternative fuel. We equally support employability and entrepreneurship in local communities through training and education, and we build durable and resilient roads in agriculturally productive areas to reduce food loss during transport.
Our actions
Our strategy includes providing decent housing, clean water and sanitation, affordable energy and accessible healthcare. We prioritize health and safety throughout our business, ensuring the health and wellbeing of our employees, contractors, communities and customers.
Our actions
At Holcim, we invest in training our workforce, developing new talent and educating local communities. We partner with academic institutions to mentor students and facilitate research to advance the sustainable construction industry.
Our actions
We are committed to being a diverse and inclusive company. Holcim is an equal opportunities employer that makes no distinctions on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation, race or religion. We have committed to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles, and our gender diversity is globally recognized – we feature in Forbes’ World's Top Female-Friendly Companies.
Our actions
We actively manage our water use to lower consumption, reduce pollution and protect water-related ecosystems. Concrete has a vital role to play in the building of resilient and sustainable water infrastructure. We therefore provide a number of solutions to reduce water use and the risk of flooding.
Our actions
Our net-zero pledge guides our objectives of reducing our energy consumption, increasing renewable energy use and using alternative fuels. Our concrete ranges offer strength, durability and resilience to climate-related and natural disasters. An essential building material for energy-related construction, concrete has numerous applications from geothermal projects to wind turbine foundations.
Our actions
Holcim has a global presence and is often the largest employer in the community. We take seriously our responsibility to provide safe, fair and decent work. Through job creation and community projects, we strive to have a positive impact in the local area.
Our actions
Innovation is at the heart of our strategy and we partner with researchers, start-ups and industry leaders to advance R&D in the sustainable construction industry. Our infrastructure solutions aim to meet today’s challenges: energy efficiency, cost effectiveness, a low environmental footprint, and high standards of health, wellbeing and comfort.
Our actions
Our low-carbon and sustainable building materials contribute to the construction of durable and cost-effective infrastructure and housing. As a responsible employer, we also play an important role in reducing inequalities through equal training, fair and transparent hiring practices, decent wages and professional development opportunities.
Our actions
We are developing our low-carbon and sustainable building solutions to meet the challenges of rising populations and growing urbanization, and to enable the construction of green cities. In addition to working with local communities, providing affordable housing and offering sustainable building materials, we have partnered with Bloomberg to create the Circular Cities Hub.
Our actions
We are an industry leader in recycling, following the circular economy’s “reduce, reuse, recycle” principles. Through smart design and sustainable building materials, we are building better with less and guiding the transition to a more responsible construction industry.
Our actions
Our climate actions are based on our net-zero targets, validated by the Science Based Targets initiative. We are continuously finding ways to reduce our carbon footprint, developing low-carbon and sustainable building materials and making our operations more circular. Our carbon capture pilot projects position us as the right partner to scale up net-zero cement around the world.
Our actions
Our bioactive concrete ranges are ideal for building artificial reefs and coastal protection to preserve marine biodiversity. We are also actively helping prevent ocean pollution from plastics and other waste materials. Our solar-powered catamaran, the Circular Explorer, recovers and recycles plastic waste before it enters the ocean.
Our actions
We strive to be a nature-positive business with a strong commitment to preserving biodiversity. Our science-based indicators guide us in protecting natural ecosystems and biodiversity. We regularly assess our impact on the environment in areas such as forest protection, wildlife and soils.
Our actions
We are committed to transparency and compliance in all aspects of our business, with a strict human rights policy. Our code of business conduct offers best practices and ensures that all directors, officers and employees share Holcim's commitment to conducting business with integrity.
Our actions
We understand the importance of collaboration to meet SDGs. We engage with stakeholders at all levels, from local to national to global. Our commitments and partnerships include being part of the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) Corporate Engagement Program, the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), and the United Nations (UN) Global Compact.
ESG commitments, memberships and recognitions
Holcim collaborates with various institutions and organizations and participates in diverse initiatives. We are committed to responsible operations and value external recognition of our efforts and achievements.
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| Holcim became the first global building materials company to sign the Business Ambition for 1.5° C pledge with near-term 2030 SBTi validated targets. |
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| Holcim was selected by the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) to pilot the world's first science based targets for nature. We are among the first 17 companies and the only one in our sector. This global initiative aims to set the world’s first standards for ambitious and measurable corporate action for nature. |
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| In February 2020, Holcim CEO Jan Jenisch signed the Call to Action for Business Leadership on Human Rights by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), joining forty other leaders in sending a clear message on the need to elevate companies’ ambitions concerning human rights. Together our vision is to make human rights more than just a risk and compliance issue for companies – they should be actively promoted as part of a commitment to social responsibility. |
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| The Holcim 2021 Action Pledge on eliminating child labor and strengthening children’s rights builds on our existing commitment to respect human and children’s rights. Respect for human and children’s rights is fundamental to our ability to do business across our approximately 1,900 sites in 60 countries. |
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| Holcim is a signatory of the WASH Pledge, an initiative led by WBCSD and WASH4Work. The WASH Pledge ensures that we provide best practices on WASH (access to water, sanitation and hygiene) within our operations. We commit to taking action on WASH across our value chain, including among our suppliers, as well as in the communities that surround our workplaces and/or where our employees live. |
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| Holcim joined the Corporate Advisory Board of the World Green Building Council (WGBC). The WGBC is a global action network that aims to transform the building and construction sector across three strategic areas—climate action, health & wellbeing, and resources & circularity. |
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| In 2020, Holcim CEO Jan Jenisch signed the Call to Action of Business for Nature, which brings together influential organizations and forward-thinking businesses seeking to reverse nature loss. By signing the call we aim to positively influence policymakers who are currently discussing international agreements on nature and climate change. |
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| In 2023, Holcim became a founding member of the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s (SMI) Circularity Task Force, launched at COP28 in Dubai, to accelerate our world’s shift to a circular economy. |
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| In 2023, Holcim entered a three-year global strategic partnership with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). |
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| Holcim strives to implement the UNGC’s 10 principles to advance responsible corporate citizenship. |
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| Holcim Chairman Jan Jenisch is on the Executive Committee of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). |
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| Holcim is co-chairing the Global Cement & Concrete Association (GCCA)’s “Vision 2050” workgroup and associated climate policy. |
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| In 2020, Holcim joined the Leadership Group for Industry Transition, which gathers countries and companies committed to achieving the Paris Agreement. |
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| As a WEF member, Holcim contributes to initiatives such as the First Movers Coalition and the CEO Climate Leaders Coalition. |
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| Holcim supports Concrete Action for Climate, an MPP workstream, in coordinating climate action in the cement industry. |
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| Holcim has been a supporter of the TCFD since July 2017 and of the ISSB as a corporate champion since 2024. The ISSB published voluntary climate-related financial risk disclosures based on the TCFD recommendations for use by companies in providing information to investors, lenders, insurers and other stakeholders. |
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| Since 2015, we have supported the GABC in promoting a zero-emissions, energy-efficient and resilient construction sector. |
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| Holcim received two awards at COP28 in Dubai for its Carbon2Business project in Lägerdorf, Germany, in recognition of the scalability and breakthrough innovation of its carbon capture technologies. Holcim was named "Energy Transition Changemaker" by the COP28 Presidency and its Carbon2Business project was selected as Germany's "outstanding project." |
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| Holcim’s ECOCycle® circular technology was named a “Circularity Lighthouse in the Built Environment”, in a joint initiative between McKinsey & Company and the World Economic Forum announced at the 2023 annual meeting in Davos. |
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| In 2024, Holcim won the Business Transformation Award and the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award at the 15th Responsible Business Awards hosted by Reuters Events. The awards recognize strategies and organizations challenging the status quo of business and transforming the world around them for a more purpose-driven, sustainable future for all. |
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| Holcim is the first in its sector with 2030 and 2050 net-zero targets cutting across operations and value chain validated by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in line with its sector’s 1.5°C science-based framework. |
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| Holcim won a 2022 SEAL Business Sustainability Award, ranking it among the world’s 50 most sustainable businesses. |
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| For two consecutive years, Holcim made it onto Financial Times’ “Europe’s Climate Leaders” list. It comprises 500 companies across Europe that achieved the greatest reduction in their core emissions intensity between 2016 and 2021. |
