HeidelbergCement has published its Sustainability Report for the 2019 financial year. Over nearly 100 pages the German building materials giant informs about a range of topics including the current status of emission reduction and the research on technologies that enable CO2 savings on a large scale.
“Sustainable business in harmony with the environment and the careful use of natural resources is an integral part of HeidelbergCement’s strategy,” says Dr Dominik von Achten, chairman of the Managing Board of HeidelbergCement. “We have declared our express commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In particular, we will continue to intensify our commitment to climate protection in the coming years.”
HeidelbergCement has set itself the goal of reducing its specific CO2 emissions per tonne of cement by 30% compared with 1990. This goal has been recognised by the Science-Based Targets initiative. By 2019, the company had already achieved a reduction of 22%.
HeidelbergCement wants to realise its vision of a CO2-neutral concrete by 2050 at the latest. For its performance in the area of climate protection, the business was ranked on the ‘Climate Change A-List’, achieving the top grade A in the CDP sustainability rating (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) in the reporting year.
Besides the topic of climate protection, the report documents Heidelberg Cement’s activities regarding human rights and compliance as well as occupational health and safety. In 2019, targeted measures were implemented in all group countries to optimise technical and organisational safety standards. Numerous training sessions increased the employees’ awareness of occupational safety.
Other key topics of the report are social responsibility and the intense exchange with different stakeholders in areas such as supply chain and supplier management, research and development, biodiversity as well as sustainable land use and water management. “We can only shape the future of our company through dialogue – with our employees, our neighbours, our customers, suppliers and shareholders,” says Dr Dominik von Achten.
The report, now in its 11th edition, complies with the established standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and has been validated in accordance with the GRI Standards ‘Core’ option. It also underlines the Group’s commitment to the principles of the UN Global Compact (UN GC) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SGDs).
You can find our Sustainability Report 2019 and further information on the Internet at www.heidelbergcement.com/en/sustainability-report
