Alina Oprea • 17 March, 2023 at 8:25 AM
Holcim Romania adopts a business decarbonization model, in four pillars, carried out on the entire value chain of the construction sector, and launches ECOPlanet PLUS, an additive cement packed with high performance and over 30% fewer CO2 emissions, in the transition to Net Zero. The company is committed to reducing by 50% the net carbon footprint in the production of cement material by 2030 compared to the year of the start of activity in Romania. All this in the context of the launch of a new visual identity, both at the company level and for the new integrated range of bag products, aligned with the objective of becoming a global leader in innovative and sustainable construction solutions.
"This is an important moment in the life of our company in the process of achieving Net Zero goals and in the efforts to become a leader in innovative and sustainable construction solutions. The world is constantly changing and the need for sustainable solutions is essential to build better for future generations. We are committed to reducing the net carbon footprint in the production of cement material by 50% by 2030 compared to the year we started our activity in Romania. From the start of Holcim's activity in Romania until now, we have made essential investments for the modernization, technology, and decarbonization of operations, amounting to over 900 million euros, to support our ambitious mission", said Bogdan Dobre, CEO of Holcim Romania and Market Head Moldova.
Holcim proposes the decarbonization of its business, based on a model based on four pillars, from operations, to innovative product formulations and to the construction and use phase of buildings:
1. Decarbonization of Holcim operations – the company invests in technologies that allow the use of alternative fuels, alternative raw materials, and green energy
2. The delivery of products and solutions with high performance and low CO2 emissions - we want construction with fewer resources, decarbonizing constructions
3. Developing solutions for the buildings of the future – building greener cities and using buildings sustainably
4. Encouraging the use of resources from construction and demolition waste - stimulating circular construction through reuse
7% of global CO2 emissions are generated by the cement industry.
"We are aware of our role and responsibility regarding the transformation of our operations into greener operations, a process through which we aim in Holcim Romania for a 50% reduction in the CO2 footprint in cement production by 2030, compared to the year the activity began in Romania", announces the company.
In more than 25 years of activity in Romania, Holcim has already reduced its net CO2 emissions by more than 25% and increased its energy efficiency by 25%.
"Thus, Holcim's efforts to achieve the objective of decarbonizing Holcim Romania's operations, as the first strategic pillar of the decarbonization model, are aimed at: Reducing emissions from the production process; Reducing emissions from fuels and electricity", according to the company.
Globally, the company is increasing the use of alternative raw materials, which contribute to the decarbonization of cement by up to 50% compared to ordinary Portland cement. Holcim also powers factories around the world with alternative fuels, using materials at the end of their life cycle, from biomass to municipal waste.
"The transition to net zero requires unprecedented collaboration across the entire value chain. We are aware of our role in the industry and in the world we live in, thus we try to make our collaborators responsible, stimulating the transition to a sustainable built environment by promoting green solutions", adds Bogdan Dobre, CEO of Holcim Romania & Market Head Moldova.
In Romania, the company aims to exceed the European average of Holcim factories in the European Union of 60% by 2030, the substitution rate of industrial thermal energy produced from classic fossil fuels with alternative energy recovered from waste (used tires, municipal and industrial waste, etc.).
It also uses renewable energy in all its locations, and to improve energy efficiency it invests in waste heat recovery facilities and replaces energy-consuming equipment with modern equipment.
"We aim to make dedicated purchases of energy from renewable sources, having planned investments for the constant increase in the degree of its use in our workplaces", say the company representatives.
After the launch in 2021 of the first ECOPlanet green loose cement and the ECOPact range of green concretes, Holcim launches ECOPlanet PLUS, admixed cement packed with high performance and 30% fewer CO2 emissions. Modern technologies and raw materials from responsibly managed sources are used for the production of ECOPlanet PLUS.
"Sustainability is at the heart of our strategy, and the rebranding process is a normal step, aligning the local visual identity with the global identity of the Holcim Group, in order to communicate in unison the values, ambitions, and efforts to transform the built environment towards a sustainable one", shows the company.