Eric Olsen to chair Cement Sustainability Initiative in 2017

LafargeHolcim Chief Executive Eric Olsen has been appointed as chairman of the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) for 2017. Mr Olsen’s appointment was confirmed at the CSI’s annual CEOs meeting this week.

The CSI is part of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and is made up of nine core members and 15 other participating members, drawn from the world’s largest cement firms.

“It is an honour for me to be chairing this important industry organisation in the coming year. Sustainability in the construction sector is not the preserve of one organisation. I will focus on ensuring that the CSI continues to play an important role in building collaboration within our industry and encouraging joint action across the entire value chain. As one of the largest global sustainability programs ever undertaken by a single industry sector, we have a real opportunity to drive change. Our plans are ambitious and we are conscious that we will only achieve them by working together”, said Eric Olsen.

In 2017, the members of the CSI agreed to concentrate their efforts on most material topics, among others: health and safety; actions to further reduce CO₂ emissions; increasing awareness of concrete as a sustainable building material; the launch of a responsible sourcing scheme for concrete; and the development of common metrics to measure social performance.