LafargeHolcim has released its Sustainability Report 2018, which outlines the economic, environmental and social performance of the company and presents its objectives for the strategic pillars of climate and energy, circular economy, environment and community.

In 2018 LafargeHolcim’s net CO2 emissions per tonne of cementitious material decreased to 576kg CO2/t, a one per cent reduction from 2017 and equal to a 25 per cent reduction compared with 1990 emissions. The improvement was achieved by reducing the clinker-to-cement ratio and consuming less energy per tonne of cement, mostly by using alternative fuels and improving the efficiency of the company's processes.

In 2018 LafargeHolcim treated 52Mt of waste, which equals more than 10-times the total yearly household waste generation of Switzerland. This increase of six per cent versus 2017 makes the company one of the largest waste processors. More than 11Mt – an increase of 10 per cent over 2017 – were used by Geocycle, the company's global waste management business.

LafargeHolcim is also increasingly processing plastic waste and is making a conscious effort to reduce plastic leakage into the ocean. In 2018 the company repurposed around 2Mt of plastic waste in its cement plants. The company is also launching specific waste management solutions in Mexico, Egypt and Morocco where marine plastic littering is a major concern.

In 2018 LafargeHolcim continued to strengthen its waste management infrastructure at several locations by establishing a new pre-processing facility in Madukkarai in India and further upgrading its waste handling capacities in Mexico, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, India, Canada, Spain and Germany.

Furthermore, LafargeHolcim recovered an additional 41Mt of waste, mainly byproducts from other industries, such as slag from the steel industry and fly ash from power generation, to replace clinker in the final cement product.