| ECOLOGIA |
Corporate Sustainability in Latin America
— Interview mit Bernard Mathieu, Head Sustainable Development at Lafarge Holcim
— Regula Meng (RM): How are the sustainability challenges different in Latin America compared to Europe?
— Bernard Mathieu (BM): From an environmental perspective the challenges are very similar. They include climate change, loss of biodiversity, and waste management. In Latin America, social inequality remains relatively high which requires the development of new tailored building solutions. For us, this means for example enabling better living conditions for the poorest through our affordable housing offer. Another difference is the regulatory framework for sustainability, which is still under development, even if much progress was made in recent years. Stakeholder engagement and supporting the social and economic development of communities where LafargeHolcim is present are also key to our operation in the region.
— RM: What can we learn from Latin America when it comes to sustainability?
— BM: In our company and among our stakeholders in Latin America, there is a lot of positive energy and enthusiasm around the issues of sustainability. They are perceived as challenges and opportunities for which we can develop new solutions. Our Latin American colleagues are extremely committed and supportive, championing sustainability in their local environment. In Europe, we could draw inspiration from this enthusiasm and these ideas.
— RM: In your presentation, you mentioned that LafargeHolcim’s carbon performance per tonne of cement is best in Latin America compared to other regions. What is the reason for that?
— BM: The superior carbon performance of our Latin American operations has to do with the energy efficiency of our production plants, and the use of by-products to substitute high-energy components in the cement. In Latin America, we are using a lot of by-products that help reduce the cement’s energy and carbon-intensity. Our teams have been excellent in sourcing these by-products. So in the end, it all comes down to the skills and abilities of our teams to develop new solutions. We want to remain the most CO2 efficient company in our sector. In the 2030 Plan, our sustainability strategy, we address climate as one of our focus area. By 2030 we are committed to produce 40% less net CO2 per tonne of cement than we did in 1990.
— RM: In the forum this morning we heard calls for less or smarter rules for the economy. In your opinion, what is the role of the state to support sustainable business behaviour?
— BM: Businesses like ours are able to develop and deploy solutions if there is a regulatory framework that helps creating a business case. Rules must be enabling and make business activities that combat climate change and reduce waste more sustainable and profitable. Sustainability is about all three dimensions: social, environmental, and economic. For example, regulation is needed to increase the price of dumping waste in landfills, which in turn makes recycling and the recovery of waste more viable. The rules also need to be enforced. As we are offering waste treatment services in Latin America, we advocate for a regulatory framework that makes these services more financially attractive. As a business, we are open to work with governments to develop these regulations. For example, we are strong advocates of carbon pricing. We believe that putting a price on carbon will spur efforts to tackle climate change across the construction sector. It will also incentivize the development and implementation of innovative low-carbon solutions.
Bernard Mathieu en el panel de discusión
Bernard Mathieu durante su intervención en el foro sobre «América Latina»
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