Last week was spent reviewing statements made by participants at the United Nations climate meeting in Glasgow, and it roused a lot of conflicting feelings. This event takes place once a year. Since its commencement in 1995, this will be the 26th session. The term “Conference of the Parties” stands for “Conference of the Parties.” It’s the annual UN climate change summit, where world leaders gather to make critical decisions about how to address the global warming catastrophe. Governments decided at the United Nations climate change summit in Paris, COP 21, that mobilizing bolder and more ambitious climate action is urgently needed to meet the Paris Agreement’s goals.
However, one question loomed over every promise made at this summit: Given how difficult it has been for governments to persuade their citizens to simply wear a mask in public places like markets, or to get vaccinated, to protect themselves, their neighbors, and their grandparents from being killed by Covid-19, how will governments persuade their citizens to take individual responsibility for the climate, particularly how corporations will respond?
Reading the recent Lafarge Zambia annual report, which is part of the LafargeHolcim (now Holcim Group), and what is particularly interesting is the local and global initiatives this company is taking to respond to the COP26 agenda in cement production. Lafarge Zambia is the country’s largest cement company. It also has the broadest product offering on the market and a long history, having been founded 71 years ago. It is the preferred supplier for large construction projects in Zambia and the area, whether government or private.
Unfortunately, all of this development has contributed to environmental contamination as a result of the cement manufacturing process. One of the most significant outputs is carbon dioxide. Decarbonize the facility through lowering carbon emissions is currently on the COP26 agenda. This month, it was revealed that it will become a founding member of the First Movers Coalition (FMC), which aims to increase green demand and low-carbon technology in order to help the world achieve its climate goals. On the supply side, Holcim will continue to expand its green building solutions (such as ECOPlanet cement) as well as next-generation net-zero construction technologies. Which will eventually trickle down to Lafarge Zambia and other companies in the company.
In 2005, Lafarge China opened its brand-new Chongqing Cement Plant, which helped to minimize CO2 emissions and improve performance while maintaining profitability despite low prices. This cement plant is particularly unique in that it uses 100 percent recycled gypsum as a raw material and is dedicated to 100 percent waste recycling. Lafarge in China has proposed the following mitigation measures to reduce CO2 emissions and promote the cement industry’s sustainability:
(i) use of materials such as slag and fly ash in the cement making process;
(ii) investments in programs such as modifying the chemical composition of clinker to generate less CO2 during its production;
(iii) investing in substantial resources to promote new insulation technologies that significantly reduce building energy consumption. These mitigation strategies are significant because they can assist minimize gas and particulate matter emissions.
In addition to what Lafarge China has put in as mitigation measures, Lafarge Zambia could also:
- integrate environmental management into management practices throughout the company.
- implement environmental best practices to reduce adverse environmental impacts of the company`s operations and where practical prevent pollution.
- ensure compliance to environmental legislation and other requirements to which the organisation subscribes.
- ensure responsible stewardship by managing natural resources through efficient energy strategies and implementing waste reduction and recycling where possible.
- develop new carbon dioxide sinks and preserve existing ones by avoiding unnecessary removal of vegetation.
- provide continued protection of the unutilised area under the Lafarge licence area.
- ensure progressive re-vegetation of all disturbed areas; and
- promote and participate in tree planting campaigns.
So far, Lafarge Zambia has demonstrated a commitment to caring for the environment as follows:
- by engaging in environmental conservation through partnership with Munda Wanga Animal Sanctuary and Botanical Garden.
- by putting in place an effective land reclamation program that includes revitalizing ancient quarries by reintroducing wildlife and plants into the ecosystem, and
- by establishing a contribution to the Environmental Protection Fund. The company complies with local legislation, including the Mines and Minerals Development Act, which compels them to contribute to the Environmental Protection Fund over a five-year period, after which the fund’s adequacy will be reviewed.
Additionally, management is implored to diversify its source of electric energy used in production, from the use of coal to other alternatives which are environmentally friendly such as solar or hydro power.