2005 Sustainability Report - Lafarge

Involvement of the Group in
sustainable
development
Respect for the environment and local communities, as well as social advancement,
are the factors preserving our license to operate and assuring a high standard of
performance. We wish to share our convictions with other companies to encourage
active participation in our industry's progress towards greater sustainability.
OUR PRINCIPLES
OF ACTION AND POLICIES
FRAME OUR OPERATIONS
Integrity, responsibility, courage and
respect for others are the values underpinning
our philosophy. They are embodied
in our corporate commitments:
• To generate value for our customers;
• To give our employees every opportunity
to contribute to the Group's success
and to develop their talents;
• To contribute to building a better
world for our local communities;
• To deliver the value creation that our
shareholders expect.
These commitments are listed in our
Principles of Action enabling all our
employees to situate their actions in a
clear framework.
The Group’s Principles of Action
are available on our website.
In addition, our policies govern the
conduct of our operations and ensure
compliance with our commitments, taking
into account our sustainable development
priorities: Code of Business Conduct,
Competition Policy, Environmental Policy,
Human Resources Policy, Employment
CORNIS VAN DER LUGT (UNEP)
Policy, Health and Safety Policy, Public
Health and AIDS Guidelines, Purchasing
Policy and Transportation Directives.
The issues covered by the Group's various
codes, policies, guidelines and directives are
available on our website.
In addition to the values defined
internally by the Group, we have signed
the Global Compact and its commitments
are part of our guiding principles.
The Group’s responses to the ten commitments
set forth in the Global Compact are available
on our website.
LAFARGE'S CONTRIBUTIONS
TO THE CEMENT
INDUSTRY'S APPROACH
In 2001, Lafarge embarked on its first
voluntary initiative with WWF International
by setting ambitious targets to reduce
CO2 emissions from our cement plants.
With two other cement companies and
with a view to extend this type of initiative,
Lafarge enrolled other companies in the
sector that are members of WBCSD's 1
Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI). CSI
was established in 2001 for an initial
period of five years. Its objective is
to establish conditions for a more
sustainable development of the industry.
This sectoral approach carries genuine
legitimacy from the perspective of climate
change and responsible and voluntary
commitment. It extends beyond the scope
of the Kyoto Protocol, as 6 of the 16 CSI
members come from countries that have
not committed to the protocol. Members
of the CSI currently account for slightly
more than half of the worldwide cement
production (outside China).
The CSI commitments are widely
recognized, even beyond the confines of
the cement sector. For instance, the Asia-
Pacific Partnership on Clean Development
and Climate 2 has identified the CSI as a
key initiative and referred to it in one
of its working groups. The State of
California has adopted the methodology
developed by the CSI for calculating CO2
emissions for its register of emission
quotas.
Lafarge currently leads a CSI working
group responsible for developing new
initiatives for the CSI over the next few
years.
1 | WBCSD: World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
2 | Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, an
agreement signed by the United States, Japan, South Korea and
Australia on research and technology sharing.
You can make wonderful statements and public commitments to sustainable development and a corporate responsibility agenda.
But if you don’t allocate clear responsibilities from top to bottom and engage all employees in the execution of strategy, the impressive statements
and commitments will come to nothing. The introduction of a sustainable development committee with top management involvement, sustainability
criteria in performance appraisals of managers, ongoing training of employees - suppliers and subcontractors – and annual reporting according to
GRI… these are examples of how leading companies are making it happen. It is impressive to see how Lafarge is making the shift to sustainability
performance, considering longer term risks and opportunities. As Lafarge expands its involvement in rapidly growing markets such as China, the Group
needs to build on its experience and to support building the performing capacity of its new business partners. We also look forward to its continued
engagement with other industries and partners in applying life cycle approaches for more sustainable building and construction.
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LAFARGE | 2005 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT | PAGE 03