Quarrying and raw materials preparation
Activities: drilling and blasting in quarries (or demolition of existing constructions to obtain and recycle materials); crushing; transport to cement plant.
Impacts:
use of natural resources; effects on landscape and ecology; traffic effects on nearby communities.
Management and mitigation:
use secondary materials to substitute for clinker and reduce natural resource consumption; rehabilitate quarries; systematically minimize noise, transport and visual impact.
Clinker production
Activities:
raw materials mixed and homogenized; milling and drying; filtering; firing in kiln to produce clinker minerals; cooling of molten clinker.
Impacts:
intensive energy and resource use; emissions to atmosphere; health and safety.
Management and mitigation:
replace fossil fuels and raw materials with waste and industrial by-products (alternative fuels); continuously monitor and reduce CO2 and other emissions; foster a health and safety culture including a zero target for incidents.
Cement grinding and distribution
Activities:
grinding of cooled clinker with other materials in cement mill to produce the final cement types; cement transported from plant in bags or as bulk powder.
Impacts:
intensive energy and resource use; emissions to atmosphere; health and safety.
intensive energy and resource use; emissions to atmosphere; health and safety
Management and mitigation:
as well as internal systems and controls mentioned above, Holcim places huge emphasis on being a good neighbor and a good employer. This entails not only limiting environmental impacts but also working with our stakeholders throughout our value chain – including our employees and people living near our plants and factories.
