Holcim Group Statement following court interview of Lafarge SA on 29 November 2021, Paris, France
Holcim continues to fully collaborate with the French judicial authorities, which interviewed the representative of Lafarge SA on November 29, 2021, for the second time since 2018.
Given the gravity of the alleged offences, Beat Hess, Chairman of the Board of Holcim, accepted to represent Lafarge SA in the court hearing.
At the closing of the interview, he said:
“I cannot comment on the details of the case as the investigation is ongoing. What I can say is that all the alleged charges against Lafarge SA are in stark contrast with everything that Holcim stands for as a company.
“The described events concerning Lafarge SA were concealed from the Holcim Board at the time of the merger in 2015 and go completely against the values of our company.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors of Holcim, I would like to reiterate how extremely shocked and appalled we are by the alleged charges against Lafarge SA.”
Since becoming aware of this legacy issue of Lafarge SA in 2016, Holcim proactively engaged reputable third-party experts to conduct a thorough independent investigation and shared its results transparently with the judicial authorities. Since then, all the individuals put under investigation are no longer with the company. All events under examination took place before the merger of Lafarge and Holcim and were concealed to Holcim during the merger.
Across its business worldwide, Holcim operates according to the highest standards of governance, ethics & integrity with zero tolerance for any breaches. Its 70.000 people around the world stand by these principles every day.
About Holcim
Holcim builds progress for people and the planet. As a global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions, Holcim is enabling greener cities, smarter infrastructure and improving living standards around the world. With sustainability at the core of its strategy Holcim is becoming a net zero company, with its people and communities at the heart of its success. The company is driving the circular economy as a world leader in recycling to build more with less. Holcim is the company behind some of the world’s most trusted brands in the building sector including ACC, Aggregate Industries, Ambuja Cement, Disensa, Firestone Building Products, Geocycle, Holcim and Lafarge. Holcim is 70,000 people around the world who are passionate about building progress for people and the planet through four business segments: Cement, Ready-Mix Concrete, Aggregates and Solutions & Products.
More information is available on www.holcim.com
Important disclaimer – forward-looking statements:
This document contains forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements do not constitute forecasts regarding results or any other performance indicator, but rather trends or targets, as the case may be, including with respect to plans, initiatives, events, products, solutions and services, their development and potential. Although Holcim believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions as at the time of publishing this document, investors are cautioned that these statements are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Holcim, including but not limited to the risks described in the Holcim's annual report available on its website (www.holcim.com) and uncertainties related to the market conditions and the implementation of our plans. Accordingly, we caution you against relying on forward-looking statements. Holcim does not undertake to provide updates of these forward-looking statements.
