Holcim sustainability drive leads to water consumption efficiency, savings

Holcim Philippines has significantly improved its water consumption and costs through initiatives anchored on its commitment to be water positive by 2030.

Leading building solutions provider Holcim Philippines, Inc. has reduced freshwater withdrawals by 64 percent since 2018 as the company continues efficiency initiatives to lessen the environmental footprint of operations and safeguard the water resources of host communities.

The company’s better performance in using this resource was driven by improvements to its water recycling facilities to cool equipment, installation of rainwater harvesting structures, and digitalization of monitoring and control tools for greater efficiency. Aside from lowering the company’s freshwater withdrawals, these initiatives generated Php 35 million in savings in 2022.

Holcim Philippines President and CEO Horia Adrian: “Conserving and safeguarding water is part of our greater sustainability ambition to make our business more respectful of the environment and uplifting to communities. We are committed to further accelerating initiatives to drive efficiency gains for our business, communities, and the environment.”

Holcim Philippines’ improvements were led by its plant in Norzagaray, Bulacan, which accounts for half of its water withdrawals. Investments are continuing to improve further efficiency with plans to scale up water harvesting facilities across its sites, including a solar-powered pump in Bulacan and digitalization of monitoring and control equipment.

These initiatives are part of Holcim Philippines’ program to significantly reduce freshwater withdrawal in producing cement and contribute to communities’ water needs by 2030. The company set this as a sustainability target in recognition of the country’s challenges in water access, which impacts the health and wellness of communities.

Holcim Philippines is implementing a water replenishment program focused on watershed protection and restoration, productive use, and access and sanitation. Strategic partnerships with communities and local government units in water-risk areas have been established to allow the company to serve local needs and maximize watershed improvement. To support this, Holcim Philippines follows robust policies and standards aimed at protecting and conserving water resources.

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About Holcim Philippines

Holcim Philippines, Inc. (Philippine Stock Exchange: HLCM) is one of the leading building solution companies in the country. The Company has a deep portfolio of innovative solutions fostered by a full range of products from structuring to finishing applications that can help local builders execute with high performance and efficiency a wide range of projects from massive infrastructure to simple home repairs.

With cement manufacturing facilities in La Union, Bulacan, Batangas, Misamis Oriental and Davao, as well as aggregates and dry mix business and technical support facilities for building solutions, Holcim Philippines is a reliable partner of builders in the country.

Holcim Philippines is also committed to the highest standards of sustainable operations and manufacturing excellence with its plants certified under ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental Management System), ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management System) and OHSAS 45001:2018 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System).

Holcim Philippines is a member of the Holcim Group, the world leader in the building materials industry present in 60 countries with over 70,000 employees.

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 circular construction 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 Aggregate Industries, Disensa, Geocycle, Holcim, Lafarge and Malarkey Roofing Products. 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.

Learn more about Holcim on www.holcim.com, and by following us on LinkedIn and Twitter.