Holcim aligns 2030 climate targets with SBTi 1.5°C framework

Sources: Holcim Ltd., Zug, Switzerland; CM2 staff

The parent of Holcim (US) operations and Lafarge Canada has upgraded 2030 climate targets, validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), in line with the cement and concrete sector’s new 1.5°C science-based framework and reflecting tighter carbon dioxide emissions baselines. A partnership of the CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project), United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute and the World Wide Fund for Nature, SBTi issued the framework informing Holcim’s new thresholds, Cement Science Based Target Setting Guidance, in September 2022. 

 “The ambition of Holcim’s targets is aligned with the need for the global economy to rapidly cut emissions,” says SBTi CEO Luiz Amaral. “This company is setting an example for the rest of its industry, and I urge others in its sector to set their own targets too.”

 “We are committed to decarbonizing building for a net-zero future,” affirms Holcim CEO Jan Jenisch. “When I see the thorough decarbonization plans we are deploying across our business, I am confident that we will decarbonize building at scale. We take a rigorous, science-driven approach on this journey and partnered with the Science Based Targets initiative to create our industry’s first 1.5°C-aligned framework.”

In its new 2030 targets, Holcim upgraded its target to reduce (GHG Protocol-defined) Scope 1 and 2 emissions per ton of cementitious material output by 25 percent from a 2018 baseline. Hence, the producer commits to respectively reduce gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by 22.4 percent and 65 percent per ton of cementitious material over the next eight years. For other indirect emissions under Scope 3, Holcim commits to reducing CO₂ per ton of clinker and cement purchased from third parties by 25.1 percent from a 2020 baseline. The new 2030 targets and base years have been adjusted to reflect recent global portfolio optimization.

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