Vision and values

LafargeHolcim is evolving in a fast-moving business environment shaped by three megatrends: population growth, rapid urbanization, and resource scarcity & climate change. The Group believes it can play a key role in tackling these challenges. We develop innovative products, we offer integrated solutions from a single source, and we have set clear sustainability targets for our operations. This special page takes you on a short visual journey through this world, highlighting some of our contributions.

A fundamental choice: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The Group is convinced that sustained economic growth cannot occur without social progress, environmental protection and respect for local communities.

Lafarge is a supplier of essential construction products, services and solutions required to build more livable, sustainable cities.

The Group's goal is to help every human being, regardless of income, culture or geography, to obtain better quality housing at a cost the individual can afford. The Sustainability Ambitions 2020 will help Lafarge to make a net positive contribution to society.

Lafarge operations aim to optimize the use of natural resources and protect the environment. The Group wants to be among the leading companies in terms of health and safety, to promote diversity and human rights, to implement strict rules for governance, and to engage in comprehensive and transparent dialogue with its stakeholders.

Our first priority: HEALTH & SAFETY

Ensuring the protection of its employees' health and safety is Lafarge's first priority. This is the guiding principle for all employees of the Group, starting from the highest levels of responsibility. For many years we have striven to make our industrial operations safer, to establish directives and standards that are clear for everyone, and to increase the awareness of both our employees and our contractors. It has been our credo that it is unacceptable to risk your life to perform your work. There is no limit to our ambition in this area. The scope of our responsibility extends far beyond our employees and our sites. By 2020 we want to not merely avoid fatal accidents but also to ensure that no employees or contractors are victims of serious incidents, whether in our facilities or on the road.

We care about our LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Lafarge wants to be an active part of its local communities wherever it operates by supporting them in every possible way and taking care of its social responsibilities. Stakeholders engagement is one of the top priorities for each Lafarge operation meaning that to now our stakeholders better, to understand their needs and expectations and to be a good neighbor for them. Our local managers are in a permanent contact with the representatives of our local communities in order to see how to operate with minimum negative impact while creating economic and social value for the community.

Code of business conduct

For Lafarge, courage, integrity, responsibility and respect for others are essential values. They are the corner stones of the Group's management policy.

The Code of business conduct's 6 basic rules

1.     Comply with laws and regulations

2.     Prevent conflicts of interest

3.     Respect people and the environment

4.     Protect the Group's assets

5.     Maintain financial transparency

6.     Focus on the importance of internal controls and audits

Sustainable Construction & Innovation:

BUILDING BETTER CITIES

Lafarge has put innovation at the core of its businesses for a long time. A key growth-driver for the Group, innovation now allows us to turn into a supplier of solutions, value-added products and services as well as building systems for the players from the construction industry. Therefore, we rely on a powerful central R&D structure and on development labs operating as close to the markets as possible.

Housing programs that are accessible to everyone and infrastructures that stand up to the passage of time and protect the environment, along with bridges, roads and airports that connect cities and their inhabitants. Our materials, services and innovative building systems contribute to building cities that offer more housing and are more compact, more durable, more beautiful and better connected. In a word, better cities!

We respect our ENVIRONMENT

As with all industries, we operate in ecosystems that provide human beings with provisioning services such as freshwater, food, energy and natural resources. Ecosystems also contribute to stabilize the climate and reduce floods and air pollution. Therefore, it is incumbent on companies like Lafarge to take the lead in protecting and developing biodiversity and therefore contributing to the enhancement of ecosystems.

For many years Lafarge has been actively rehabilitating its quarries to restore and create new habitats. A major component of our license to operate, biodiversity has been a long-standing key focus area and was one of the original work streams in the Lafarge partnership with WWF.
Industrial Ecology: A pioneer of industrial ecology, Lafarge believes that it is possible to create a symbiotic relationship between multiple industries so waste from one company can be used as fuels or raw materials for another, thus preserving natural resources.

Our PEOPLE is our most important asset

Our people are the most important asset of Lafarge and people development is a strategic priority for the group. We give every opportunity to them for professional and personal development.

Lafarge is recognized as amongst the world's best industrial companies at attracting and developing the best local talents and teams in every country where we operate, who are innovative, market driven and performance oriented while living Lafarge Group Principles of Action in all what they do.

Lafarge wants to be an active partner with its employees in their career development by giving them feedback, advice, information on jobs and access to challenging job experiences.