Public positions
What is the role of the Group's public affairs and lobbying activities? To raise understanding of Lafarge's businesses and issues; anticipate stakeholders' expectations and regulatory changes; and demonstrate responsible sector leadership.
Lafarge's public position
Our positions in our 2009 sustainability report |
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Lafarge has taken position on diverse issues. To know more about them, you can refer to the 2009 Sustainability Report or see below: |
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More responsible lobbying |
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In our view, responsible lobbying requires compliance with 3 major principles:
In early 2010 we published our Lobbying Charter. It marks our commitment to transparency and openness when it comes to our activities in the public sphere. The aim of the Charter is to define a framework for our lobbying activities at all levels of the organization. The text lists undertakings to enable transparency and compliance, as well as information and communication in coordination within our internal network. It has been enriched through comments from our stakeholder panel and Transparency International.
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StakeholdersTwo panels of experts |
Working with our trade organizations |
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Working with our trade organizations
Lafarge is a member of trade associations at international, national and local levels and seeks to encourage the engagement of our industry as a whole with external stakeholders. We seek to act together wherever possible, producing coordinated action on sustainability and other issues.
For example, we are an active member and support Cembureau, the EU cement association, which voted 95% in favor of a clinker benchmark for Phase 3 of the EU-ETS (2013-2020).
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The IED directive providing for an integrated approach to prevention and control of emissions into air, water and soil, is being discussed by the European institutions (2nd reading) and cement plants are governed by this directive.
We support the Common Position of the member states and promote a flexible approach in order to have a proportionate, balanced and integrated implementation of the directive and also allowing derogations from the emissions limits, only when this is justified, considering specific location and needs.
Lafarge welcomes the adoption of the climate and energy package in December 2008; the CO2 emissions reduction target set for 2020 (-21% since 2005) is very challenging since Lafarge, as a leader in its sector, has already significantly reduced its emissions.
We also welcome the recognition that our sector is at risk of "carbon leakage" as long as no worldwide agreement is in place.
As the competitiveness of European industry is at stake, we consider that no further unilateral commitments should be made until other major economies make substantial and binding commitments. It is necessary to leave the door open to establish a "carbon inclusion mechanism" in the future.
We strongly support the use of clinker as the benchmark baseline for our industry.
We intend to continue our sector-based approach to reducing CO2 emissions, within the framework of the CSI (Cement Sustainable Initiative) of the WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development).
The CSI has designed and promoted a new CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) methodology, better adapted to our sector. It is currently under study by the UN Executive Board in charge of these projects.
We co-organized the China Top Cement Enterprise CEO Roundtable with the China Cement Association, bringing together CEOs from 12 of China's top cement manufacturers. The leaders all signed the China Top Cement Enterprise Declaration on Sustainable Development, the first joint commitment on sustainable development made by the Chinese cement industry.
Following this meeting, 5 major Chinese cement producers joined the WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development) CSI (Cement Sustainable Initiative).
