Lafarge Egypt to pioneer producing green building materials

Cairo, 7 April 2021 – Thriving with environmental sustainability, Lafarge Egypt, a member of LafargeHolcim Group, has held a press conference to proudly announce introducing EcoLabel cement for the first time in Egypt. The new products comply with the company's green criteria, including lower CO2 footprint and recycled content.

Furthermore, the conference witnessed the closing ceremony of Lafarge Egypt's media educational sustainability program. During the ceremony, the company awarded the top 3 journalists in the writing contest on sustainability & cement industry's environmental challenges, in addition to presenting attendance certificates.

Solomon Baumgartner Aviles, CEO and Chairman of Lafarge Egypt, highlighted the prominence of its cutting-edge products, stating: "Building on Lafarge Egypt's sustainable strategy, I am proud to be the first local cement maker to introduce EcoLabel products to the Egyptian market. Our Hydrocem Plus EcoLabel & Hydrocem EcoLabel represent the industry's broadest range of green cement for high-performing, sustainable and circular construction. With the rollout of this Green Cement, we are accelerating the transition to more sustainable building materials for greener construction.”

This pioneering step aligns with LafargeHolcim joining the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) "Business Ambition for 1.5°C,” becoming the first global building materials company to sign the pledge with intermediate targets for 2030, validated by SBTi. This commitment relies on LafargeHolcim's leadership in green construction with innovative solutions such as ECOPact, green concrete, and Susteno, its leading circular cement.  

Commenting on the media educational program, Solomon Baumgartner Aviles added: "Complementing our unceasing endeavors towards sustainability, Lafarge Egypt reinforces cooperation with all stakeholders concerned with contributing to Egypt's vision 2030. With long appreciation for journalists' pivotal role to raise the community's awareness, the company has specially tailored its online training to better educate the media on sustainable development matters.”

Ahmed Abdo, Commercial and Marketing Director of Lafarge Egypt, emphasized: "We are dedicated to R&D at the forefront of carbon neutral and circular construction materials. As the world's largest cement producer and the leading player of the Egyptian market, we believe in Lafarge Egypt that we are committed to support our customers by providing sustainable building solutions. Launching HydroCem Plus EcoLabel and HydroCem EcoLabel is a great milestone in a long journey for a better and greener world for us and our children.”

It is worth mentioning that the media educational program was delivered by  a number of hands-on professionals who voluntarily participated at Lafarge Egypt's event, including Ms. Reem El Saady – National Program Manager, Small Business Support – European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Mr. Amr El-Kady, Regional Director for Egypt, Middle East and Africa - Plastic Bank, Ms. Nevine Abdelkhalek – Vice President, Public Relations & Sustainable Development – Engineering Consultations Group (ECG) and Eng. Hoda M. Ibrahim – Principal Engineer, Sustainability Projects Administrator – Architecture Business Unit. Mr. Hazem Sherif, an eloquent journalist & writer at Al Mal Newspaper, has thankfully assessed provided pieces for the writing contest.