LafargeHolcim successfully launches first sustainability-linked bond for EUR 850 million
• Commitment to reach the 2030 CO2 reduction target reaffirmed
• First bond of its kind in the building materials industry
• Order book of EUR 2.6 billion
LafargeHolcim today priced a EUR 850 million sustainability-linked bond with a coupon of 0.5% maturing in 2031. With this first bond of its kind in the building materials industry, the company is confirming its sustainability leadership in the sector.
Géraldine Picaud, Chief Financial Officer: "We are proud to be the first in our industry to launch a sustainability-linked bond. The order book of EUR 2.6 billion demonstrates the confidence of investors in the company's financial strength, strategy and ability to deliver on its sustainability targets.”
Magali Anderson, Chief Sustainability Officer: "This announcement demonstrates the company's commitment to reach the most ambitious CO2 reduction target of the industry for 2030. Today's bond issuance brings our ESG related funding agreements to CHF 6 billion”.
Bond investors will be entitled to a higher coupon should the company not meet its objective, incentivizing LafargeHolcim to reach its target of 475 kg net CO2 per ton of cementitious material by 2030. LafargeHolcim reports on its performance against this key objective in its Sustainability Report which includes a limited assurance report by an external verifier.
ISS ESG, a leading ESG consultancy organization, gave a second-party opinion validating the robustness and relevance of the company's CO2 reduction target in the context of this bond. ISS ESG's experts confirmed the alignment of LafargeHolcim's Sustainability-Linked Financing Framework with the Sustainability-Linked Bond Principles, which are published by the International Capital Markets Association (ICMA).
LafargeHolcim is rated by ISS ESG #4 out of 95 companies in the same sector (C+, Prime), qualifying its bonds as responsible investment, and #1 out of 115 companies in the construction materials industry by Sustainalytics.
About LafargeHolcim
As the world's global leader in building solutions, LafargeHolcim is reinventing how the world builds to make it greener and smarter for all. On its way to becoming a net zero company, LafargeHolcim offers global solutions such as ECOPact, enabling carbon-neutral construction. With its circular business model, the company is a global leader in recycling waste as a source of energy and raw materials through products like Susteno, its leading circular cement. Innovation and digitalization are at the core of the company's strategy, with more than half of its R&D projects dedicated to greener solutions. LafargeHolcim's 70,000 employees are committed to improving quality of life across more than 70 markets through its four business segments: Cement, Ready-Mix Concrete, Aggregates and Solutions & Products.