Sustainability Report

Business & Compliance

Responsible business practices are the cornerstone of our success. For us, acting responsibly means that we achieve our economic performance in accordance with laws and international standards and by socially and ecologically beneficial means. Besides complying with applicable laws and regulations, we are also committed to global values and standards. In all the countries in which we operate, we comply with and respect the applicable laws and regulations. They form the legal basis for our business activity.

As a globally active company, we are also bound by international values and standards. We are therefore committed to adhering to the core labour standards of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises recommended by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We expect our employees and business partners worldwide also to observe these central guidelines and recommendations.

Product & Innovation

Our R&D activities aim to generate added value for customers and the company through innovative products. We also minimize energy usage and our CO2 emissions by means of process improvements and new formulations.

Our close proximity to the market enables us to provide our customers with extensive advice and develop our products in close consultation with them. The responsible departments and employees are directly incorporated into the organisation of the respective national subsidiaries and develop cements, aggregates, and concretes that are optimally adapted to local needs.

Production & Supply Chain

HeidelbergCement’s sustainability strategy focuses on climate protection, environmental responsibility, and ensuring the permanent availability of resources. This has given rise to our objective of operating sustainable production processes at all of our operational sites worldwide.

We also expect our suppliers to be aware of our standards: that is why a Code of Conduct forms the basis of all of our partnerships, and our contractors have to commit themselves to upholding this code.

Due to the high temperatures needed to burn limestone, the production of cement consumes a lot of energy and thus causes combustion-related CO2 emissions. This is why climate protection is a fundamental part of our environmental policy.

Employees & Employment

Qualified and motivated employees are an important prerequisite for the success of HeidelbergCement. Identifying our employees’ talents and developing them is therefore at the core of the Group-wide personnel policy. We attach particular importance to occupational safety and the protection of our employees’ health.

For us, a good personnel policy means having due and proper regard for our employees with their range of talents and wealth of experience. And it therefore means creating the right conditions to allow them to do their job with efficiency and dedication. This includes fair remuneration and tailor-made qualification opportunities in addition to a non-discriminatory working environment and flexible conditions that allow them to reconcile professional and family demands.

Another area of particular importance to us as a manufacturing company is occupational safety and the protection of our employees’ health. We are proud of the international nature of the workforce at our headquarters and in our technical centers in Heidelberg and Leimen, which is made up of local managers and employees from 52 countries. Our staff form the foundation of the worldwide success of HeidelbergCement.

Society & Corporate Responsibility

We have production sites almost everywhere around the globe. Through our entrepreneurial activities, we create added value for the communities in which we operate. We are also involved in community projects at our sites.

Good cooperative relationships with the communities in the areas where we are active are indispensable for our business operations and one of the keys to our business success. In these areas, we establish business contacts, capitalise on local know-how, and maintain a dialogue with our neighbours. By making this voluntary commitment to society, we strengthen the exchange of ideas and  achieve long-term socio-economical added value for local communities.