Heidelberg Materials products

At first glance, the large-scale excavation of raw materials would appear to destroy nature and undermine biodiversity. Yet quarries and gravel pits actually provide an important habitat for plants and animals that are being increasingly displaced by development in other areas. Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated that quarries, gravel pits, and other open-pit mines can be extremely valuable for environmental protection, for they offer undisturbed habitats for rare and protected species. Prior to commencing mining operations at a given site, HeidelbergCement conducts environmental impact assessments. In addition to being economically attractive, a potential project must be compatible with the goals of environmental protection. We assign high priority to mining techniques that minimize environmental damage as well as to measures for the subsequent rehabilitation of mining sites.

HeidelbergCement has committed itself to the goal of mitigating the impact of its activities on natural water resources to the greatest extent possible. We comply with stringent environmental regulations to ensure that raw material quarrying will not damage local bodies of surface water and ground water resources. HeidelbergCement does not have a Groupwide water management guideline at the present time. However, we are focusing on concepts and measures for reducing our water consumption in countries and regions where water shortages exist. Within the framework of the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) preliminary sector indicators for water management have also been developed. We have started to monitor and report In the near future, we want to be able to report on our water footprint — first in the cement business line and later in the areas of aggregates and ready-mixed concrete.

Sustainable construction materials with a small CO2 footprint are playing an ever more important role for us and our customers. We use special additives in order to improve the CO2 balance of the products based on our Portland cement. These alternative materials, which are waste products from steel mills and coal-fired power plants, partially replace Portland cement clinker in the production of `composite cement`. We have also been working for several years to develop alternative binding materials that almost completely eliminate the need for conventional clinker.