Eric Olsen, CEO of LafargeHolcim, will become the new chairman of the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) in 2017, as confirmed at the organization’s annual CEO Meeting in Madrid.
LafargeHolcim is one of the founding members of the CSI, which is part of Geneva-based World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). The organization was launched in 1999, under the auspices of the WBCSD, with the aim of supporting the progress of the global cement sector toward sustainable development. The CSI unites 23 major cement producers with operations in more than 100 countries.
Collectively these companies account for around 30 percent of the world’s cement production and range in size from very large multinationals to small local producers.
“It is an honor for me to be chairing this important industry organization in the coming year. Sustainability in the construction sector is not the preserve of one organization. I will focus on ensuring that the CSI continues to play an important role in building collaboration within our industry and encouraging joint action across the entire value chain. As one of the largest global sustainability programs ever undertaken by a single industry sector, we have a real opportunity to drive change. Our plans are ambitious and we are conscious that we will only achieve them by working together,” said Olsen.
Additionally, CSI members agreed to concentrate their efforts this year on most material topics, among others: health and safety; actions to further reduce carbon dioxide emissions; increasing awareness of concrete as a sustainable building material; the launch of a responsible sourcing scheme for concrete; and the development of common metrics to measure social performance.
