You are here

HeidelbergCement sustainability equation: Less carbon, zero accidents

Concrete News

Germany’s HeidelbergCement Group has added a decade to the horizon of its Sustainability Ambitions 2020 program. The six-point successor centers on reducing carbon dioxide emissions 30 percent from 1990 levels; steering 80 percent of the research & development budget to sustainable products; increasing natural resource substitution with by-products or recycled materials; and, eliminating lost-time accidents.

Sustainability Commitments 2030 will be implemented worldwide throughout the HeidelbergCement Group, whose major businesses include Lehigh Hanson in North America. It prioritizes:

  • Driving economic strength and innovation;
  • Achieving excellence in occupational health and safety;
  • Reducing environmental footprint;
  • Enabling the circular economy;
  • Being a good neighbor; and,
  • Ensuring compliance and creating transparency.

With program development supported by representatives of all business lines and Group areas, notes HeidelbergCement Chairman Dr. Bernd Scheifele, “This joint effort has already created a broad understanding of what we want to achieve as a company.

The Commitments, he adds, “must become present in the minds and the daily activities of our employees, and reflected in our business processes. Our goal is to grow in harmony with the environment and society. Sustainability Commitments 2030 challenges us to find new solutions and think differently to make our business even more sustainable.”

OLDCASTLE, VULCAN VETERAN BROWN JOINS FORTERRA
IMAGE
Charlie Brown

Irving, Texas-based concrete pipe and precast drainage products leader Forterra has appointed Charlie Brown as executive vice president and chief financial officer. He previously served in the latter capacity at Atlanta-based Oldcastle Materials, leading more than 500 associates in finance, accounting, risk management and real estate personnel; implementing cost saving, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance and improved business reporting initiatives; and, participating in 100-plus acquisitions.

Brown joined the producer in 2003 as vice president of Finance and proceeded to respective 2007 and 2008 appointments as senior vice president and chief financial officer. Ahead of Oldcastle Materials, he held finance and senior management posts of increasing responsibility at Vulcan Materials, 1996-2003.

CRH, ASH GROVE CEMENT DEAL RIGHT ON TRACK

Shareholders controlling nearly two-thirds of the voting stock of Ash Grove Cement Co., Overland Park, Kan., approved a $3.5 billion merger agreement with Oldcastle Inc. parent company CRH. The deal is projected for a late-2017 or early-2018 closing and will position Atlanta-based Oldcastle Materials as the number five U.S. portland cement producer, with 8 million-plus tons’ annual capacity, while strengthening its role among the top five aggregates and ready mixed concrete operators.

Ash Grove officially named Denver-based Summit Materials LLC as the source of an early-October, “unsolicited, non-binding, competing proposal” potentially valuing the business in the $3.7 billion-$3.8 billion range. The overture compelled an extension of Ash Grove shareholder approval of the CRH merger agreement to late last month. In its shareholder vote announcement, Ash Grove noted that Summit had not submitted a definitive proposal to back up what might have been a superior offer to CRH’s. Summit did not formally report any pursuit of a deal.