Holcim Philippines continues innovation, sustainability push to drive biz growth, positive impact

Holcim Philippines accomplished a number of sustainability and innovation initiatives in 2021 to raise its business performance and contributions to development such as an agreement to have its cement plants in Luzon run on solar energy.

Leading building solutions provider Holcim Philippines, Inc. aims to build on its remarkable 2021 accomplishments anchored on innovation and sustainability to further drive business performance and support the country’s progress.

Holcim Philippines President and CEO Horia Adrian: “Despite the challenges in 2021, our Company’s commitments remain solid. We pushed on with key initiatives that will contribute to our long-term success and enable us to have a more positive impact on the country’s development. We are excited to continue our innovation and sustainability programs in line with our mission to help build progress in the Philippines.”

The Company had several notable achievements to make its operations more respectful of the environment and beneficial to society. In May, Holcim Philippines published its first Integrated Annual Report which follows the sustainability disclosure standards of the Global Reporting Initiative.

In July, Holcim Philippines signed an agreement with Sinoma CBMIPH Construction Corp. to upgrade its cement manufacturing facilities in La Union and Misamis Oriental to reduce the fuel consumption, raw materials and carbon footprint of operations.

Furthermore, Holcim Philippines appointed in August Zoe Sibala, former Vice President of Strategy to Senior Vice President of Sustainability, and expanded the role of Richard Cruz, Vice President of Health, Safety, and Security, to include the Environment portfolio.

In September, the Company completed storage and processing facilities at its Bulacan plant to increase usage of alternative fuels and raw materials in cement production through its waste management arm Geocycle. It is also participating in the rehabilitation of Manila Bay through the Circular Explorer, a solar-powered catamaran sent by the Holcim Group that can collect up to four tons of plastic litter daily and advance marine research.

Finally, the Company signed in November a 20-year power purchase agreement with Blueleaf Energy, a leading renewable energy company, to deliver solar power to its Bulacan and La Union plants. This will make Holcim Philippines’s cement plants the first in the country to be powered by solar energy.

Aside from these, the Company is leaning on digitalization to raise its sustainability performance. The Company is participating in the Holcim Group’s Plants of Tomorrow Initiative and incorporating data analytics in logistics to make operations more efficient and further reduce its environmental footprint.

Holcim Philippines also took steps to have a more positive social impact, particularly on the affordable housing front. It forged closer ties with shelter organization Habitat for Humanity, with a cement supply partnership for housing projects in Metro Manila and Negros Occidental and a number of virtual forums on addressing the country’s housing gap. The Company also continued to support the United Nations Human Settlement Programme’s housing project in Marawi and assisted the GMA Kapuso Foundation in building education facilities for indigenous communities in Cagayan.

On the commercial side, Holcim Philippines ramped up product innovations with the launch of new building solutions for specific building applications. In January, it unveiled Holcim Multifix, an easy-to-use and multipurpose mortar product that can help contractors and masons improve the quality of walls, floors, and tile installation in their building projects. The Company followed this up with in March with Holcim Aqua X, the country’s first-ever water-repellent cement that protects structures against excess moisture. It capped the year off with the launch in November of Holcim ECOPlanet, its most environment-friendly product with more than 30% lower carbon footprint than ordinary Portland cement.

ECOPlanet is a global range of green cement developed by the Holcim Group. Holcim Philippines will offer ECOPlanet as a general-purpose blended cement ideal for structural applications that delivers equal to superior construction performance while lowering the carbon footprint of buildings. ###