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Business, Construction,

DURABRIC Homes builds your dream house in Malawi

A beautiful and comfortable house built and delivered to you in 12 to 16 weeks with local, affordable materials. Does this sound like your dream home? Such is the promise of DURABRIC Homes, a turnkey solution launched in Malawi by 14Trees, LafargeHolcim’s joint-venture with CDC. Find out more!

Your dream home in a matter of weeks

Do you remember DURABRIC, our soil-stabilized earth-cement brick for affordable housing? It is now part of a brand new concept launched in Malawi in February 2018. 14Trees, LafargeHolcim’s joint-venture with CDC, the UK’s development finance institution, has developed DURABRIC Homes, a turnkey solution for more beautiful, more affordable houses that are faster to build.

The promise? With DURABRIC Homes, 14Trees delivers your dream home on time (12 to 16 weeks), on budget and in high quality! All that customers have to do is provide their own plot of land, and choose from five free house designs which include kitchens, bathrooms, and even verandas. 14Trees takes care of the rest with its partner contractors to ensure a hassle-free construction process. If you are looking to have one of these, you might want to consider playing some fun and thrilling แทงบอลเว็บไหนดี online to help you with the money you need.

What does DURABRIC offer?

DURABRIC Homes will be built from top quality, climate-friendly and innovative materials including products from the DURABRIC range:

  • DURABRIC soil-stabilized brick, which doesn’t require firing and help fight deforestation,
  • DURABRIC Concrete Blocks, which promotes circular economy by incorporating fly ash from local industry,
  • Other integrated products such as doors, windows, sanitation and a solar water heater specifically sourced for the best quality and price from our partner suppliers,
  • A solar kit can also be provided on demand which will protect against grid blackouts.

The DURABRIC Homes concept is being considered for expansion beyond Lilongwe, Malawi. 14Trees is currently looking at other African countries such as Kenya.

  • Read more on DURABRIC Homes
  • Read more on 14Trees
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architecture,

LafargeHolcim discontinues its share buyback program with CHF 581 million completed

On March 2, 2018 LafargeHolcim announced the discontinuation of its share buyback program.

The program was conducted using a second trading line on the SIX Swiss Exchange (Valor: 35.568.679; ISIN: CH0355686798) and was completed on March 2, 2018. LafargeHolcim has repurchased 10,283,654 of its shares for a total value of CHF 581,395,290.09 at an average price per share of CHF 56.54.

About LafargeHolcim

LafargeHolcim is the leading global building materials and solutions company serving masons, builders, architects and engineers all over the world. The Group is organized in four business segments – Cement, Aggregates, Ready-mix Concrete and Solutions & Products – and is a partner for clients ranging from affordable housing and small, local projects to the biggest, most technically and architecturally challenging infrastructure projects. As urbanization increasingly impacts people and the planet, the Group provides innovative products and building solutions with a clear commitment to social and environmental sustainability. With leading positions in all regions, LafargeHolcim employs around 80,000 employees in more than 80 countries and has a portfolio that is equally balanced between developing and mature markets. And if you are looking for other ways to make money, you might want to consider playing some fun and interactive sports betting games via www.lolpix.com.

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Business, Construction,

CEO Jan Jenisch on the future of building materials

The world is coming together this September for the UN Climate Action Summit and the NYC Climate week, to discuss ways to accelerate action to stop climate change. Building materials and infrastructure play an important role, so LafargeHolcim CEO Jan Jenisch shares his views.

Q: There’s going to be a lot of discussions this week about how industries across all sectors are working towards carbon neutrality – and with buildings responsible for nearly 40% of global emissions1, how is LafargeHolcim working to mitigate this?

Today climate change is a large challenge for society. Buildings and infrastructure are particularly important as they have a significant carbon footprint. Looking forward, it is estimated that 60% of the infrastructure that humanity will need by 2050 has not yet been built. That is why innovation in materials and construction is key. It will enable us to transition towards carbon-neutral and circular models. Concrete is the backbone of this transition. LafargeHolcim is leading the way by being at the forefront of innovation and by introducing more low-carbon products and solutions to our customers worldwide.

Q: What role will concrete play in the carbon-neutral cities of the future?

Concrete will play one of the most important roles in the transition towards carbon-neutral construction. No other material is more safe, versatile, resilient and widely available than concrete. And this is fundamental as the world population is growing, and cities are becoming bigger and more complex. We need smart solutions to tackle these challenges, and we need them at scale. Concrete provides multiple responses to this challenge: it is locally produced, easily recycled, and has exceptional heating and cooling insulation properties. It is safe, non-flammable and can be poured in all desired shapes and forms, and is a material that stands the test of time. And most importantly, it has relatively low embodied energy and emissions compared to most other materials. This is why we advocate for looking at the life-cycle of a building regarding carbon footprint. With this perspective, concrete surpasses all other materials.

Q: Change is possible and beginning to happen, but many would argue this needs to happen more quickly. How will LafargeHolcim accelerate its efforts towards a more sustainable built environment?

LafargeHolcim cement is already among the most carbon-efficient in the world, and we will persevere in our endeavor across all of our regions. In Europe, where we operate 54 cement and grinding plants, we are investing CHF 160 million over the next four years to further reduce CO2 emissions by another 15% by 2022. We will achieve this mainly by reducing the amount of clinker (the most CO2 intensive component of cement) in our products and by using more alternative, non-fossil fuels to heat our cement kilns. In the first six months of 2019, we increased the use of alternative energy such as non-recyclable municipal waste and biomass waste to replace fossil fuels by over 10%.

We are the only building materials company with a central research organization. More than 50% of our current R&D focus is on sustainable solutions, especially on CO2 reduction. Our vision for 2050 is that the built environment will be carbon neutral, and fully recyclable with a positive environmental impact. We will contribute to the realization of this vision by focusing on four pillars: Climate, Circular Economy, Environment and Communities. For each of these four pillars, we have identified the most material aspect and have set targets for 2022 and 2030.

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Construction,

Material choices

The sweltering-hot Paris summer this year confirmed yet again to Rodrigue Leclech that the world needs to move fast if it wants to beat climate change. Rodrigue specializes in energy efficiency in buildings. “We didn’t expect temperatures to reach 40 degrees Celsius in the summer before the year 2030 but in fact it’s already happening now.”

Rodrigue helped LafargeHolcim France develop a digital carbon configurator called Lafarge 360 Design, enabling design offices to calculate the projected CO2 impact of the foundation and superstructure of new residential buildings. Out of a total of fourteen structural elements of new builds, these are the two that have the highest carbon impact. The calculations take into account local specifications, norms and building regulations. The tool gives a first estimate but does not yet replace a more in-depth study of the design that also includes the thermal envelope or energy use. It is however becoming ever more accurate as new projects are continuously being entered into the tool, with now currently around eighty projects delivering data.

“360 Design comes at a crucial time as the focus is increasingly shifting to the construction industry,” he says. France has committed itself to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and is facing the massive challenge of renovating the currently existing building stock and decarbonizing the construction industry as a whole. The construction industry accounts for 45% of the country’s energy needs and over a fourth of its greenhouse gas emissions. The country introduced thermal energy regulations on buildings (Régulations Thermique, RT) in 2012. The fifth since 1979, and is bracing for new, tougher regulations in 2020 that will require new homes to have an improved carbon footprint across their full lifecycle. To help ease the transition, France introduced a voluntary certification scheme in 2016 called “E + C-” to reflect the environmental performance of new builds. It rates both energy consumption (E) and the carbon impact across its lifecycle which encompasses the construction phase, an operational phase of around 50 years, plus the end of life phase.

The scheme will become law in 2020 and is expected to have an important impact on the use of concrete. “Concrete has firmly established itself in the last 60 years as a traditional building material in France but our understanding of its carbon impact is still not well understood,“ explains Rodrigue. “This is where the tool will make a difference as it gives an indication of the carbon footprint of the concrete selected, and can influence the choice of materials used for the building.”

Rodrigue expects to see a greater mix of building materials in the construction industry in the future, combining concrete with wood and others. But it’s clear that concrete is here to stay: “Concrete has amazing properties that make it an ideal building material so for sure people will continue to build with it. But it’s vital that we improve its carbon footprint, and that’s why we will continue to work closely with the building materials sector to help achieve this.”

Photo below: Rodrigue Leclech – consultant in energy efficiency, with Paris based consultancy Pouget

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Real Estate,

LafargeHolcim expands affordable housing solutions in Africa

LafargeHolcim is increasing its commitment to provide low-carbon and affordable housing solutions in Africa by adding further production capacity for its Durabric soil-stabilized bricks. As part of its 14Trees joint venture with CDC, the UK’s development finance institution, the new plant located in Malawi will industrialize LafargeHolcim’s Durabric solution, the first soil-stabilized brick that is sold on mass scale in sub-saharan Africa. 14Trees is now also being introduced in other African markets including Kenya and the Ivory Coast.

Miljan Gutovic, Region Head Middle East Africa: “Today, less than 10 percent of the population in Africa can afford the cheapest newly built house. LafargeHolcim, with its unique innovation capabilities, has developed a range of construction solutions to make houses more affordable for the majority while improving the environmental footprint of those buildings. With additional production capacities, we are now able to offer these solutions beyond Malawi and increase our positive contribution further.”

Durabric is one good example of efforts to take sustainable solutions to scale. Since 2016 14Trees has worked with the construction sector in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in Africa, to make Durabric the technology of choice in the country. Within the first three years of operations, 2 million bricks have been sold saving over 4,000 trees and avoiding over 15,000 tons of CO2 emissions.

Sustainable and affordable housing solutions to prevent further deforestation

Burnt clay bricks, which remain the most used building material in Malawi and several other countries, involve heavy consumption of firewood due to the need to fire the clay that is used to make the bricks. Malawians burn around 850,000 tons of fuelwood per year in the process of firing bricks. At this rate the entire country would be deforested in a generation, so solutions such as Durabric provide viable alternatives.

Durabrics can save 14 trees for each simple house built compared to fired bricks, thanks to a production process that uses a mixture of soil, sand, cement and water without firing. They are three times stronger than traditional bricks, result in one-fifth of the CO2 emissions compared to common bricks, are up to 20 percent cheaper per square meter of wall and are more resistant to heavy rainfall.

Complementing the Lilongwe based factory, the new plant is located in Blantyre, the country’s business hub and second largest city. In addition, 14Trees has also launched two mobile plants that will be able to flexibly serve rural communities. Those mobile plants cut transport costs and at the same time provide employment for local villagers – often providing them with their first ever decent salary.

14Trees has also developed a turnkey house solution with Durabric as part of which it delivers a one-bedroom house in 12 weeks for less than USD 20,000 and offers home-owners a credit in collaboration with local banks.

About LafargeHolcim

LafargeHolcim is the global leader in building materials and solutions. We are active in four business segments: Cement, Aggregates, Ready-Mix Concrete and Solutions & Products.

With leading positions in all regions of the world and a balanced portfolio between developing and mature markets, LafargeHolcim offers a broad range of high-quality building materials and solutions. LafargeHolcim experts solve the challenges that customers face around the world, whether they are building individual homes or major infrastructure projects. Demand for LafargeHolcim materials and solutions is driven by global population growth, urbanization, improved living standards and sustainable construction. Around 75,000 people work for the company in around 80 countries.

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architecture,

CO2-reduction targets validated by Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)

  • Industry leader in reducing CO2
  • Approval of direct emissions reduction target and new ambitious CO2 emissions reductions targets from purchased electricity

The Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has validated LafargeHolcim’s targets to reduce its global carbon emissions. According to SBTi, LafargeHolcim’s targets are adequate and consistent with the global effort to keep temperatures below the ‘2°C’ threshold as agreed at the COP21 world climate conference in Paris.

“Our ambition to lead the industry in reducing carbon emissions is a key element of our Strategy 2022 – Building for Growth. The independent certification of our ambitious targets by the Science Based Targets initiative is a huge motivation for us to lead our industry towards low-carbon construction. Through continuous innovation in our production facilities and our product portfolio we will reduce carbon emissions even further,” said Magali Anderson, Chief Sustainability Officer.

The SBTi has approved LafargeHolcim’s commitment to reduce scope 1 GHG emissions by 10% per ton of cementitious materials by 2030 from a 2018 base year. LafargeHolcim also commits to reduce scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity by 65% within the same timeframe.

LafargeHolcim’s targets, expressed in CO2 emissions per ton of cementitious materials, equate to a reduction from 576 kg in 2018 to 520 kg by 2030. With these targets LafargeHolcim is an industry leader in reducing CO2. By 2018 LafargeHolcim had already reduced its net carbon scope 1 emissions per ton of cementitious material by 25% compared to 1990.

The SBTi is a global collaboration between the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF).

About LafargeHolcim

LafargeHolcim is the global leader in building materials and solutions. We are active in four business segments: Cement, Aggregates, Ready-Mix Concrete and Solutions & Products. With leading positions in all regions of the world and a balanced portfolio between developing and mature markets, LafargeHolcim offers a broad range of high-quality building materials and solutions. LafargeHolcim experts solve the challenges that customers face around the world, whether they are building individual homes or major infrastructure projects. Demand for LafargeHolcim materials and solutions is driven by global population growth, urbanization, improved living standards and sustainable construction. Around 75,000 people work for the company in around 80 countries.

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Business,

Continued growth momentum and over-proportional increase in profitability

  • Net Sales up 4.0%1, Recurring EBITDA2 up 9.0% in 9M

  • Net Sales up 4.9%1, Recurring EBITDA2 up 6.4% in Q3

  • 2019 targets confirmed

  • Appointment of Chief Sustainability Officer

9M 2019 Performance

Group (in million CHF) 9M 2019 9M 2018 ±% ±% like-for-like
Net Sales  20,200 20,634 -2.1 4.0
Recurring EBITDA (pre-IFRS16) 4,543  4,351 4.4 9.0

Q3 2019 Performance

Group (in million CHF) Q3 2019 Q3 2018 ±% ±% like-for-like
Net Sales  7,142 7,362 -3.0 4.9
Recurring EBITDA (pre-IFRS16) 1,881  1,867 0.8 6.4

Jan Jenisch, CEO: “Q3 is the fifth consecutive quarter of over-proportional growth in profitability and we are on track to achieve all targets for 2019. I would like to congratulate all employees for executing Strategy 2022 with high speed and impressive results.

Our financial discipline is generating value and we are making significant progress in cash conversion and in deleveraging our balance sheet. We expect the positive dynamics to continue into the fourth quarter and we are confident that we will deliver a strong full-year performance and achieve a new level of balance sheet strength.

We have further strengthened our sustainability efforts with the appointment of the first Chief Sustainability Officer to the Executive Committee. We are accelerating our vision of running our operations with zero harm to people and contributing to a built environment that will be carbon-neutral, fully recyclable and have a positive environmental impact.”
Net sales growth in all regions in Q3

Growth was achieved in all regions and in all four business segments, supported by solid global market demand, especially in mature markets. With 7 bolt-on acquisitions in 2019, the latest one in October in the UK, the company continues growing as outlined in Strategy 2022 – “Building for Growth”.

5th quarter of overproportional growth of Recurring EBITDA2

During the quarter the Recurring EBITDA2 increased in all business segments and in four out of five regions. North America and Europe increased Recurring EBITDA2 by 6.9% and 7.1% respectively, driven by volumes and positive price momentum.

REGIONAL PERFORMANCE

The Europe region had another very strong quarter, with good market demand across the region. Further margin improvement was driven by positive price momentum and operational efficiency. The UK market was resilient despite signs of weaker market demand due to current political uncertainty.

North America achieved strong results, with good volume growth in all business segments. Positive price momentum and easing cost inflation further supported profitable growth in the US, while there was a softer market environment in Canada.

The Latin America region stabilized in Q3, with good performance in Colombia and cement volume growth in Brazil. Markets in Mexico and Ecuador were softer while effective cost and price management partially mitigated these challenges.

The Asia Pacific region showed strong margin improvement in Q3. The good progress in India was driven by price and easing cost inflation despite softer demand. Effective turnaround initiatives supported resilient performance in Australia. China continued to deliver another positive contribution in Q3.

Ongoing turnaround efforts in the Middle East Africa region partially offset a challenging environment in key markets. While difficult market conditions persist in Algeria and Egypt, there were performance improvements in South Africa, Iraq and Jordan.

STRENGTHENING SUSTAINABILITY

In Q3 LafargeHolcim announced an allocation of CHF 160 million to reduce its annual carbon footprint in Europe. The objective is to reduce annual CO2 emissions in Europe by a further 15 percent like-for-like, representing 3 million tons of CO2, by 2022.

The company made another major step with the appointment of its first Chief Sustainability Officer position to the Executive Committee, accelerating efforts to be the industry leader on decarbonization, circular economy, health and safety and corporate social responsibility.

OUTLOOK

The positive momentum of the first nine months is expected to continue into Q4 with:

  • Continued market growth in North America
  • Softer but stabilizing cement demand in Latin America
  • Continued demand growth across most countries in Europe
  • Challenging market conditions in Middle East Africa
  • Continued demand growth in Asia Pacific

Based on the above trends and the successful execution of Strategy 2022, the previously communicated targets for 2019 are confirmed:

  • Net Sales growth of 3 to 5 percent on a like-for-like basis
  • Recurring EBITDA pre-IFRS 16 growth of at least 5 percent on a like-for-like basis
  • Ratio of Net Debt to Recurring EBITDA well below 2 times1 by the end of 2019
  • Significantly higher cash conversion
  • Capex and bolt-on acquisitions of less than CHF 2 billion

Key figures

Group Q3 2019 2018 ±% ±% LfL
Net Sales (CHFm) 7,142 7,362 -3.0 4.9
Recurring EBITDA (pre-IFRS16) (CHFm) 1,881 1,867 0.8 6.4
Recurring EBITDA (post-IFRS16) (CHFm) 1,985
Group 9M 2019 2018 ±% ±% LfL
Net Sales (CHFm) 20,200 20,634 -2.1 4.0
Recurring EBITDA (pre-IFRS16) (CHFm) 4,543 4,351 4.4 9.0
Recurring EBITDA (post-IFRS16) (CHFm) 4,863
Group results by segment 9M 2019 9M 2018 ±% ±% LfL
Sales of cement (mt)  156.4 165.4 -5.5 0.7
Net Sales Cement (CEM) (CHFm)  13,294  13,573 -2.1 5.5
CEM Recurring EBITDA (pre-IFRS16) (CHFm) 3,551 3,449 3.0 7.9
CEM Recurring EBITDA margin (pre-IFRS16) (%) 26.7 25.4
Sales of aggregates (mt)  202.4  205.3 -1.4 -0.4
Net Sales Aggregates (AGG) (CHFm)  3,105  3,091 0.4 3.1
AGG Recurring EBITDA (pre-IFRS16) (CHFm) 653 631 3.5 5.4
AGG Recurring EBITDA margin (pre-IFRS16) (%) 21.0 20.4
Sales of ready-mix concrete (m m3)  36.1  38.0 -5.0 -1.5
Net Sales Ready-Mix Concrete (RMX) (CHFm)  4,002  4,111 -2.7 0.4
RMX Recurring EBITDA (pre-IFRS16) (CHFm) 181 135 33.6 30.8
RMX Recurring EBITDA margin (pre-IFRS16) (%) 4.5 3.3
Net Sales Solutions & Products (SOP) (CHFm) 1,702 1,787 -4.7 2.0
SOP Recurring EBITDA (pre-IFRS16) (CHFm) 159 137 15.9 31.6
SOP Recurring EBITDA margin (pre-IFRS16) (%) 9.3 7.7

Regional performance 9M

Asia Pacific 2019 2018 ±% ±% LfL
Sales of cement (mt) 54.7 66.6 -17.9 -1.9
Sales of aggregates (mt) 20.4 23.6 -13.6 -2.9
Sales of ready-mix concrete (m m3 ) 7.4 9.3 -21.0 -1.3
Net Sales to external customers (CHFm) 4,879 5,576 -12.5 1.6
Recurring EBITDA (pre-IFRS16) (CHFm) 1,254  1,151 9.0 17.5
Europe 2019 2018 ±% ±% LfL
Sales of cement (mt) 35.4  33.9 4.3 4.3
Sales of aggregates (mt) 89.1  91.0 -2.0 -2.1
Sales of ready-mix concrete (m m3 ) 14.6  14.3 1.7 1.6
Net Sales to external customers (CHFm) 5,836 5,692 2.5 6.4
Recurring EBITDA (pre-IFRS16) (CHFm) 1,170  1,079 8.4 12.6
Latin America 2019 2018 ±% ±% LfL
Sales of cement (mt) 18.7  18.9 -1.4 -1.4
Sales of aggregates (mt)  3.1  2.7 15.7 15.7
Sales of ready-mix concrete (m m3 )  3.8  4.2 -9.8 -9.8
Net Sales to external customers (CHFm)  1,973  2,126 -7.2 4.4
Recurring EBITDA (pre-IFRS16) (CHFm)  669 739 -9.4 -1.7
Middle East Africa 2019 2018 ±% ±% LfL
Sales of cement (mt)  26.8  26.9 -0.6 -0.6
Sales of aggregates (mt)  5.0  6.7 -25.2 -25.2
Sales of ready-mix concrete (m m3 )  2.8  3.1 -8.5 -8.5
Net Sales to external customers (CHFm)  2,189  2,306 -5.1 0.9
Recurring EBITDA (pre-IFRS16) (CHFm)  490 566 -13.3 -6.6
North America 2019 2018 ±% ±% LfL
Sales of cement (mt)  15.8  14.9 6.1 6.1
Sales of aggregates (mt)  84.8 81.3 4.2 3.7
Sales of ready-mix concrete (m m3 )  7.6  7.2 6.7 0.1
Net Sales to external customers (CHFm)  4,755  4,366 8.9 5.7
Recurring EBITDA (pre-IFRS16) (CHFm)  1,192  1,113 7.1 4.4

 

RECONCILIATION TO GROUP ACCOUNTS

Reconciling measures of profit and loss to the consolidated statement of income of LafargeHolcim

Million CHF 9M 2019 9M 2018
Recurring EBITDA* 4,863 4,351
Depreciation and amortization and impairment of operating assets** (1,824) (1,668)
Restructuring, litigation, implementation and other  non-recurring costs (101) (354)
Operating profit 2,938 2,329

*  Including CHF 320 million of IFRS 16 lease impact in 2019
**  Including CHF (286) million of IFRS 16 lease impact in 2019

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Non-GAAP definitions

Some non-GAAP measures are used in this release to help describe the performance of LafargeHolcim. A full set of these non-GAAP definitions can be found via the link in the Documents box on the right of your screen.

Analyst presentation

The analyst presentation of the third quarter trading update is available in the Documents box on the right of your screen.

Media conference: 09:00 CEST

Switzerland: +41 58 310 5000

France: +33 1 7091 8706

UK: +44 207 107 0613

US: +1 631 570 5613

Analyst conference: 10:00 CEST

  

 

 

 

About LafargeHolcim

LafargeHolcim is the global leader in building materials and solutions. We are active in four business segments: Cement, Aggregates, Ready-Mix Concrete and Solutions & Products.

With leading positions in all regions of the world and a balanced portfolio between developing and mature markets, LafargeHolcim offers a broad range of high-quality building materials and solutions. LafargeHolcim experts solve the challenges that customers face around the world, whether they are building individual homes or major infrastructure projects. Demand for LafargeHolcim materials and solutions is driven by global population growth, urbanization, improved living standards and sustainable construction. Around 75,000 people work for the company in around 80 countries.

Important disclaimer – forward-looking statements:

This document contains forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements do not constitute forecasts regarding results or any other performance indicator, but rather trends or targets, as the case may be, including with respect to plans, initiatives, events, products, solutions and services, their development and potential. Although LafargeHolcim believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions as at the time of publishing this document, investors are cautioned that these statements are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of LafargeHolcim, including but not limited to the risks described in the LafargeHolcim’s annual report available on its website and uncertainties related to the market conditions and the implementation of our plans. Accordingly, we caution you against relying on forward-looking statements. LafargeHolcim does not undertake to provide updates of these forward-looking statements.

1 like-for-like
2 like-for-like,pre-IFRS 16
3 pre-IFRS 16 and at constant foreign exchange

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Business,

LafargeHolcim presents integrated road services at Abu Dhabi World Road Congress

LafargeHolcim is presenting its advanced integrated road offer at the Abu Dhabi World Road Congress with a focus on ORIS, a new digital service that helps optimize road design through a smarter use of locally sourced natural resources and materials. Using these new services can enable road infrastructure to become 50 percent less CO2-intensive while improving costs significantly. Beyond innovative pavement solutions, road structures, special binders or construction material services, LafargeHolcim will also introduce COPave in Abu Dhabi, a carbon calculator dedicated to roads that can accurately forecast any project impact in its actual environment. The World Road Congress, held from October 6 to 10, 2019 is organized every four years and brings together government authorities, road and transport administrations and organizations, academics, as well as solutions providers.

Nicolas Miravalls, Head of Roads: “The road infrastructure market accounts for more than CHF 550 billion worldwide. LafargeHolcim’s game-changing digital solutions are further strengthening our integrated road offer and will become key drivers for our infrastructure business. The optimization of road designs and material use are significant enablers to improve sustainability in road infrastructure. The choice of road design, and material sourcing have massive impacts on the costs, carbon footprint, durability and safety. That is why developing intelligent and integrated road solutions is a priority for LafargeHolcim.”

700,000 kilometers of roads are built every year around the world making road transportation a major source of carbon emissions worldwide, representing around 18 percent of global emissions. Because each road is unique, it is a complex challenge to define the most sustainable and cost effective solutions adapted to their local resources environment.

Going beyond traditional solutions with two new digital services

With ORIS and COPave LafargeHolcim is now launching two specific services at the World Road Congress that have the potential to significantly improve the way roads are built today.

ORIS is the world’s first digital material platform. Based on LafargeHolcim’s global knowledge of construction materials, and powered by artificial intelligence and digital platform, ORIS helps assess road designs at a very early stage with a holistic view including both the construction and maintenance phases of road projects. Thanks to a powerful algorithm, ORIS supports road investors, owners and designers in properly estimating their project impacts, analyze local natural resources, optimize construction budgets, increase sustainability and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Initial tests show that when using ORIS costs for road projects can be reduced by up to 30 percent while cutting their carbon footprint by up to half. At the same time the durability of these projects using ORIS can be increased three-fold.

The second service to be presented in Abu Dhabi is COPave, a life-cycle assessment (LCA) software specifically dedicated to roads. Developed within two years at the company’s global Innovation Center in Lyon, France, it will allow road contractors to evaluate precisely the environmental footprint of their roads and enable them be made as carbon-efficient as possible. COPave covers data from five continents and is a collaborative integrated service that can be used for new road projects but also maintenance programs. COPave has been assessed and recommended by the BRE (Building Research Establishment) in the UK for the quality of its analysis.

LafargeHolcim is involved in several road projects in over 40 countries worldwide. The company has contributed to important road infrastructure over the  past years, such as the Edmonton Ring Road in Canada, Sokna motorway in Egypt and the S5 expressway in Poland, and is currently delivering a major paving project on the A14 in Cambridge UK.

To find out more about LafargeHolcim’s unique perspective on sustainability in the building materials industry, make sure you subscribe to Material Talks for cutting-edge technology, breakthrough innovation and pioneering achievements that will make the built environment more sustainable.

About LafargeHolcim

LafargeHolcim is the global leader in building materials and solutions. We are active in four business segments: Cement, Aggregates, Ready-Mix Concrete and Solutions & Products.

With leading positions in all regions of the world and a balanced portfolio between developing and mature markets, LafargeHolcim offers a broad range of high-quality building materials and solutions. LafargeHolcim experts solve the challenges that customers face around the world, whether they are building individual homes or major infrastructure projects. Demand for LafargeHolcim materials and solutions is driven by global population growth.