Better Health for All

Holcim's operations have been linked to major negative health externalities. At its Chekka cement plant, there are allegations of cancer and other health issues tied to plant emissions, including sulfur dioxide impacting residential areas and water sources

. In the US, the Alpena cement plant has faced over 20 air pollution violations since 2015 and significant Clean Water Act noncompliance . Mercury in effluent exceeded allowed limits from 2016 until March 2024 , with one water sample showing mercury at nearly 86 times the limit and aluminum at nearly 194 times the limit . Holcim (US) Inc. settled Clean Air Act violations at its Hagerstown, MD plant, investing over $20 million for compliance, over $150,000 for an environmental mitigation project, and paying a $700,000 civil penalty . The company has also invested over $100 million in "eco-friendly technologies" at the Alpena plant over the last 15 years and received a $3 million grant for converting scrap tires into fuel . Despite these investments, the persistent and severe nature of the violations indicates inadequate remediation of significant health-harming externalities.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Holcim Ltd is a global building materials and solutions company, and its core business does not involve offering lending, deposit, or other consumer financial services. Consequently, all KPIs related to "Fair Money & Economic Opportunity" are not applicable to its operations. The company does not have APRs or fee structures for consumer credit products, nor does it generate revenue from high-cost financial products. It does not manage customer finance data, is not regulated as a lender, and does not provide debt products to consumers. Furthermore, it does not operate financial service access points or offer financial products requiring complex disclosures. While Holcim engages in social impact initiatives and mentions microfinance partnerships

, these do not constitute a loan/insurance book or community finance reinvestment by the company itself, nor are there specific financial literacy programs. There is no direct impact on customer credit or savings outcomes from financial products.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

Holcim reported 50 workplace fatalities in 2015, with a stated dramatic increase in 2016.

The company has also been cited for 310 safety violations in the last two years at its Smith's Landing plant, with 97 of these potentially leading to serious injury or illness, resulting in $455,000 in fines. Furthermore, Holcim has faced accusations of child labor in Uganda, engaged in illegal worker replacements in Canada, and is reported to have targeted union members during restructuring.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

Holcim's contracts and purchase orders include terms and conditions requiring adherence to its 2021 Code of Business Conduct for Suppliers.

This Code outlines expectations for ethical sourcing, encompassing social, environmental, and governance standards. It emphasizes compliance with international laws and standards, including the UN Global Compact, OECD Guidelines, UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and ILO standards. The Code details expectations across various categories, including health and safety, working conditions, child labor, environmental compliance, bribery, and corruption, and states a 'zero tolerance' policy for certain serious breaches, with potential termination for non-compliance.

Honest & Fair Business

Holcim Group incurred a significant ethics-related regulatory fine of $777,780,000 in 2022 for payment to a designated terrorist organization.

The company also reported one financial restatement for its segment information in 2024 and Q1 2025, following a spin-off and restructuring. Holcim maintains a comprehensive Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy, applicable globally to all directors and employees, which details prohibited actions, guidance on gifts and hospitality, and requirements for third-party due diligence. The company conducts annual risk assessments at a country level and provides extensive training, with 5,295 employees receiving face-to-face training and 30,408 employees completing eLearning in 2021. Its compliance program is subject to internal and external audits, with external compliance expertise reviewing the program periodically and quarterly reviews by the Compliance Functional Council.

Kind to Animals

Holcim Spain has rehabilitated approximately 250 hectares beyond legal requirements, restoring quarries into biodiversity sites.

The Long-Term Biodiversity Index (LBI) for the Yepes-Ciruelos quarry scored 5.559 out of 7. A 10-acre habitat area at Holcim Building Envelope's Prescott plant has been re-certified as a Wildlife Conservation Area. Additionally, nearly half of Aggregate Industries' UK sites, a Holcim subsidiary, hold the Wildlife Trusts Biodiversity Benchmark certification. Holcim has committed to a "nature-positive" strategy with measurable biodiversity targets by 2030, including transformative rehabilitation plans for all quarries by 2022 and a global biodiversity baseline completed by 2024 in all managed land. The company is among the 1% of the 500 largest global companies with science-driven biodiversity targets and is a first-mover in adopting Science Based Targets Network’s (SBTN) science-based targets for nature.

No War, No Weapons

The provided article is a financial prospectus for a bond offering and explicitly states that no specific data is provided regarding HLBN.XETRA or the 'No War, No Weapons' value.

Therefore, no KPIs can be scored based on the available evidence.

Planet-Friendly Business

Holcim has SBTi-validated 2030 and 2050 CO2 reduction targets for all three scopes, aligned with the 1.5°C framework, and was the first in its sector with such targets.

Its 2030 near-term targets, restated in 2025, include reducing gross Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 24.95% per ton of cementitious materials from a 2020 base year, and gross Scope 3 emissions from purchased clinker and cement by 25.1% per ton purchased. In 2022, 27% of the company's cement electrical energy consumption was renewable. Recycled content in cement reached 20% in 2022. The majority of Holcim's products are bulk shipped with no packaging. However, Holcim reported 3 severe noncompliance cases in 2022, resulting in CHF 0.6 million in fines. In 2024, 5 countries reported severe non-compliance cases. Historically, environmental penalties since 2000 exceed $229 million. In 2024, 18 environmental impact assessments were conducted. Holcim released its first TCFD-aligned Climate Report in 2022, being the first in its sector, and its climate and nature risks and opportunities assessment is fully aligned with TCFD and TNFD frameworks. The company acknowledges a long-term risk of stranded assets where Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) is not feasible. Holcim is committed to Just Transition principles and launched an upskilling and reskilling program for approximately 170 employees at its Obourg, Belgium plant, running until 2027.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

Holcim was charged in France for complicity in crimes against humanity and financing ISIS in Syria, and pleaded guilty in the US to supporting foreign terrorist organizations, resulting in a $777.8 million penalty.

This indicates a systematic failure in preventing and responding to incidents with severe community and cultural impact. While Holcim's 2023 Human Rights Directive outlines a framework for human rights due diligence, including impact and self-assessments and addressing Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), these past violations demonstrate inconsistent implementation of such protocols. No specific, quantifiable evidence was provided for other KPIs such as formal partnerships with indigenous or local community groups, revenue reinvested in local community development, cultural appropriation incidents, local employment ratios, grievance mechanisms availability, average complaint resolution time, FPIC participation rates, community governance inclusion, cultural preservation investment, local procurement share, indigenous supplier count, cultural site protection, social license operations, charitable giving to cultural heritage organizations, community fund allocation, language inclusivity, or cultural sensitivity training completion.

Safe & Smart Tech

Holcim reports an 85% participation rate in its I&O Skills Guild

, with over 50 training sessions delivered on topics including generative AI, machine learning, data engineering, and cloud security . The company states it complies with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) , and ensures compliance with all local laws and regulations .

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Holcim's subsidiary, Geocycle, transformed approximately 14 million tons of waste into energy and raw materials in 2023.

Holcim also recycled 10.2 million tons of construction demolition materials (CDM) in 2024 and nearly 8.4 million tons in 2023 , operating over 150 recycling centers globally. The company applies circular design principles to several product categories, exemplified by its ECOCycle® and ECOPact solutions. Holcim has set company-wide targets to recycle 20 million tons of CDM per annum by 2030 , recycle 70 million tons of waste and byproducts for alternative energy and raw materials by 2030 , and aims to recycle at least 10 million tons of CDM by 2025.