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When it comes to sustainability, Holcim’s number one priority remains the safety of its employees and those of suppliers and third-party companies.

The message was highlighted as the company released its 2014 Corporate Sustainable Development Report. It presents Holcim’s objectives for the areas of occupational health and safety, social responsibility, sustainability and enhanced solutions, climate change, resources, and communities.

The company said it had spent a number of years focusing on building trust throughout the group, and the results have started to reflect this change. In 2014, Holcim recorded a lost time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) for direct employees of 1.6, and a total injury frequency rate (TIFR) of 4.8. Holcim continues to strengthen its safety performance, and has a number of programmes and initiatives that allow targeted support where specific and individual improvements are required.

The report builds on the “Holcim Sustainable Development Ambition 2030” announced in 2013. The ambition was developed in consultation with a broad range of stakeholders and sustainability experts. It reflects Holcim’s aspiration to go beyond “business as usual” and to be part of the solution to the challenges of our time. The strategy focuses on activities in the areas of climate, resources and communities with an intention to significantly increase the group’s portfolio of sustainability-enhancing products and services. The report provides the initial measurements and progress against the targets set out in the ambition and gives details of the definition of sustainability enhanced solutions.

CEO Bernard Fontana commented: “The report shows that the system is fully operational, with investigations conducted into reported incidents, and that there are consequences to non-compliance.”

Holcim’s Code of Business Conduct was ranked number one among Swiss companies in terms of completeness and relevance by the advisery firm KPMG. The code offers guidance and provides examples to help employees when they are confronted with challenging situations in their daily work. It also contains references to Holcim policies, relevant laws, and regulations - the background for many of the topics included in the code and the compliance programme.

The 2014 corporate sustainable development report was assured by PriceWaterhouseCoopers and is in accordance with the GRI G4 reporting framework.

‘Praiseworthy’ HK plan to cut energy consumption

The Hong Kong government announced on May 14 that it had set a target for cutting energy consumption in the city by 6 per cent from 2012 levels over the next decade. Such a determined plan deserves praise and would be equivalent to trimming carbon emissions by about 2,340 kilotonnes per year in the city. The new plan is more ambitious than the one adopted at the 2011 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. Hong Kong’s latest scheme, which should be welcomed by all sectors of society, is part of an effort to respond to a United Nations’ conference on climate change that will be held in Paris in November.

To achieve this impressive goal, the government has also introduced a range of measures, including reviewing building energy codes once every three years (to make sure buildings are not using more energy than stipulated). Also, energy consumption will be further reduced by 10 per cent in government buildings in two phases, and future public housing estates will be required to attain at least a “good” rating under the existing green-building assessment scheme. Meanwhile, incentives will be offered to the private sector to build more green (or energy-saving) buildings.

It is a no-brainer that carbon pollution (particularly when electricity is generated by coal consumption) is a key cause for illnesses such as lung cancer and respiratory infections. Pollution has pushed up Hong Kong’s medical costs and hurt people’s quality of life.

Air pollution has caused more than 3,000 premature deaths and monetary losses of HK$39 billion in 2013 to Hong Kong, according to a study by University of Hong Kong (HKU) researchers. Researchers from the HKU’s school of public health estimated that 3,069 people died prematurely in 2013 due to air pollution and 151,300 were hospitalised for pollution-related illnesses.

In fact, the government can reduce carbon monoxide in the air (and hence reduce the number of pollution-induced deaths) by limiting private vehicles on the roads.

Politically it will not be easy for the government to interfere in the use of cars. This is because car owners are often rich and famous people and middle-class white-collar executives. But this does not mean the government can afford to be complacent — no matter how sensitive the issue. The interest of the public carries more weight than those of privileged people.

— China Daily/ANN