Sustainable building solutions leader Lafarge Canada, a member of Holcim Group, announced its conversion to the production of 100% ECOPlanet cement at its Richmond Cement Plant. ECOPlanet, Holcim’s brand of low-carbon cement, offers a minimum 30% reduction in CO2 emissions per tonne in comparison to ordinary portland cement.
“This is a proud moment for our organization," says Brad Kohl, president & CEO of Lafarge Canada (West). “This conversion in Lafarge’s Western Canada division highlights our strong commitment to accelerating green growth. As leaders in sustainable building solutions, we take pride in having a positive impact on building solutions across its lifecycle without compromising the quality and long-term durability of our products."
The Richmond plant has been at the forefront of carbon emissions reduction in the industry’s built environment since the mid-2000s. Recently, with various initiatives, the plant achieved a significant milestone - converting the cement plant's production. This accomplishment cements the company's decarbonization strategy and makes it the first cement plant within the Holcim Group worldwide to qualify 100% of its cement production as ECOPlanet.
The Government of BC and CleanBC Industry Fund have been instrumental in facilitating decarbonization projects efficiently. Through the Innovation Accelerator Fund, the Richmond Plant received funding to assist with the addition of supplementary cementitious materials to cement and has been the key to decreasing the greenhouse gasses per tonne of cement produced on site.
Toufic Tabbara, Region Head of North America at Holcim, adds, "Globally, Holcim is a leader in sustainable building materials, and ECOPlanet is a great example of our innovative solutions. By adopting low-carbon cement processing additions like at the Richmond plant, we continue to lower the embodied carbon in our building materials.”
The ECOPlanet range of low-carbon cement is designed to meet the most stringent performance specifications while upholding the highest standards of sustainability. With compliance with all industry standards, this cement is suitable for various applications regardless of performance requirements.
