Holcim Romania is the first company in the world, except UK, offering products certified according to BES 6001 - Framework Standard for the Responsible Sourcing of Construction Products

Bucharest, July 21st 2014 – Holcim Romania, one of the most important cement, concrete and aggregates producers, recently obtained the BES 6001 certification regarding the Responsible Sourcing of Construction Products, being the first company in the world, except UK, to have this external recognition.

Through the BRE Environmental and Sustainability standard BES 6001, Holcim Romania  supports its customers  to build green constructions, which can be certified through the Green Buildings Certification Schemes, such as BREEAM (Great Britain) and LEED (United States).

The BES 6001 certification proves that Holcim products – cement, concrete and aggregates – have been produced in a social and environmental responsible way, from the procurement of the constituent materials and the management of the fabrication processes, to delivery. The management of social, health, safety and environment aspects were key elements of this certification process. Achieving and maintaining a „Very Good” certification level on BES 6001 reinforces the ongoing commitment of Holcim Romania to sustainable development..

Holcim Romania has today in Alesd and Campulung two of the most performant cement plants from Holcim Group, after investing 700 million in the implementation of the best available technologies in its production units. In 2014, Holcim Romania will invest additional 15 million euro in maintenance, production efficiency and the reduction of energy consumption.

Holcim Romania also performed a detailed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of its products from raw material extraction to delivery, for the preparation and publishing of  Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for all its products. Thus, having now externally verified data on the environmental impact of producing: 1 ton of cement, 1 m3 of concrete and 1 ton of aggregates.These EPDs are now enabling the customers of Holcim Romania to  further develop LCA/EPD for their products/buildings and to publicly report and communicate their sustainable performance.

Through the BES 6001 certification (obtained at “Very Good” level), our customers can be awarded with 2 points in both BREEAM 2011 and LEED 2013 for the responsible sourcing of materials criteria, offering them a better position and advantage in the market by optimizing their scores in respect of Green Buildings Certification Schemes. Moreover, through the EPDs our customers can benefit from additional 1 to 6 points in BREEAM 2011 for life cycle impacts category and 2 points in LEED 2013 for building product disclosure and optimization criteria.

“We are proud that we became the first company in the world, with the exception of UK, that obtained this standard and received the “Very Good” level. The BES 6001 certification is part of Holcim Romania’s efforts to be close to our clients and to offer them permanent added value through our products and services. We believe that this premier for Romania is a great achievement in supporting the development of green buildings on the local market. We are further interested to develop close collaboration with our customers having enhanced sustainable solutions that meet their specific needs”, said François Pétry, General Director Holcim Romania.

The strict requirements of BES 6001 compels companies to demonstrate, from origin to use, that its health, safety and environmental management systems are at a high level from the point of view of quality and efficiency. They are determined to responsibly manage production location, especially in terms of environmental protection and to minimize the impact of the transport associated with the delivery of the constituent materials used in manufacture, waste disposal and the delivery of products to the customers.

Also, the BES 6001 certification imposes the sustainable and efficient use of material resources as well as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, there are criteria for specific ethical business practices and compliance with laws and regulations. At the same time, the standard requires companies to liaise with the local community of matters of mutual interest.

About Holcim Romania

Holcim (Romania) S.A. owns 2 cement plants in Campulung and Alesd, a grinding station and a cement terminal in Turda, 14 ecological ready-mix plants, 3 aggregates plants, 2 special binders plants and a cement terminal in Bucharest. Holcim (Romania) S.A. employs around 800 people. For more information, please visit www.holcim.ro.

Holcim is one of the leading suppliers of cement and aggregates (sand and gravel), concrete, asphalt and related services. The Group holds minority and majority interests in about 70 countries on all continents.