The proportion of “green buildings”, i.e. sustainable buildings, is increasing rapidly and is becoming the defining future model of the construction industry. The CSC (Concrete Sustainability Council) is the first sustainability certification for concrete and its supply chain that can be incorporated into established building rating systems such as ÖGNI, DGNB, LEED and BREEAM. Holcim is the first company in the industry to achieve this top rating for all of its cement and concrete locations in Austria.
Sustainability can be measured using the CSC certificate, both in ecological, economic and social entrepreneurial activities. Holcim immediately achieved seven CSC Gold certificates for its locations. “As a leading company in the cement industry, we at Holcim clearly align our business activities with sustainability. Our long-term efforts for green transformation were consistently convincing in the in-depth CSC examination by the VDZ – Association of German Cement Works. We are proud that we were the first company to achieve CSC Gold Standard and can therefore make sustainable construction easier for our customers and partners in the future” said Haimo Primas, CEO Holcim (Austria), Holcim Cement CE Holding.
CSC test certificates for sustainable cement and concrete flow directly into green building assessment systems
With its clear catalog of assessments, the CSC certificate provides important guidance in increasingly complex sustainability assessment systems. “HOW and WHAT is built determines the ecological footprint of buildings and infrastructure“, says Giv Noori-Khadjavi, Holcim product manager cement and certification project manager. He highlights the advantages for customers and partners in the construction industry: “By using Holcim cement, our cement customers create the best conditions to significantly improve their concrete rating. With concrete from Holcim, the gold certificate score achieved can be taken directly into the building assessment. Our customers benefit directly from this, because all established green building rating systems such as ÖGNI, DGNB, BREEAM or LEED can adopt the CSC sustainability parameters 1:1. This creates transparency and direct comparability.”
Holistic sustainability testing of production and management processes
The CSC standard assesses sustainability in the value chain of cement, concrete and the raw materials industry. The holistically oriented certification system is based on the evaluation of management, environment, social issues, economics and the supply chain. From CO2 to governance to employees and product innovation, the certification body checks and evaluates the entire production and management process.
Already more than 50% of Holcim cement products meet the EU Taxonomy Standard climate change mitigation
In line with these high sustainability standards, Holcim offers the largest portfolio of CO2-reduced cement products. “SToday, well over half of the cement we sell meets the EU Taxonomy Standard for climate change mitigation. Our ECOPlanet range is designed to meet these requirements in all areas. This means we can already offer sustainable and reliable product alternatives for a wide range of construction applications“, says Gernot Tritthart, Sales and Marketing Director Holcim (Austria). He also announces, “In the future, we will continue to push forward our innovation work in production and product development in order to further reduce the CO2 footprint in the built environment with our building materials, our commitment to the circular economy and the possibilities for sustainable construction.”
About CSC certification
The Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC), founded in 2016, is led by the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI), an initiative within the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). The CSC certification covers companies across the entire concrete supply chain, i.e. cement manufacturers, aggregate suppliers and concrete manufacturers. The certification is a voluntary disclosure with a view to the company’s ecological, social and economic responsibility.
The CSC certificates for Holcim Austria were awarded in September 2024 after examination by the VDZ – German Cement Works Association and are valid worldwide for three years.
About Holcim Austria
With innovation and our commitment to sustainability, Holcim is paving the way for better, more natural construction. We offer future-oriented solutions for builders, construction companies, architects and engineers with CO2-reduced ECOPlanet cement, ECOPact concrete and ECOCycle recycled material. Because our mission is: Build more with less materials. Our 350 employees work towards climate-friendly change in the construction sector every day. Awarded the CSC Gold Standard, we operate Austria’s largest cement plant in Mannersdorf on the Leithagebirge, the cement plant in Retznei (Southern Styria) as well as plants of Holcim Beton (Österreich) GmbH and our administration in Vienna. Holcim (Austria) GmbH is a subsidiary of the world’s leading building materials group Holcim Ltd. and is committed to achieving the Paris climate goals. Further information is available at www.holcim.at