By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The management of Lafarge Africa Plc has disclosed that in 2021, over 89,000 tonnes of waste was recycled across three plants as part of its determination to contribute positively to the environment.
The Country Chief Executive Officer of Lafarge Africa Plc, Mr Khaled El-Dokani, while addressing capital market stakeholders on Tuesday, also said the company used 600 hectares of land for 16,500 seedling plants.
“Lafarge Africa, a member of Holcim, has fully enlisted sustainability as part of its core values and sustainability continues to be the main value driver for our strategy and operations,” he said at the Facts Behind the Sustainability Report (FBSR) put together by the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited.
“We are established as an organisation inspired by the purpose of building progress for people and the planet,” he further said.
“Throughout the reporting year, we remained focused on our ambition and goals to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions while ensuring that we improve our footprint in Nigerian society.
“Our advances in sustainability are evinced by tangible outcomes across our four pillars including the recycling of over 89,000 tonnes of waste and 446,000 cubic meters of water across three plants as well as the rehabilitation of 600 hectares of land with 16,500 seedling plants and 124,000 direct beneficiaries from our N2billion corporate social investment initiative,” Mr El-Dokani added.
At the event, the CEO of NGX, Mr Temi Popoola, commended and applauded Lafarge Africa for consistency in disclosing its sustainability performance to capital market stakeholders.
According to him, the action of the cement firm “will undoubtedly contribute towards favourably positioning the company in the line of sight of ethical and environmentally conscious investors.”
“Mounting evidence shows companies that adopt sustainable practices are better positioned to protect their brands from environmental and social risks, while also positioning themselves to benefit from the major capital allocated by sustainable investors. These global trends reflect the importance of companies disclosing their ESG performance, as the benefits are far-reaching.
“Our role at the exchange is to support our listed companies and provide capacity-building opportunities for them to grow their competence in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting.
“The overarching objectives for us is to see more companies approach and embrace sustainability from a knowledge perspective, realizing how much impact and value they are able to create for their stakeholders,” he added.
On her part, the Divisional Head of Business Support Services and General Counsel at NGX, Ms Irene Robinson-Ayanwale, promised that efforts would be made to collaborate with Sustainable Stock Exchange (SSE) initiative, United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) to build capacity within the market to drive the adoption of sustainable business practices across our ecosystem.
