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Campaigners write to Holcim chairman ahead of U.S. spin

off

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Concrete Change group wants Holcim to cut carbon footprint

By John Revill

ZURICH, Oct 17 (Reuters) - U.S. environmental groups

have stepped up a campaign to get cement maker Holcim

to curb its carbon footprint, writing to its chairman and

potential investors in its North American business before it is

spun off next year.

Swiss sustainability-focused proxy adviser Actares, which

represents individual shareholders in Holcim, has backed the

Concrete Change campaign organised by U.S. nonprofit Industrious

Labs.

Cement, considered a sector where reducing carbon emissions

is difficult, is responsible for around 6% of global CO2

emissions. That has put cement producers firmly in the sights of

environmentalists.

"Cement and concrete create nearly 8% of global emissions.

That must change," Concrete Change wrote in a letter sent on

Thursday to chairman Jan Jenisch.

Among its proposals, the campaign group wants the

Switzerland-based company to phase out its use of

energy-intensive wet kilns to make cement and to establish at

least one net zero cement plant in North America by 2030.

Holcim declined to comment on the letter, which it has not

yet received. The company plans to spin off 100% of its North

American business in the first half of 2025, with a potential

valuation of $30 billion.

Thursday's letter, seen by Reuters, follows criticism of

Holcim from Concrete Change last month.

Signatories to the campaign, which include Michigan Climate

Action Network, Clean Water Action from Baltimore and the

Potomac Riverkeeper Network from Washington, said the spinoff

was a good opportunity for Holcim to change its approach.

Holcim, which has been investing recently to improve its

emissions profile, has previously defended its record.

It is currently establishing three projects in North America

to capture 5 million tons of CO2 per year, which will come

online from 2028.

Last month it took a stake in Sublime Systems, a U.S. tech

start-up working on low carbon cement.